About Steven W
Steven W Grainger built a legal career that moves between courtrooms and client rooms. He entered law after earning a Bachelor of Science in Applied Sociology from North Carolina State University in 2001 and then completed his J.D. at Florida Coastal School of Law in 2009, spending a term as a visiting law student at the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2008. Those years shaped an early interest in both civil and family matters, and they prepared him for immediate work in the private sector.
Grainger’s first post-law school role was as general counsel for All Weather Contractors, Inc., in 2009. He shifted into private practice soon after, joining Carl Parrish Law PLLC as an associate in 2012. By 2014 he was working as an associate at the Law Offices of John J. Barrow, PA and also launched his own firm, Grainger Law PLLC. He later worked on contract civil litigation matters for Randolph M. James, P.C. in 2020 and spent 2022 as senior family law lawyer at Apple Payne Law PLLC. In 2023 he took a position as an associate at Harstoe & Associates, P.C.
That sequence of roles reflects a mix of responsibilities. Grainger has handled civil litigation assignments, taken on family law matters at a senior level, and performed contract work that required quick adaptation to new files and court calendars. Early corporate work as general counsel exposed him to transactional and compliance questions, and his later practice returned him to contested cases and courtroom work.
He maintains professional ties to several local and national organizations. He is a member of the National Academy of Criminal Defense Lawyers and has been involved with the North Carolina Advocates for Justice since 2015. He also belongs to the 21st Judicial District Forsyth County Bar Association and the Forsyth County Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers Association. Those associations suggest an ongoing engagement in criminal defense and trial practice, alongside his family law experience.
Colleagues describe Grainger as methodical in preparing cases and straightforward in courtroom advocacy. He has worked both as a firm associate and as a solo practitioner, so he is familiar with the administrative side of practice as well as litigation strategy. He is licensed to practice in North Carolina and Florida and has handled matters across civil, family and criminal dockets.
He currently practices at Harstoe & Associates, P.C., where he handles criminal defense, family law, and civil litigation matters.
