Franklin Bryan Brice, Jr., a Wilson, North Carolina native, is widely recognized as one of North Carolina’s leading environmental attorneys. While he practices across multiple areas, Bryan has developed a strong passion for environmental law, particularly in land use, regulatory compliance, and toxic tort litigation. Bryan is equally known for his empathy, integrity, and genuine care for the people he serves. His clients and colleagues often describe him as someone who listens deeply, advocates fiercely, and approaches every case with both legal precision and heartfelt understanding. His work reflects not only professional dedication but also personal values.

Outside the office, Bryan enjoys tennis, live music, and spending time outdoors with his family. He and his wife Carson, both UNC alumni, are parents to three college-aged children attending UNC Chapel Hill, Appalachian State University, and the University of South Carolina—making for a lively household full of school spirit and friendly rivalry. Bryan often jokes that no matter where his kids go, they were raised on Tar Heel basketball and Franklin Street strolls—so deep down, they know who the real alma mater is. The Brice family are also active members of Hayes Barton United Methodist Church, where they find community, spiritual connection, and opportunities to serve.

F. Bryan Brice, Jr., earned his B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1985. He received his J.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Law in 1990.

Bryan is admitted to practice:

• In North Carolina and the District of Columbia

• Before the U.S. Supreme Court

• In the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

• In the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina

Bryan’s legal career began with a clerkship for Justice John Webb at the North Carolina Supreme Court. He then served as a staff attorney at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C., followed by a role in the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, Transportation Section, where he handled environmental matters for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. In 1999, Bryan entered private practice, where he continues to focus on environmental law and related areas.

In recognition of his exceptional work in environmental law, Bryan was named to Business North Carolina Magazine’s 2025 Legal Elite, an honor awarded through peer nomination to top attorneys across the state.

He is a member of:

• North Carolina State Bar

• North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA)

• American Bar Association (ABA)

• Wake County Bar Association

Bryan is actively involved in:

• The ABA Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section

• The NCBA Environmental Section, where he served as a Council member from 2004 to 2010

• The NCBA Lawyer Effectiveness and Quality of Life Committee

• North Carolina Advocates for Justice

• The UNC Institute for the Environment

In addition to his legal practice, Bryan has taught numerous seminars and classes on environmental law, including a recent course on negligence and environmental issues for Legal Nurse Consultant students at the UNC School of Nursing.

Raised in San Angelo, Texas, Catherine (“Cathy”) Cralle Jones joined the team at the Law Offices of F. Bryan Brice, Jr., in 2006 after honing her environmental skills in Austin and Longview, Texas, and Greenville, North Carolina. 

Cathy is married to Rev. Philip N. Jones, and they have two adult children, Hannah (an elementary school teacher) and Zachary (a computer scientist).  Cathy serves as worship leader, handbell director, teacher and elder at St. Paul’s Christian Church.  She also helps lead a newly formed Green Team to help the congregation and its members be better stewards of creation by implementing disciplines to combat climate change.  In her few spare moments, she enjoys gardening, sailing and snow skiing.

Cathy graduated Magna Cum Laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa from Texas Christian University in 1982.  In 1989, she received a Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt Law School as well as a Master of Divinity degree with honors from Vanderbilt Divinity School.  She is admitted to practice in the State of North Carolina (1997), the State of Texas (1989), the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (1993), and several federal district courts, including the United States District Court for the Eastern (2006), Middle (2017); and Western (2108) Districts of North Carolina. She is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and the Wake County Bar, and the North Carolina Bar Association and is an active participant and prior council member for the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Section.  

Cathy’s primary focus is environmental litigation, spearheading cases involving federal and state environmental statutes (CERCLA, RCRA, OPHSCA, the Clean Water Act, NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, and the NC Sedimentation Pollution Control Act) common law claims, and condemnation matters under federal and state law.  She represents environmental groups, property owners, small business owners, and individuals in matters involving groundwater and soil contamination, regulatory compliance, stormwater issues, land use matters, condemnation, and toxic torts.  Cathy has also represented homeowners impacted by coal ash contamination and has stood on behalf of landowners to challenge pipeline condemnation of their property, including the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. 

CATHY’S REPORTED CASES

Cameron Hospitality, Inc. v. Cline Design Associates, PA, 735 S.E.2d 348 (N.C. App. 2012) review denied, 366 N.C. 564, 738 S.E.2d 370 (2013).

Woolridge v. East Texas Baptist University, 154 S.W.3d, 257 (Tex. App. 2005).

Greene Citizens for Responsible Growth, Inc., et al v. Greene County Board of Commissioners, et al., 143 N.C.App. 702; 547 S.E.2d 480 (N.C. App. 2001), cert. denied 354 N.C. 69 (N.C. 2001).

Rob Gelblum served as Counsel to the State of North Carolina’s Brownfields Program from its inception in 1997 until joining the Brice firm in April 2012. From 1992 to 2003, he served as Counsel to the state’s Superfund Program. Rob created the state’s first model documents for imposing residual-waste-related Land Use Restrictions at contaminated sites and served on a state environment department-wide task force that developed uniform remediation and institutional controls protocols for the state’s cleanup programs. From 1987 until 1991 when he moved to the Attorney General’s Office, Rob worked as an attorney for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, handling water quality, air quality, sedimentation, mining, well construction, forestry, parks & recreation, community development, and job training matters; from 1989 to 1991 he was principal Water Quality attorney. Rob has served as Chair of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. He is a Vice Chair of the Environmental Transactions and Brownfields Committee of the ABA, authored the N.C. chapter of the ABA book “Implementing Institutional Controls at Brownfields” and served as reviewer of the introduction and the N.C. chapter of the ABA book “Brownfields: A Comprehensive Guide to Redeveloping Contaminated Property.” Prior to his tenure with the State of North Carolina, he spent a year as an Assistant City Solicitor in Philadelphia working on child dependency and mental health matters, and a year as an associate with a plaintiff’s environmental law firm in Philadelphia. Prior to law school, Rob worked as a community organizer and as a musician.

