Title: Associate Attorney
Company: Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor & Gibbs, PLLC
Location: Raleigh/NC/USA
Education: JD, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, Campbell University (2021); BS in Business Administration, Concentration in Economics, University of North Carolina Wilmington (2018)
Career History: Associate Attorney, Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor & Gibbs, PLLC (2021-Present); Legal Intern, Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor & Gibbs, PLLC (2019-2021); Law Student, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, Campbell University (2018-2021); Summer Law Clerk, Gailor, Hunt, Jenkins, Davis, Taylor and Gibbs PLLC (2018)
Grace Massarelli, JD, Associate Attorney at Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor & Gibbs, PLLC, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of law.
Wielding expertise in family law, divorce, child custody, and equitable distribution, Ms. Massarelli’s professional path was forged at a young age, through firsthand experience. One of five children raised by a single mother, she experienced a highly contentious divorce and custody battle throughout her childhood, a challenging experience that ignited her passion for helping families navigate similar struggles. Recognizing the profound impact that such situations can have on individuals and families, and reflecting on her own family’s journey and mother’s resilience, she grew up driven by a commitment to alleviate anxiety and stress in clients, and lend support through difficult times.
Upon earning a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2018, Ms. Massarelli pursued her law degree at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University. During her studies, she started at Gailor Hunt Davis Taylor & Gibbs, first as a summer law clerk and then a legal intern, between 2018 and her graduation in 2021. That same year, she landed her current role as a full-time attorney at the firm, which specializes in complex family law matters, including equitable distribution, business valuations in a family law context, divorce, custody, child support, alimony, and both premarital and postnuptial agreements.
Over the course of her years at the firm, Ms. Massarelli has had the privilege of working on particularly complex cases, benefitting from its longstanding reputation. In this capacity, she provides high-level case strategy and oversight, maintains close contact with clients and retained experts, prepares clients for mediation and trial, drafts persuasive appellate and trial-level briefs and motions, and delivers strategic planning with sensitivity to clients’ personal and emotional circumstance.
Ms. Massarelli has contributed to high-stakes litigation at both the trial and appellate levels, including a custody litigation case on which she served as second chair, which ultimately reached the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Her team was successful in the appeals process, leading to a revelation of the case in the lower court. The complex legal battle spanned four to five years, during which they retained a nationally recognized expert in parental alienation. At the time of the trial, their client, the father, had not seen one of his children in more than a year, but after expert testimony and the team’s presentation, the trial court made the significant decision to award full custody to him. This outcome marked a profound victory in a protracted custody litigation, which she considers her most notable professional achievement.
As a testament to her dedication in her field, Business North Carolina recently recognized Ms. Massarelli as a “Legal Elite in Family Law” in 2026. She has also been listed as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers in 2024, 2025, and 2026. In addition, she has been featured in an alumni spotlight piece in the Campbell Law Aluni Association Magazine and an article published in Attorney At Law Magazine. Beyond her primary responsibilities as an attorney, she plays an active leadership role within the firm’s internship program, mentoring students from high school through law school. She is deeply involved in legal education and outreach, serving as a coach for Campbell Law School’s client counseling team, most recently guiding them to a semifinal finish at a national competition, as well as a mock trial team coach through YMCA Youth and Government.
Reflecting on her journey so far, Ms. Massarelli attributes her success to her mother, Julia, her guiding star and mentor whose unwavering strength and hard work has fueled her own drive in life. She also holds dear a close-knit family, including her three brothers and older sister. Looking toward the future, she plan to increase her focus on appellate work, believing that reaching this level of practice is where she can create significant change, such as shaping new laws and making clarifications to existing ones. Alongside her ambitions in appellate work, she aspires to become an adjunct professor at Campbell, having developed a passion for teaching through her coaching experience. Ultimately, she strives to establish herself as an integral figure in highly contentious cases, a go-to attorney in her field.