North Carolina

North Carolina Mom Loses Custody Because of Advanced Breast Cancer

A North Carolina woman has lost primary custody of her two children in large part because of her advanced breast cancer. Judge Nancy Gordon of Durham County said the children were better off with their father in Chicago because of Alaina Giordano’s uncertain prognosis, report NBC Chicago, the Daily Mail…

May 12, 2011 1:53 PM CDT

North Carolina’s Death Row Inmates Let Statistics Back Up Bias Claims

In North Carolina, statistics don’t just tell a story; they can let a death row inmate challenge his conviction. A 2009 state statute allows death row inmates to claim that racial bias unduly influenced the outcome of their trials. The Racial Justice Act specifically allows defendants to use statistics to…

May 1, 2011 8:00 AM CDT

Duke Law’s ‘Tricky Dick’ Musical Signals Shift in Administration’s Stance on Nixon

For decades, the Duke University School of Law has downplayed its association with arguably its most notorious graduate: Richard M. Nixon. However, in a sign that the university is slowly embracing its ties with the embattled president, Duke law students on Friday performed Tricky Dick, a musical imagining an ethically…

Apr 4, 2011 7:03 PM CDT

Couple Making $39K a Year Reels in Shock at Call from Preparer: They’re Getting a $54K Tax Refund

Even their tax preparer, the owner of H&R Block in North Carolina, couldn’t believe her eyes. But a couple making $39,000 annually who have adopted five children in recent years qualifies for a $54,000 tax refund. That’s because an adoption tax credit of $13,170 per child became refundable this year.…

Apr 1, 2011 8:45 PM CDT

As Lawmakers Wield Budget Ax, Courts Struggle to Do More with Less, Plan Layoffs

As lawmakers throughout the country struggle to make ends meet in difficult economic times, many are seeing the courts and legal services as an area in which cuts can and must be made. The result is a growing list of jurisdictions in which services will be reduced and staff laid…

Mar 29, 2011 11:51 PM CDT

New Ethics Complaint Claims Judge Tossed DWI Evidence Without Following Procedure

A North Carolina judge who was suspended last year is facing a new ethics complaint that claims he tossed DWI evidence without following proper procedures. Judge John Totten of Mecklenburg County is accused of suppressing evidence of a defendant’s blood alcohol level, even though no motion had been made to…

Mar 29, 2011 12:54 PM CDT

NC Lawyer and Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Permit Non-Attorney Ownership of Law Firms

A North Carolina state senator who is also a lawyer has introduced a bill in the general assembly that would permit non-attorney ownership of law firms. Under the measure proposed by Fletcher Hartsell Jr., nonlawyers can own up to 49 percent so long as lawyers continue to control the company.…

Mar 9, 2011 7:05 PM CST

To Resolve $145.88 Dispute, Sheriff Retains Law Firm, Winds Up with $5,370.67 Legal Bill

The amount at issue was less than $150, representing part of the amount paid by Beaufort County, N.C., for a gym membership for a sheriff’s deputy. When asked to reimburse the department after he was fired, Tony Keech refused. And, by the time the largest law firm in North Carolina…

Feb 22, 2011 7:17 PM CST

‘Outlandish’ Runway Fashion Helps Young Criminal Defense Attorney Make a Connection with Clients

Some women wear runway fashion to benefits or other gala events. But a 26-year-old criminal defense attorney in Charlotte, N.C., has found a way to incorporate it into her regular workday attire. Bree Laughrun, whose practice focuses on domestic violence, says she tries to put together an outfit that is…

Feb 16, 2011 7:44 PM CST

Defense Lawyer Seeks Raw Video from A&E Reality Crime Show

Another legal controversy is unfolding that involves the A&E reality show The First 48. A North Carolina criminal defense lawyer wants to review footage shot for the show as part of his defense of an accused murderer, the Charlotte Observer reports. The First 48 focuses on the first two days…

Feb 1, 2011 11:30 AM CST

Family of Teen Stowaway Who Allegedly Fell From Plane Wheel Well Blames Lax Security, Plans to Sue

While Delvonte Tisdale didn’t make a good decision when he reportedly stowed away in the wheel well of a USAirways plane at the Charlotte, N.C., airport, the 16-year-old high school student wouldn’t be dead but for the lax security that allowed him access to the flight last year, his family…

Jan 19, 2011 5:23 PM CST

Sex Offender Convicted Under NC Sodomy Law Seeks Cert

A North Carolina man convicted of a felony for having oral sex with two teens above the age of consent has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the state’s sodomy law. William S. MacDonald had to register as a sex offender after his conviction, and he says he’s been…

Jan 12, 2011 11:30 AM CST

Law License of Ex-Gov and Ex-AG of NC Is Suspended After Criminal Conviction

A former governor and attorney general of North Carolina who also, until earlier this year, was practicing at McGuireWoods, has had his law license suspended while attorney disciplinary proceedings are ongoing. The action against Mike Easley’s law license was taken earlier this week after he made an Alford plea last…

Dec 11, 2010 3:11 AM CST

Judge OKs Teen’s Church of Body Mod Beliefs, Says School Must Let Her Wear Nose Stud

A lawyer for a 14-year-old high school freshman kicked out of school for wearing a peridot nose stud says a federal judge in Raleigh, N.C., ordered today that she be readmitted. However, an attorney for the school district declined to comment, reports the Associated Press. Ariana Iacono and her mother…

Oct 8, 2010 4:42 PM CDT

Another Virtual Law Firm Allows Lawyers to Work Less, Earn More

A virtual law firm that got its start in Atlanta, FSB FisherBroyles, appears to have a business model similar to Virtual Law Partners. Both firms both hire seasoned lawyers and allow them to work at home, the Charlotte Business Journal reports. FSB FisherBroyles allows partners to keep 85 percent of…

Oct 7, 2010 10:30 AM CDT