Fielding was born in Gastonia to Darlene and Mike Randall and raised in Cherryville. Her mother was a high school guidance counselor at Cherryville High School for over 20 years. Her father was an attorney who spent most of his career as an Assistant District Attorney in Cleveland and Lincoln Counties but also served for a time as an Assistant DA in Gaston County.  

 

Fielding grew up on the softball diamonds and tennis courts and in the First Baptist Church in Cherryville. She was valedictorian of her graduating class at Cherryville High School.  Fielding then went on to graduate cum laude from Wake Forest University, and she received her juris doctor from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law in Macon, Georgia.  

 

While at Mercer, Fielding met her husband, Josh Yelverton.  After passing the Georgia Bar Exam, she began her career as an Assistant Public Defender in Macon, GA.  When her husband’s professional training took her to Virginia, she passed the Virginia Bar Exam and worked at the Virginia Department of Health Professions.  It was in Virginia that Fielding and Josh welcomed their first son Ben into the world.  After returning to Georgia for one final year of training for her husband, the family moved back to Gaston County.

 

Fielding took and passed the North Carolina Bar Exam while pregnant with her second son, Pearce.  After working for a managed care organization for three years, she returned to the courtroom five years ago when she accepted her current position as a Department of Social Services (DSS) Attorney in Lincoln County.

 

As a DSS Attorney, Fielding represents Lincoln County DSS in Child Protective Services (CPS), Adult Protective Services (APS), and Child Support Services cases in District Court. As a result, Fielding has a tremendous amount of experience in the very types of cases over which she would preside as your district court judge.