About Carla

Attorney Carla Vestal has called western North Carolina home for decades.
Originally from West Virginia, Carla knows firsthand how families often
struggle to live a life of security. A third-generation immigrant herself, she
grew up in a working-class family where she learned the value of hard work,
overcoming adversity, and never giving up.

It is from her experiences as a child and through adulthood that Carla
decided she would dedicate her life’s work to making sure all people will be
treated equally and fairly while preserving all legal rights to do so. A fighter
by nature, Carla is not afraid to challenge the government to prove its legal
burden while protecting her clients’ interests.

Carla is licensed to practice law by the Washington Supreme Court. She is
also a member of the America Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA),
The Federal Bar, the Catawba County Bar Association, and the North
Carolina Advocates for Justice. As such, she is fully registered to represent
clients in front of all divisions of the Department of Homeland Security
(USCIS, ICE, CBP) and the Department of Justice Executive Office of
Immigration Review (EOIR).

Before entering private practice in immigration law, Carla worked for the
Mecklenburg County Public Defenders Office. While in law school, Carla represented clients in the Immigration and Criminal Defense Clinic and the Civil Rights Clinic. Carla also has over 20 years of experience in human resources, business management and strategic planning.

Speaking

Carla frequently speaks on immigration law topics at local events, such as:

• Catawba Valley Interfaith Council (CVIC) and Lenoir Rhyne University Department of Religious Studies: film screening of Santuario and discussion on immigration law.
• Lenoir Rhyne University: multiple legal and immigration convocations on topics including “Why Law School?” and “Everything You Need to Know about DACA and TPS.”
• “Families Belong Together”: an event held at the Catawba County Historical Museum to discuss the situation at the southern border.
• Catawba Valley Community College, Lenoir Rhyne University, and BB&T: Community Forum on Deferred Action Programs.

Education

• Charlotte School of Law, J.D., dean’s list honors (2015)
• Lenoir Rhyne University, B.A., magna cum laude (2012)
  • Departmental honors, Political Science and Sociology
  • Pi Gamma Mu, International Honor Society of Social Sciences
  • Pi Sigma Alpha, National Political Science Honor Society

Professional Associations & Awards

• Business North Carolina Legal Elite 2021
• Washington Bar
• The Federal Bar
• America Immigration Lawyers Association
• Catawba County Bar Association
• North Carolina Advocates for Justice
• Widener University, Adjunct Professor, Criminal Justice