He received a B.A. in Anthropology from Wesleyan University in Connecticut in 1972, and a Masters in City & Regional Planning and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina in 1985. He is a former President of the UNC Department of City & Regional Planning’s Alumni Association. He was raised in the Philadelphia area, lived in Chapel Hill periodically from 1968 to 1985 and in Paris in the early 1970s, and has lived in Raleigh, and then Carrboro since 1987. Rob and his wife, North Carolinian Mary Lou (a Ph.D. Special Educator who Rob met while both were UNC graduate students), have two sons who graduated from UNC. His community-related activities have included service on Raleigh’s Martin Luther King Commemoration Committee, and on the North Carolina Holocaust Commemoration Committee.

Andrew “Drew” Shores joined the Law Office of F. Bryan Brice, Jr. in 2025.

A native of Alabama, Drew and his wife live in Durham, NC with their two children.

Drew received his B.S. in physics from Rhodes College in 2005 and his graduate degree in electrical and computer engineering from the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University in 2006. Drew then combined his love for science with law, earning his JD from Norman A. Wiggins School of Law in Raleigh in 2013, graduating at the top of his class.

Previously a partner with the Raleigh office of Williams Mullen, Drew has more than a decade’s experience in complex federal court litigation, specializing in intellectual property matters.

While at Wofford College, Patty was a four-year letterman on the Men’s Tennis Team. He has a passion for student government-- he served as Class President at Broughton, and Wofford before serving as Student Body Co-President at Duke Divinity. He is also grateful to have served as the student director of the McIntyre-Whichard Legal Fellows Program-- which pairs Christian mentors with current law students.

For these various roles Patty received the following honors: the Joel B. Long Character Leadership Sportsmanship Award at Broughton High School; the J. Michael Preston Award, Outstanding Campus Citizen Award, and Senior Order of Gnomes from Wofford College; and selection as the graduation lector at Duke Divinity School.  

Patty enjoys conversations about the slow food movement; cooking and tasting North Carolina Barbecue; visiting family in Topsail Beach, North Carolina; and spending time at home with his wife Susannah and their dog Beanie. Patty is grateful to be a part of Edenton Street United Methodist Church.  

James Patrick Longest III, also known as “Patty” is a Raleigh native and second-generation environmental lawyer. Patty is a graduate of Needham B. Broughton High School (2013), Wofford College (2017), Duke Divinity School (2022), and the University of North Carolina School of Law (2025). At Duke Divinity School, Patty received certificates in Wesleyan/Methodist Studies and Food, Faith, and Environmental Justice. While at UNC School of Law, Patty served as the Symposium Co-Chair for the Civil Rights Law Review Conference on Race, Class, Gender, and Ethnicity.

An ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church, Patty seeks to practice law in ways that promote environmental justice—both by resolving environmental harms and advocating for practices that improve the relationship between people and the place we call home. 

Jeremy serves as the dedicated paralegal at The Law Offices of Bryan Brice, where he plays a pivotal role in supporting the legal team. His responsibilities include drafting and filing legal documents, assisting attorneys with trial and hearing preparations, analyzing medical records for personal injury cases, and managing client communications. With nearly 15 years of unwavering commitment, Jeremy has become an essential cornerstone of the firm.

A native of Princeton, North Carolina, Jeremy is also deeply involved in his community. He is an active member of Greater Love Outreach Ministries in Linden, NC, where he fulfills the role of Assistant Pastor. Outside of work and ministry, Jeremy treasures quality time with his wife, Tiffiney, and their son, Chase.

Jeremy earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Shaw University in 2012, where he distinguished himself academically as a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society and was recognized in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

He furthered his legal education by completing a Paralegal Studies program at Meredith College in 2014. In addition to his academic achievements, Jeremy is a certified North Carolina Notary Public, adding an extra layer of professional versatility to his legal expertise.

Carol Ann is the firm’s Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, known for her ability to “make the complicated simple.” Originally from New Bern, North Carolina, she brings warmth, dedication, and a deep sense of purpose to her work.

Carol Ann is married to Glenn, and together they have five children, one grandson, and twin granddaughters. When she’s not supporting the legal team, she enjoys spending time at her peaceful mountain cabin by the stream, where she reconnects with nature and family.

Carol Ann began her nursing career in 1987 after earning her associate’s degree from Craven Community College and her Bachelor’s Degree in nursing from East Carolina University. She worked as a Cardiothoracic Vascular (CTV) nurse in intensive care and step-down units, gaining extensive experience in high-acuity medical care. In 2009, she became a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, driven by a desire to bridge the worlds of medicine and law.

Carol Ann plays a vital role at The Law Office of Bryan Brice with medical reviews and trial preparation, using her clinical insight to support attorneys and clients with clarity and precision.