Edelstein & Payne was started by partners Steven Edelstein and Travis Payne in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1982. Steven and Travis were working in Legal Services, but opened a private firm when the federal government imposed restrictions on the way in which Legal Services attorneys could represent their clients. Vanessa Lucas joined in 2005 and became partner in 2012, and Sean Cecil joined the firm in early 2015. In summer 2016, Attorney Lucas left the firm and became Judge Lucas when she accepted a job as administrative law judge for the Social Security Administration. 

Edelstein Payne and Lucas have been lead attorneys on numerous important cases establishing or vindicating rights, including those of dismissed employees, injured workers, whistleblowers, people who are disabled and unable to work, and victims of negligence. The firm has extensive experience successfully representing state and federal employees through the grievance and appeals process, personal injury cases, workers' compensation, and social security disability. 

Firm attorneys are active in community organizations and have consistently been listed in "Superlawyers" and "Best Law Firms" among other distinctions.