We’ve all seen in TV shows and movies that one of the first things people do when they are taken into custody is ask to see a lawyer. As quoted in your Miranda Rights, you have the right to pick an attorney, and if you do not choose one yourself, the Court will appoint one to you.

Of course, it is in your best interest to choose your own lawyer – one who has your best interests at heart. Public defenders mean well, but most are so overworked that they are not nearly [...]

If you have been arrested on a criminal charge, there are several different potential outcomes. Your own outcome will largely depend on your situation and the strength of your criminal defense.

The criminal courts process a wide variety of offenses—everything from shoplifting to DUIs to homicide. But for every type of crime, there are a limited number of possible results. In this post, we’ll take a look at the potential results available for all individuals charged with a crime.

Charges Dropped. There are a number of reasons that the prosecution might drop charges [...]

 Police brutality and unfair treatment are unfortunate realities of modern America.

Recently, there has been a public outcry to hold police accountable and a great deal of media attention around violations of human rights that occur under police custody.

No matter how heinous the alleged crime, whether it was a felony or misdemeanor, you still have rights when you are arrested. Rights of the accused were put into the Constitution to protect all citizens of the United States from abuse of power.  Below we have listed actions that may constitute a violation of [...]

 

North Carolina is one of the handful of states that uses structured sentencing—a method of sentencing and punishing criminals where courts look at the severity of the crime and any previous criminal record in order to decide on an appropriate punishment and length of sentence.

Structured sentencing is different from the indeterminate sentencing system used by most other states, where courts have wide discretion when determining a sentence. With indeterminate sentencing, offenders are sentenced to a term of imprisonment that reflects a range, such as one to five years. With structured sentencing, [...]