Serving Buncombe & McDowell Counties and all of the greater Asheville area
The attorneys at Sneed & Stearns have been providing quality, affordable legal services to the people of Black Mountain and the surrounding areas for more than 40 years.
We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service. Navigating the legal process is often stressful and confusing. That’s why we take care to communicate with our clients every step of the way. Our goal is to make sure that you always understand your legal options and have confidence that your case will be handled with skill, knowledge, and careful attention to detail.
We are available to assist with a wide range of services including forming or managing a small business, estate planning and administration, transfers of real estate, and providing general legal advice and representation in the areas of property litigation and local government law and regulation.
Anna V. Stearns
Anna spent 15 years working as Ron’s paralegal before leaving to attend Campbell University School of Law, where she graduated with honors in 2018. While in Raleigh, Anna served as Legislative Assistant for Representative Brian Turner in the General Assembly and as General Counsel and Chief of Staff to Chief Justice Cheri Beasley of the North Carolina Supreme Court. In 2021, she returned home to the mountains to practice in the firm where her legal career began more than twenty years ago.
Anna serves on the North Carolina Bar Association’s Pro-Bono Committee and is a member of the N.C. Bar Association, N.C. Advocates for Justice, N.C. Association of Women Attorneys, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley.
Ronald E. Sneed
Ron Sneed graduated from Jacksonville University in 1972, served in the United States Army from 1972 to 1974, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Law School in 1978. After graduation, Ron returned home to Black Mountain to practice law. Since 1978, Ron has served more than 10,000 clients in the Swannanoa Valley and beyond. He has served as attorney for the Town of Black Mountain since 1982. Ron brings a depth of local knowledge and legal expertise to his handling of every case.
Ron is a member of the N.C. State Bar, the N.C. Bar Association, the N.C. Advocates for Justice, and the N.C. Municipal Attorneys Association. Ron has served as a member of the Black Mountain Library Board for more than twenty years.
Johanna Finkelstein
Johanna Finkelstein joined the firm in 2023, after spending more than a decade presiding over estate and guardianship proceedings in the Buncombe County Clerk of Court’s office. Prior to her work in the court system, Johanna worked in private practice in Asheville for more than twenty years, representing clients in both civil litigation and criminal matters. Today, her practice focuses on general civil litigation, specializing in estates and guardianship matters.
Johanna is a member of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, the Buncombe County Family Visitation Board, and the Buncombe County Elder Justice Coalition. As a member of the Planning Committee and the Leadership Team, she helped build and then shepherd Buncombe County’s S.O.A.R. Family Drug Treatment Court, a pioneering alternative court for those suffering with addiction. She previously served on the Executive Committee of the Buncombe County Bar and as President of the Buncombe County Chapter of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys.
