Grover the Bulldog won't fight for your rights. He just wants treats!

Damon Chetson is a DWI and criminal lawyer in Raleigh who loves defending people in all parts of Wake County, including Raleigh, NC, Cary, NC, and Apex, NC. He loves the courtroom.  And he loves taking the fight to prosecutors and District Attorneys.  His favorite movie is the criminal law movie: To Kill a Mockingbird.

Not guilty verdicts?  Yes.  Dismissals?  Yes.  Deferrals or Diversion Programs? Yes.  DWIs? Yes. Serious felonies? Yes. Minor Misdemeanors? Yes.

Plea agreements? Yes, but only when truly the best option for his client!

Download Damon Chetson’s resume in PDF format.

While Damon loves trying cases, arguing to a jury, and fighting for your rights, he’s relentless about finding you the best outcome.

He cares about his clients as human beings, people with lives, loved ones, families, children, hopes, and worries.  He knows that the criminal system can be frightening and threatening.  But he knows that the criminal system can offer people hope: that their case will be handled fairly and with integrity, and that the truth will prevail.

Because the criminal process can be frightening, and the lawyers usually speak in strange and confusing ways, Mr. Chetson knows that his clients need to have everything about their case carefully and easily explained. He’ll take time – as much time as it requires – to communicate with you in plain speak about all of your options.

He takes time to listen carefully to your concerns.  He communicates clearly and in normal language.  He won’t speak “lawyerese” to you.  He won’t sugar coat his advice.  And he will make sure that you and your family are prepared for what’s to come.

He knows that while it’s important to be an aggressive lawyer, it’s also important to work professionally with police officers, detectives,  the district attorneys and prosecutors to ensure you get the best results possible.

In your first phone call, he’ll give you specific advice about what you need to do to protect yourself and your family.  He’ll tell you where to go, how to get there, and when to be there. He’ll guard your rights in front of the police, the DA, or any others who might want to see you locked up.

He’ll tell you exactly how much his services will cost, and he’ll honor his agreements with you.

He knows a lot about law and life, but if he doesn’t know the answer to your question, he’ll find out and get back to you promptly.  If you ask him to recommend other possible criminal lawyers you can consult, he’ll freely give you the names and numbers of other excellent Raleigh criminal lawyers.

He answers the phone on weekdays, evenings, weekends, and holidays, and will travel to your location in Apex, NC, Raleigh, NC, or Cary, NC or any other community in Wake County or surrounding communities if you can’t travel to his office. He’ll make jail visits at any time to make sure that your loved one is okay and safe.

He’ll handle your case with the care and attention you deserve, at a price you can afford, with the honesty and integrity you demand.

He lives with his wife and three English bulldogs in the suburbs of Raleigh, and works out of his downtown Raleigh office.

And the more boring stuff about Damon Chetson…

In law school at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Mr. Chetson worked with the Wake County Public Defender on felony and misdemeanor cases. In one matter, he located crucial alibi evidence proving the client was no where near a robbery of a convenience store at the time of the incident. A jury returned a “not guilty” verdict after one of the shortest deliberations possible.

In a second matter, Mr. Chetson identified weaknesses in the District Attorney’s case showing that a client was not guilty of felony larceny, and leading to a favorable outcome for the client.

Mr. Chetson worked extensively with felony attorneys at the Public Defender on dozens of high level felonies – including murder, drug offenses, sexual offenses, and larcenies – and on many more misdemeanor cases – including drug possession offenses, driving while intoxicated (DWI) charges, and misdemeanor theft cases.

As a criminal defense lawyer, Mr. Chetson brings an aggressive approach to every case. He has a decade of past experience advising state and federal elected officials on economic, tax, and legal policy.

Mr. Chetson earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

He was a staff member of the North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology and a member of the Actual Innocence Project. He is a past vice president of a public policy institute, and a past project manager at a Washington, DC think tank. In addition to numerous publications on tax, economic, and fiscal policy in his previous life as a policy advisor, he is author of “Perfect 10 and Contributory Liability: Can Search Engines Survive?” North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology, v.9, December 2007 (available here).

Mr. Chetson received his undergraduate degree with honors from the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania.