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.
Carter Beatty
Paralegal
Carter (they/them) grew up with a strong interest in politics and a strong sense of justice. Carter holds a Bachelor of the Arts in English with minors in political science and religion from University of North Carolina-Greensboro. While there, they worked in the Writing Center and volunteered with INTERLINK, which led to an appreciation not only of Greensboro’s rich cultural diversity, but for each individual and their personal journeys with language. Carter went on to receive a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Composition from Ball State University, continuing their writing center work and furthering their understanding of the politics of language. Through a series of experiences, including moving to Asheville, their everlasting interest in politics and the law renewed, Carter obtained their paralegal studies technical degree from Madison Area Technical College. When not working on cases, Carter can be found playing with their dog Watson or enjoying queer horror media.
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.