Damon Duncan
Partner — Board-Certified Consumer Bankruptcy
“I’ve been inside bankruptcy law since I was 12 years old, working in my father’s firm. What I’ve learned: there is no single type of person who files — only good people dealing with something hard, who are ready to find a new way forward.”
Board-certified bankruptcy attorney serving clients throughout North Carolina — when you call Duncan Law, you speak with the actual attorney who handles your case.
MEET DAMON
Watch Before You Call — Or After
If you want to get a sense of who you'll actually be speaking with before your first consultation, this is a good place to start.
WHAT DRIVES ME
The Moment That Makes This Job Worth Doing
When I came out of law school, I had options. There were paths that would likely have paid better, at least early on. But I had seen, from a young age, what it meant to help someone navigate a genuinely difficult financial situation. That stayed with me.
I don’t think there is a better feeling than sitting across from — or being on the phone with — someone who is completely overwhelmed by their financial situation, then watching them move through the process and come out the other side. The relief on a client’s face when they get that fresh financial start is worth a lot. It’s what makes me come back every day.
And if bankruptcy isn’t the right path for someone, I’ll tell them that too. I’m not here to push anyone into something that doesn’t make sense. But in most cases, we can find you real options for catching your financial breath — and we’ll walk through each one honestly, so you can make an informed decision without pressure.
IN DAMON'S OWN WORDS
This Page Is Probably Different Than Most Attorney Bios You’ve Read
Hi, I’m Damon Duncan. Most attorney bios lead with credentials — law school rankings, bar memberships, certifications. What I’ve found over the years, though, is that most people who reach out to us care a lot less about where I went to law school and a lot more about what kind of person they’re actually going to be working with. So that’s what this page is about.
THE JOURNEY
The Road That Led Here
Here’s the short version of how a kid from Northeast Texas became a board-certified bankruptcy attorney in North Carolina. The full story is below.
WHAT MATTERS MOST
Family First — Everything Else Comes After
The most important thing in my life is my family. Full stop.
The rock of our family is my wife, Melissa. Our story is a little corny, but it’s true: we have been together since our junior year in high school. She was a cheerleader. I was a football player. It’s the kind of origin story that makes our kids roll their eyes when we tell it — but it’s ours, and we’re proud of it.
We have been blessed with two amazing sons and a little girl. They are 12, 10, and 5 years old. All three are involved in sports, which means our weekends look a lot less like relaxing and a lot more like a traveling caravan of cleats, helmets, and sideline cheering. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Melissa is an attorney too. She works at a very large international law firm, and she is genuinely one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Having a spouse who understands the demands of legal work has been a real gift — she gets it when a case is complicated, and I get it when she’s working late.
Having kids gives you perspective that nothing else does. What felt important before children often doesn’t feel quite as urgent now. That shift has made me a better attorney — and a much better person.
WHERE I COME FROM
I Came to North Carolina in Fifth Grade — and Never Left
I was born in Northeast Texas, where I spent the first part of my childhood before my family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina when I was in fifth grade. Charlotte is where I grew up, where I went to high school, and where Melissa and I met.
In high school, I was an athlete. Four years of varsity football, team captain in my junior and senior years, all-conference recognition, and named All-Observer by the Charlotte Observer my senior year. I also played four years of varsity lacrosse and captained that team my senior year.
Melissa was on the cheerleading squad. We started dating our junior year and were voted “cutest couple” by our classmates — which I realize sounds embarrassing to put in an attorney bio, but it does tend to make people smile.
COLLEGE YEARS
I Went to Elon to Play Football. Then Something Unexpected Happened.
After high school, Melissa and I both enrolled at Elon University outside of Burlington, North Carolina. I had been recruited to play football there, but decided at the last minute that the NFL probably wasn’t going to have many openings for six-foot-tall offensive linemen. So I passed on playing.
What I did instead — and I still cannot believe I’m putting this in writing — is join the collegiate cheerleading squad. At a welcome pep rally during orientation, the team performed, and coaches came over afterward to ask if I’d be interested in coming to a practice. I said no. They were persistent. At that first practice, there was a freshman named Chris who could do things I couldn’t. That was enough. I am genuinely competitive, sometimes to a fault — and I couldn’t walk away until I figured it out.
“It turned out to be one of the best things I ever did. It taught me a lot about trust, communication, and working closely with people whose strengths are completely different from yours. When you’re holding someone above your head on one hand, you learn to pay attention.”
I ended up cheerleading all four years at Elon, serving as captain through most of my sophomore, junior, and senior years. Chris — the guy who was better than me at that first practice — served as a groomsman in my wedding. That’s how these things tend to go.
HOW I GOT HERE
I’ve Been Working in Bankruptcy Law Since I Was 12 Years Old
After college, Melissa and I got married. About two months later, we started law school together at Elon University School of Law. While I was there, I participated in student government and was elected student body president during my third year.
