Emma S. P. Breaux

Emma Breaux enjoys the puzzle at the heart of every matter: working through case law, developing arguments, and building the best possible position for her clients. An associate in Hedrick Gardner’s workers’ compensation practice, she pairs her analytical drive with a commitment to keeping clients informed and prepared at every stage of a claim.

While earning degrees in history and political science, Emma came to see how deeply the law shapes the institutions and systems people deal with every day, which ultimately led her to law school. She sees a natural relationship between the two fields: both rely on careful analysis of the past to make informed decisions about the future. It’s a perspective well suited to workers’ compensation, where prior Industrial Commission decisions often guide the path forward.

Before joining Hedrick Gardner, Emma clerked for two North Carolina law firms. At a Wilmington firm, she worked on civil litigation involving tort claims, contract disputes, and insurance coverage. There she drafted pleadings, prepared research memoranda, researched witnesses ahead of depositions, and attended depositions and mediations with her supervising attorney. An earlier clerkship with a Goldsboro firm focused on wills and estates litigation. During college, she spent three years with a Kannapolis nonprofit community development corporation. She counseled first-time homebuyers and helped homeowners facing foreclosure weigh their options, which taught her how to guide people through complex, high-stakes processes with clarity and patience.

Emma earned her J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law on a merit-based scholarship. She served as Content Editor of the North Carolina Civil Rights Law Review and was a member of Women in Law. Through the school’s Youth Justice Clinic, she represented juvenile clients in the criminal legal system, an experience she counts as her proudest to date. She also gave her time to the UNC Innocence Project, two expunction projects, and the Wake County Racially Restrictive Covenants Project.

A proud double Tar Heel, Emma spends her free time traveling across the U.S. and abroad with her husband. Closer to home, she enjoys Pilates, live concerts, and time with her two dogs and two cats.