About Lavender Root Legal
Lavender Root Legal is a direct response to the legal needs of queer and nontraditional families in Buncombe County. Too often, families who don’t fit into “traditional” molds face attorneys and systems that don’t fully understand their lives. We are here to change that.
We exist to serve queer, nontraditional, and modern families with respect, skill, and compassion. We are rooted in the belief that every family deserves representation that affirms their lives and protects their future.
Our practice is designed to meet families where they are and support them through life’s most significant transitions. We provide:
Divorce & Equitable Distribution – Steady, clear guidance through separation and fair division of assets.
Custody & Parenting Agreements – From simple agreements to complex, high-conflict cases, we help you put your children first.
Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) Representation – Time sensitive legal protection handled with care and compassion.
Family Planning – Adoption, name changes, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, sperm donor contracts, and more.
Estate Planning – Wills, living wills, advance directives, and powers of attorney to safeguard your family’s future.
At Lavender Root Legal, we know that families come in all shapes and sizes. Our role is to provide accessible, affirming, and skilled legal support so you never have to face these challenges alone.
Madison Root
Attorney At Law
Madison Root (they/she) is a passionate queer family law attorney who has made Asheville and the beautiful WNC mountains home for her and her family after transplanting here over four years ago. Attorney Root has led clients to several notable case wins since practicing in North Carolina, including a case against NCDHHS, where queer foster parents had been falsely accused of abuse, had their soon-to-be adopted child removed, and their foster license revoked. Madison’s clients won during trial, received over $40,000.00 in attorney fees from the State, and, most importantly, they were reunited with and able to adopt their child.
Originally from South Texas, Attorney Root’s passion for helping families in legal need has been honed since her first job at 17 as a Court Clerk in Medina County, Texas. Madison nurtured this passion by working as a family law paralegal while pursuing her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where Madison received her Bachelor of Arts in 2017.
Attorney Root then received her J.D. from Penn State Law, graduating cum laude in 2021. Attorney Root received two degree specializations during her time at Penn State Law: one in Children, Families, and the Law, the other in Race, Law, and Equity. Mrs. Root completed two semesters practicing at the Penn State Law Family Law Clinic, where she represented indigent clients in divorce, custody, and domestic violence matters. Mrs. Root was granted the 2024 Distinguished Young Lawyer Award by the Buncombe County Bar. In addition to Buncombe, Attorney Root has practiced in Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, and Transylvania counties.
Attorney Root is ecstatic to live out her passion through helping her fellow Buncombe County families navigate changes that need legal support. When not serving her clients, Madison can often be found walking around downtown Asheville or driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, wondering how they got so lucky to live in such a beautiful place.
Sami Ramadan
Paralegal
Since moving from the sandy shores of Florida to the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Sami Ramadan (he/him) has swapped out his flip flops for hiking shoes and has found himself enjoying the much cooler climate. He has fallen in love with the sprawling mountain ranges, the unique culture of Asheville, and most of all, the people who make North Carolina so special.
Mr. Ramadan received his education from Florida State University in Tallahassee, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and a minor in English. He was the Director of Recruitment for Florida State University’s Undergraduate Mock Trial Program, as well as a member of the competitive team during his junior and senior years of college. Mock Trial has given Mr. Ramadan a greater appreciation for the legal profession, strengthened his ability to work with others, and provided him with a better understanding of how the legal system operates.
Mr. Ramadan has worked with Madison Root for the last two and a half years as intern, and he is excited to leverage his unique experience as a long-term intern toward working alongside Attorney Root again as a paralegal. He is most looking forward to building something great with Attorney Root and is eager to engage more with the field of work he is so passionate about.
Why We Do This Work
The roots of Lavender Root Legal reach back to Madison’s earliest experiences with the legal system—seeing firsthand how daunting it can be for people without support. Today, that seed has grown into a firm dedicated to ensuring queer and nontraditional families never face those systems alone.
If your family is at a turning point, you don’t have to navigate it by yourself. Lavender Root Legal is here to stand with you.
We’re here for you when you’re ready.