Search incident to arrest can be a consequential tool for law enforcement. It comes up in traffic stops, DWI investigations, drug arrests, and other enforcement actions in North Carolina on a daily basis. When a search incident to a lawful arrest takes place, evidence of criminal acts may be properly admitted. When a search exce...

Charged with a domestic violence in North Carolina? A domestic violence intervention program is not just a condition the court may impose after a conviction. In the right case, it can be the pathway to avoiding a conviction altogether.

Under North Carolina law, a conditional discharge allows a defendant to plead guilty or be found respo...

Failure to read a search warrant before execution in North Carolina technically violates N.C.G.S. § 15A-252. Suppression of illegally seized evidence due to an improperly served and executed warrant is not necessarily automatic. N.C.G.S. § 15A-974 provides that evidence may be suppressed when the violation is both substantial and causally connected to the evidence obtained. I...

Hiring a criminal defense lawyer is an important decision. For many clients, this is a first encounter with the criminal court system. Questions about legal fees, communication, court appearances, case strategy, and timing are understandable. The following information explains how representation works, so that expectations are clear from the outset.

Criminal defense wo...