Veterans and Employment Law, North Carolina & National

Practice Areas
At Leaven Law, PLLC, we provide the following legal services.

Veterans Law

You Served Our Country. Now We're Here to Serve You


At Leaven Law Firm, we proudly assist Veterans and their families who have bravely served our country. Our commitment to service members stems from our deep and personal experience of military service, service-connected disabilities, and the effect these disabilities have on Veterans and their families. Our firm is dedicated to helping Veterans and active-duty service members receive the benefits they are rightfully entitled to.

Employment Law

The Leaven Law Firm is dedicated to protecting the rights of employees. We represent employees in cases involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination. We stand up to employers who violate wage and hour laws, the Family and Medical Leave Act, whistleblower laws, and various other state and federal employment laws. We help individuals with their employment contracts and disputes, including severance, non-compete, confidentiality agreements, and breach of contract claims. We also represent employees in appeals of denied claims for unemployment benefits.

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Veterans and Employment Law Lawyer

About Leaven Law, PLLC

We at Leaven Law Firm are dedicated to assisting Veterans and Employees, It's what we do.

All Veterans, all Employees, all of the time.  

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Veterans and Employment Law Legal Team

Meet the team

Our team is dedicated to assisting Veterans and Employees  

Jessica E. Leaven

Partner
Jessica E. Leaven graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1997, and she graduated with Honors from the University Of North Carolina School of Law in 2001. In law school, she served on the North Carolina Law Review as a Staff Member and an Articles Editor. She was a law clerk to the Honorable Carl E. Stewart of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. After her clerkship, she practiced law for more than 20 years with litigation firms in Asheville and in the Triangle area before she helped in founding the Leaven Law Firm in 2023. Her areas of practice include employment law.

Tod M. Leaven

Partner
Tod went to elementary school in Asheville and returned to Asheville with his parents after graduating high school. Tod served in the United States Army from 1998 to 2004, including the initial Kosovo Occupation with the 501st Military Intelligence Battalion, 1st Armored Division, and the Iraq War with the 3rd Squadron of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. After his years of service, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2006 and graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2010. He narrowed his practice to Veterans Law in 2014 and he help found the Leaven Law Firm in 2023.

Garret Artz

Associate Attorney
Garrett grew up in a rural area of central Pennsylvania and was fortunate to have many role models of dedicated community servants, including his father as a teacher and mother as a community nurse. He carried that commitment to service forward into his first career as a Navy Helicopter Pilot following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy and into subsequent volunteer and career opportunities. Following ten years on active duty, he attended N.C. Central University School of Law. He has served as a general counsel for a defense contractor that manufactured military parachutes and as an Executive Director leading a major environmental nonprofit. When not working, you can find Garrett with his wife and family or out on the Trails of Eastern Tennessee, where he loves to mountain bike, backpack, and hike.

Kelly Weaver

Paralegal
Kelly grew up in East Aurora NY, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. Right after graduating Hish School Kelly enlisted in the United States AirForce and served 2 years. In 2000 Kelly and her family relocated to Arden, North Carolina. She attended Asheville Buncombe Community College and received her Certified Nursing Assistant license. After working for 15 years in the long-term care field, she decided to return to school and attended South College of Asheville where she received her Associates Degree in Legal Studies. In 2015 Kelly started working as a Paralegal for an Asheville based law firm. In 2016 Kelly joined Tod and Jessica Leaven in the areas of Veteran’s Law and Employment Law, she enjoys working in these areas of law and helping people. When Kelly is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her granddaughter. They spend much of their free time camping.

Hannah Leaven

Legal Assistant
Hannah is an Asheville native and was fortunate to grow up around the beautiful landscape of WNC. Inspired by the rich culture of the area, she chose to pursue an education at Appalachian State University where she attained a B.A. in Anthropology and Religion. Her passion for the subject was driven by her desire to learn about human nature and the ways in which people connect to the world around them and make sense of their place in the world. Hannah describes herself as service oriented and finds joy in helping others as others have helped her. After graduation, Hannah moved back to Asheville, hoping to find ways to contribute to the community that raised her. She is excited to have found a place at Leaven Law Firm, where she can help facilitate connections between clients and our legal team in order to create happy outcomes for those who deserve it most. In her free time, Hannah enjoys crafting and reading, especially with the company of her partner and their pets.

Get in touch
Contact

Tel: 828-998-2900

Email: hannah@leaven.law

Address

81 Central Avenue, STE B
Asheville, NC 28801

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