Attorney
Charlotte, North Carolina, 28204
Raised in nearby Kannapolis, North Carolina, Ronnie Crisco is a proud alumnus of A.L. Brown High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a degree in Public Policy Studies in 2002. He received his law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005. While in law school, Mr. Crisco competed nationally as a member of the UNC Mock Trial Team, assisted indigent clients through the UNC Civil Legal Assistance Clinic, and served as editor on the UNC Journal of Law and Technology.
Mr. Crisco is a Board Certified Specialist in Family Law. He fights for clients in all phases of family law including prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, separation and divorce, adoption, child custody & support, alimony, property division, and alienation of affection. He is also an active member of the Family Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. Mr. Crisco serves clients in Iredell, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Catawba, Rowan, Union, and Cabarrus Counties.
Mr. Crisco also oversees a strong general litigation practice, handling both jury and bench trials involving contracts, construction disputes, torts, motorsports litigation, and other civil matters in both state and federal court. In criminal matters, Ronnie defends his clients in both district and superior courts on felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic matters.
In 2006, Mr. Crisco founded the Mooresville High School Mock Trial Team. Over 12 years, Ronnie’s teams earned two regional championships, numerous individual awards and honors, and three trips to the state finals. More importantly, his students learn to appreciate the law and develop critical reasoning skills that will serve them for a lifetime. His alumni include a Morehead Scholar, Editor-in-Chief of the UNC Law Review, a National Mock Trial Student Champion, and no less than three new attorneys!
Mr. Crisco is a past president, vice-president, and treasurer of the Judicial District 22-A Bar Association, covering Iredell and Alexander Counties. He is also a past Chairman of the Exchange/SCAN Child & Parenting Center, now known as Pharos Parenting in Statesville. Pharos works extensively with the Department of Social Services to protect abused and at-risk children. It also provides supervised visitation facilities, parent coaching, and other resources to parents in Iredell County. Currently, Mr. Crisco serves as attorney advisor to the Board of Directors for Mooresville Youth Athletics, a non-profit youth sports league in Mooresville.
Mr. Crisco lives in Mooresville with his two children Carter and Natalie. They enjoy family travel, chasing waterfalls on mountain hikes, and boating on Lake Norman.
While each case is unique, Mr. Crisco encourages all prospective family law clients to keep some basic ground rules in mind, both before and after making the decision to retain counsel:
Look Through Your Children’s Eyes: Child custody and child support battles can be torturous. If your matter cannot be resolved by agreement a judge will listen to your side of the case and your opponent’s side of the case, then he or she will try to imagine the world through your child’s eyes before deciding what is in your son or daughter’s best interests. If you are already in the habit of considering how each step in your separation/divorce will impact your kids, you and the judge will already be on the same page.
Assume Someone is Always Watching: North Carolina is a “one-party consent” state, meaning it is legal for one party to a conversation to record it without notice to other participants. On a more basic level, we live in a digital world where texts, phone records, social media posts, and chat logs are almost always obtainable by your opponent in litigation. Act accordingly! Whether you are a dependent spouse seeking alimony, a concerned parent fighting for custody of your child, or the victim of domestic violence, the stakes of your case are incredibly high. Don’t do or say things you wouldn’t want discussed in court.
Get it in Writing: If you and your significant other were still in a trusting relationship, you would not be considering hiring a family lawyer. It is always preferable have important communications reduced to writing (i.e. email, text message, etc.). Also, be proactive in gathering and preserving documents. In North Carolina the equitable distribution of marital property can take months or, in rare cases, years. The value and condition of your property on the date of marriage and date of separation are as important as its value now, so don’t dispose of any documents which may be helpful in documenting your marital property!
Seek Advice: Should you move out of the marital residence? Can I take my children with me? Should I continue to pay this or that bill? These are important, nuts and bolts questions in family law. Often it can feel like action must be taken immediately, even if you have not yet sought the advice of counsel. Resist the urge! You owe it yourself to understand where the choices you face fit within the bigger before you commit to a plan of action.
