Fay Grafton Nunez, PLLC

Focus and practice areas

Since 2005, Fay Grafton Nunez, PLLC has handled immigration and criminal defense matters in North Carolina. The firm also represents clients in traffic cases. Its attorneys work through offices in Raleigh, Asheville and Charlotte.

The two main fields can overlap when a criminal charge affects a person's immigration status. The firm lists these combined matters among its services. That stated focus gives clients access to attorneys who handle both the pending charge and the related immigration issue.

Immigration services

The firm's immigration work includes citizenship, naturalization, green cards and residency. Its attorneys also handle visa petitions, immigration waivers, deportation defense, refugee matters and asylum claims. Business and employment petitions form another part of the listed work.

Rebekah Grafton works with individuals, couples, families and businesses. Her listed services include naturalization and citizenship matters.She holds the formal credential of board certification in immigration law from the North Carolina State Board.

Elizabeth Hutchens focuses on immigration matters in the Raleigh office. Jessica Alatorre also practices immigration law. Ana S. Nuñez handles immigration cases along with criminal and traffic matters from Raleigh.

Criminal and traffic defense

The criminal defense work includes DWI and DUI charges, drug offenses, domestic violence and assault. The firm also takes larceny, theft, juvenile and major felony cases. Its traffic services include traffic charges, driver's license restoration and expungements.

William L. Fay opened the firm as a defense attorney and has practiced law in North Carolina since 2005. He has represented people in state court on DUI and DWI charges, traffic violations, larceny, drug charges and major felonies. He later added immigration work to his caseload.

Fay maintains criminal defense work in Asheville. Nuñez handles criminal and traffic matters through the Raleigh office. The published attorney roles therefore place criminal defense services in both cities.

How the attorney team is built

The website names five attorneys: William L. Fay, Rebekah Grafton, Ana S. Nuñez, Elizabeth Hutchens and Jessica Alatorre. Their stated roles cover immigration law, criminal defense and traffic cases. Raleigh has attorneys assigned to both immigration and criminal matters.

Fay earned his J.D. cum laude from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2005. He has held the role of Co Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee for the Criminal Justice Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. His background centers on state criminal cases, traffic charges and immigration work.

Grafton previously worked as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Fay recruited her from that agency when the firm added immigration services. Her government experience and board certification are the clearest published credentials tied to the firm's immigration work.

Roles beyond client matters

Nuñez practices immigration, criminal and traffic law. The Durham Racial Equity Task Force appointed her to its board in 2018. Super Lawyers named her a Rising Star in 2021.

Hutchens works as an immigration attorney in Raleigh. Alatorre's stated role is also in immigration law. These assignments add two attorneys to the firm's immigration team alongside Grafton and Nuñez.

Growth since 2005

The firm has conducted business in Wake County since 2005. Raleigh remains one of its three North Carolina locations. Its published account connects the start of the firm with Fay's work as a defense attorney.

Immigration services became part of the firm after Grafton joined from the Department of Homeland Security. That addition brought citizenship, residency, visa, waiver, asylum and deportation matters into the firm's stated work. Cases involving criminal charges and immigration status also appear in the service list.

The firm expanded into Asheville in 2016 and opened an office in the Biltmore building on Pack Square. It now identifies offices in Raleigh, Asheville and Charlotte. Fay's Asheville work focuses on criminal defense, while the broader firm handles immigration cases through its North Carolina offices.

Client access and service format

The firm provides legal services in English and Spanish. It offers consultations in person and by video. Those options apply across a client base that includes individuals, couples, families and businesses.

The listed immigration work includes both personal and business matters. Citizenship, green cards, asylum and deportation defense concern individuals and families. Visa petitions and employment based petitions also allow the firm to assist employers and workers.

Criminal defense clients can seek help with charges in state court, juvenile cases and traffic matters. The service list also includes expungements and driver's license restoration. Each area appears as a stated legal service on the firm's website.

What the published record shows

In my opinion, the clearest feature is the firm's stated work where criminal and immigration law meet. Fay Grafton Nunez assigns attorneys to each field and names lawyers who handle both. The website supports that focus with specific case types and attorney roles.

The attorney information also gives useful context about Fay, Grafton and Nuñez. It identifies Fay's legal education and committee role, Grafton's board certification and government work, and Nuñez's public appointment and 2021 recognition. Hutchens and Alatorre are identified as immigration attorneys.

The firm has worked in Wake County since 2005 and added its Asheville office in 2016. Its current locations are Raleigh, Asheville and Charlotte. The firm offers consultations in person and by video, with legal services available in English and Spanish.