Locating a concealed carry defense lawyer!

[jdtodd1]

How do I locate a defense lawyer favorable to Concealed Carry clients? The NRA tells me there is only one listed with them in my town of Greensboro, NC and his website gives no clue that he even handles such cases. The USCCA, American Bar Association, NC Bar Association, Greensboro Bar Association websites and phone book yellow pages don't specifically list attorneys for firearms self-defense!

Of course, I could call the above organizations and every lawyer in town and, no doubt, find exactly who I would want to represent me. And, I may have to do some of that too! But I thought that it would be a simple task and practical first step to search online. Not so!

I have posted this inquiry on three other "Gun Forums" and have received suggestions, websites and such that "may" offer this info but no names of local lawyers with weapons self-defense case experience were given. I am a member of The Armed Citizens Defense Network which has an affliated attorney listing but it does not list any in NC as yet, since the Network is a new organization just getting organized. However, the Network does provide expertise and advice in weapons self-defense cases to your own lawyer if you already have one!

The County Sheriff's website declined my lawyer inquiry as being, "Unauthorized to have this information". Yet his office issued my CCW license and processes upwards of 300 per week. All I asked for was a list of lawyers who possibly have experience in armed self-defense cases. Likewise, the local police officers association was no help in this regard!

I can't believe that there is only one lawyer in my area willing to be listed to offer this support! Likewise, am I the only one of 8,000 CC licensees in this NC county seeking to line up legal back-up prior to actually having to make that jail-house call, if I ever need to!!! I take CC very seriously and won't be forced into taking the first defense lawyer in the phone book when and if the time comes. I want to be able to choose among several legals with credible credentials in this area of self defense law.

I asked the owner and CCL instructor at the local gun range for his recommendations for pro-2nd amendment legal council. Though he didn't have a name on the tip of his tongue, he said he would get back to me with one. I hope he does. But, here again, he has five CCL classes of 40 students each month and I would think he would have a list of such lawyers available!
The next time I go to practice I will try to see if any others firing are CCL holders and find out who their lawyers are.

I would, however, appreciate hearing how some of you CCL guys identified your own legal support to call, if and when you may need it.

Thanks, Jim Todd ([email protected])

__________________

 

[Kind of Blued]

My instructor gave us the name of his when I took the class, so I haven't done like research myself.

Keep it up though, and good luck. Having a good lawyer is nearly as important to effective self-defense as having a gun these days.

 

[LKB3rd]

Call up that lawyer and ask! You can also get a feel for him/her, and decide whether or not to set up a consultation, and get him/her on retainer.

 

[deadin]

Of course, I could call the above organizations and every lawyer in town and, no doubt, find exactly who I would want to represent me. And, I may have to do some of that too! But I thought that it would be a simple task and practical first step to search online. Not so!

I think you have answered your own question.
I would imagine that most lawyers don't feel that there is enough of an audience needing this type of defense to make it worth while to advertize. (Also they probably would like to see exactly what the circumstances were before taking on such a case.)

 

[ZeSpectre]

The trick is that you need a lawyer (or law firm) that can handle both CRIMINAL law and CIVIL law.

The first for (God Forbid) any incident that may happen.
The second for the lawsuits brought by family, friends, the kid across the street, whatever.

 

[JackBurtonJr]

Don't bother with the associations, go to the officer on the street if you can get an introduction from mutual friends. Ask him who he or his fellow officers would turn to for a defense attorney. Another alternate question is who he and others most dislike seeing as a defense attorney for a criminal because they know how tough he'll be to beat.

 

[chupacabrah]

I'm in greensboro also, so when you get some more info, post it up!

 

[texas bulldog]

another option is to do some research on self-defense cases that have been tried in your area. you might be able to do this online, or you might have to go to the courthouse or a law library. find out which lawyers have won such cases in the past, and that'll give you a short list of candidates.

good luck.

 

[ServiceSoon]

NRA wouldn't give me the time of day because I wasn't a member. GOA gave me the names of 3 attorneys in my state.

 

[JackBurtonJr]

We had a case a couple of years ago where a CCW holder got off in a trial where I was postitive he would be hung because of "mutual combat."

That's the lawyer that I would want.

 

[Cosmoline]

For a variety of reasons involving tradition and ethics, lawyers rarely advertise that kind of sub-speciality. If you're looking for someone to defend you after a shooting, get the best criminal lawyer you can find. There's no need to get a "gun rights" lawyer unless you've got some problem with a CCW application or you want to take some test case up on appeal.

 

[crebralfix]

Call them all up and ask.

Even a general defense attorney is fine for the immediate encounter so long as he or she understands the issues and does your talking for you. It's important that they'll come out to the scene ASAP.

Once the immediate situation is taken care of, you can get another attorney to do the other parts, if needed.

 

[TStorm]

Get out of the cart

NRA wouldn't give me the time of day because I wasn't a member. GOA gave me the names of 3 attorneys in my state.

I know the NRA gets a bad wrap for individual member services when it comes to legal issues, but quotes like this get under my skin a bit. I don't know that legal services is an NRA forte to begin with.

Do you blame them for not jumping through hoops for non-members? :banghead: Time to start pulling the wagon with the rest of us.

 

[ServiceSoon]

Just stating facts TStorm. I'm sorry it gets under your skin.

The point was don't waste your time calling NRA to ask for help if you aren't a member.

Meanwhile, I am a member of GOA but they didn't ask me if I was a member before they helped me.

This "start pulling the wagon" pedestal preaching has got to stop. It's called a false dichotomy. Look it up.

 

[PennsyPlinker]

The problem is that you are looking for a lawyer who defends people who conceal carry. They are concealed. If you were looking for a lawyer who defended people who openly carried, they would be advertising all over the place!

Seriously now, I would start with the lead you have, and ask him for some other leads if he is not the one for you. It is amazing sometimes how this information can just materialize from the asking. Good luck with it.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

+ 1 what Cosmoline says.

Just find the best criminal defense attorney in your price range.

If you can hire Roy Black, Williams and Connelly or a firm that regularly defends Colombian Agricultural Cooperatives, Senators and Fortune 500 executives, more power to you. If you don't have that type of cash, hire a young guy who just came out of the prosecutors or public defenders office and is trying to make a name for himself. Eagerness and a willingness to pay attention to your case is huge when selecting an attorney.

Don't worry so much about the attorney being a "gun" attorney. Do you really care how your attorney wins or which constitutional right he vidicates?

 

[JackBurtonJr]

Don't worry so much about the attorney being a "gun" attorney. Do you really care how your attorney wins or which constitutional right he vidicates?

Ayoob quite regularly features stories where attorneys screwed the pooch because of lack of knowledge specifically dealing with self defense with a gun and their client got sent away.

Knowing the tactics/experts that the prosecutor will most likely use and the way to counter them with questions/experts of your own goes along way towards moving the jury to your side.

A good example is if the defendant shot someone in the back and yet claims self defense. If the attorney doesn't himself understand how that can happen, he'll never prepare a defense/explanation for it when it comes up in court. And that can hang his client.

 

[danmoultrie]

See if you can find the defense attorney in the case of NC vs. Kennis Thaxton. Short version, Kennis shot an intruder twice in the back and got off. This was a case in Durham from 2004, I did a quick search but couldn't find the attorney's name.

 

[ants]

The vast majority of cases are won by a superior knowledge of the law. Not a superior knowledge of guns.

Find a lawyer with a superior knowledge and practice of the law.