While in law school, I volunteered as a Guardian Ad Litem — a court-appointed advocate for children who had been neglected or abused in the NC court system. Every child in that program deserves someone who will show up fully for them, and I wanted to be that person. That work reminded me why I chose law in the first place.
When we graduated, Melissa and I opened a law practice in Greensboro and Winston-Salem. We were luckier than most new graduates: my father, Terry Duncan, had been a bankruptcy attorney in Charlotte for decades. He helped us enormously — we weren’t starting from zero. We had real guidance from someone who had been doing this work for a very long time.
What people sometimes don’t realize is that I didn’t just grow up around this work — I actually did it. Starting at age 12, I worked in my father’s law firm in whatever capacity I could: licking stamps, stuffing envelopes, carrying files to the courthouse by hand, and eventually working directly with clients on their preliminary needs.
By the time I passed the bar, I had been inside a bankruptcy law practice for more than a decade. That’s not something you can learn in a classroom.
Today, I hold the board-certified specialist credential in consumer bankruptcy through the North Carolina State Bar — a designation that requires demonstrated experience, a written examination, peer references, and ongoing continuing education. My focus is exclusively on consumer bankruptcy — Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. If you’re facing overwhelming debt, wage garnishment, foreclosure, or creditor harassment, those are the tools that can give you a real fresh start.
HOW I WORK
When I’m at Work, I’m Fully at Work. When I’m Home, I’m Fully Home.
Running my own practice means I get to be intentional about how I work — and I take that seriously. Being present in both places, fully, is something I’ve found makes me better at both.
Melissa and I have a rule: when our kids are awake and we’re home, the work is put away. Our 12-year-old, our 10-year-old, and our 5-year-old get our full attention — not a distracted version of us. That’s not just a parenting choice; it shapes how I show up for clients too.
When I’m working on your case, I’m focused on your case. You’re not getting a version of me that’s half-somewhere-else. That matters when the details count — and in bankruptcy, the details always count.
I also understand that my clients can’t just shut off their financial stress the way I can close a laptop. When you’re in a difficult financial situation, it creeps into everything — your sleep, your appetite, your relationships. We know that. It’s why we work to move efficiently, communicate clearly, and make sure you never feel like you’re figuring this out alone.
When we’re working together, you get my full attention — the same focus I bring to everything that matters to me.
LET’S TALK
I’d Like to Hear Your Story Too
You know what matters to me, where I came from, and what drives me as an attorney. I suspect some of those same things matter to you too. If you’re ready to have a real conversation about your financial situation — no pressure, no judgment — I’d be glad to hear from you.
The consultation is completely free and there’s no obligation. Most people tell me they felt more relieved than they expected just from having that first real conversation — one where someone who actually knows the law tells them exactly where they stand.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
4.8★ Score on Google Reviews
“I was worried and stressed beyond words when I first spoke to them. After just the first consultation I felt all that weight rolling off my shoulders. They went above and beyond to help my family and I.”
“If you have to navigate the frightening experience of bankruptcy, this is the team to trust! As a doctor, I know what quality effort looks like, and the team at Duncan Law delivered that from start to finish.”
“They gave me my life back, and I could not be more grateful. Every step of the process is explained to you as you go, so you never feel lost or overwhelmed.”
COMMON QUESTIONS
A Few Things People Usually Ask
I passed the bar and opened our practice in Greensboro and Winston-Salem after graduating from Elon University School of Law. But the honest answer is that I’ve been inside bankruptcy law since I was 12 years old — working in my father Terry Duncan’s Charlotte firm from the time I was old enough to carry files to the courthouse. By the time I sat for the bar exam, I had more than a decade of real practice experience behind me.
I focus exclusively on consumer bankruptcy — Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7 is the fresh-start option that eliminates most unsecured debt quickly. Chapter 13 is a structured repayment plan that lets you keep property like your home or car while catching up on what you owe. If you’re not sure which applies to your situation, that’s exactly what we’ll figure out together on the first call.
It’s a phone call, typically 25–45 minutes. I’ll ask you about your income, your debts, your assets, and what’s keeping you up at night financially. By the end of that call, I’ll tell you honestly whether bankruptcy makes sense for your situation, which chapter would most likely apply, and what the process would look like from there. There’s no pressure and no sales pitch — just a straight answer.
Yes — we serve clients throughout North Carolina. Duncan Law has offices in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Asheville, High Point, and Salisbury. Because consultations happen by phone, it doesn’t matter where in NC you’re located. We work with clients from across the state every day.
Call us or schedule a free consultation online. The first step is that initial phone call — we’ll take it from there. Most people are surprised by how much clarity they walk away from that first conversation with, even before anything is decided.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Your free consultation is one call away.
A free telephone consultation with Damon typically runs 25–45 minutes. You speak with an actual attorney from the very first call — not a paralegal or intake coordinator.