For many people, they assume the worst when charged with DWI. While there is not one answer that applies to every case, most of our clients are not facing jail time and many are able to continue to drive legally after we finish their case. Before you worry unnecessarily, talk to a lawyer about your facts. You may be making…
In North Carolina, the DWI laws are very strict. Even if it is your first offense, you will not be able to get it simply negotiated to a lower charge because you have a clean record. That means that any time someone is charged with Driving While Impaired they need to be prepared for the prosecutor to aggressively work for…
Cynthia Hernandez On September 30, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a number of landmark bills into law which are designed to fight racism in the criminal justice system. Two of the bills–Assembly Bill 3070 and Senate Bill 592–target racial discrimination in the jury selection process. These laws are part of the state’s broader attempt to fight intentional and implicit…
Community Success Initiative v. Moore: A Guide to the Latest Court Ruling Affecting North Carolina’s Felon Disenfranchisement Law Cynthia Hernandez If you are convicted of a felony in North Carolina, you can temporarily lose many of your rights as a citizen, including the founding principle of our democracy: your right to vote. Known as disenfranchisement, restricting the right to vote…
Driving While Impaired cases cause stress and confusion for our clients, especially in the first few days. At the beginning of a case, our DWI lawyers address problems that come up when clients lose their driver’s license for 30 days. Our Greensboro DWI attorneys may need to file an appeal for an invalid revocation, ask the court for special permission…
The Greensboro City Council is currently considering whether to join other cities across the state and country and require a policy that police obtain written consent before conducting a search that isn’t supported by probable cause. Under a written consent policy, police would verbally inform citizens that they have the right to refuse to consent to a search and if…
Brennan Aberle, Cate Caperton, and Anna Marquardt One of the most common reasons that people confess to possession of drugs or guns after they are found in a search is because they figure they have already lost their case. People can’t help themselves but admit responsibility as the blue lights are flashing and the officer is dangling your stash of…
Let’s get straight to the point: no one wants to be arrested for Driving While Impaired. Unfortunately, many people find themselves ending a night of drinking in the back of a police car and getting charged with DWI. This charge carries many consequences and the process is often different from what people expect. My clients have the most anxiety and…
Anna Marquardt and Cate Caperton Aberle and Wall, LLC Dr. James E. Copple, the founding partner of Strategic Applications International, is a distinguished expert in public policy, institutional improvement, government relations, fund development, and community policing. Dr. Copple has a prolific career, which includes authoring two major pieces of federal legislation, being the Founding President of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of…
This blog post is part of a three part series on North Carolina’s mandatory minimum sentencing laws for drug trafficking. Each part follows the story of a defendant based on a real client. Part 1 provides a basic explanation of North Carolina’s drug trafficking and mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Part 2 focuses on the social harms of mandatory minimum sentencing…