UPDATE: Wake County DA Lorrin Freeman has requested that the SBI conduct a criminal inquiry into the matter. UPDATE 2: Dana Cope resigned two days later. SEANC’s Dana Cope Under Fire SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope is back in the news with a lengthy and seemingly thorough investigative report by News & Observer reporter Joe […]
Get A Free Consultation With A Raleigh Criminal Lawyer!
Phone (919) 352-9411 Fax (919) 249-1396
info@chetson.com
Wake County’s Under-Resourced Justice System
I’ve written about possible reforms to our broader criminal justice system that, I argue, would reduce costs and increase the overall efficiency of the system. A speedy trial statute. A plea bargain option for DWIs. District Court jury trials. And restoring court control over the Division of Motor Vehicles. All great ideas, if I do […]
Civil Asset Forfeiture – An Abused Tool
UPDATE: I was featured in a WRAL Investigates report available here. In the wake of The Washington Post‘s extensive coverage of civil asset forfeiture and litigation by groups like the Institute for Justice, Attorney General Holder announced earlier this month Department of Justice policy changes that would curb the use of federal equitable sharing rules […]
How Long Does It Take to Resolve a DWI in Raleigh, NC?
One of the most common questions when our firm gets called about a DWI charge is, “How long is this going to take?” In Wake County, the answer is FOREVER. Of course I’m not being literal, but the fact of the matter is, DWI’s in Raleigh take on average 9 months to 12 months to […]
Tragedy, the Police, and the Law
The murder of two NYPD officers is, it goes without saying, a tragedy, and a crime. It is every other bad adjective one wants to ascribe it. No one, whatever position they may hold, deserves to die at the hands of a thug, a man who was so cowardly that he snuck up on the […]
Unions and Criminal Justice Reform
The problems confronting American policing and interactions with citizens, particularly African-American citizens, are multifaceted. Briefly, they can be described in no particular order as a consequence of: The proliferation of crimes The broken windows theory Institutional racism Social and economic distress Militarization of the police Into that mix, throw police labor relations: a major proponent […]
Prosecutor Stanley Okula Branded a Liar
Meet Stanley Okula, an assistant United States attorney under Preet Bharara in the Southern District of New York. Bharara was rumored a possible successor to Attorney General Eric Holder. Okula, Bharara’s employee, has been branded a liar, not once, but at least three times, by judges in three different countries: the U.S., Britain, and Canada. […]
Grand Juries are a Joke in North Carolina
The decisions of two grand juries not to indict police officers accused of killing two men this summer have incited protests across the country as many question the actions of those officers and why they were not charged in the deaths. Raleigh defense attorney Damon Chetson said North Carolina grand juries are “a joke” in […]
Expressing Other Interests
In the criminal law business, work can be all consuming. Many people don’t get in trouble Monday through Friday 9-5, so we find ourselves spending many hours talking to clients, doing jail visits, and participating in bond hearings after hours and on weekends. Yet even with our crazy schedule, there is still a need to […]
The Patina of Process
If a lay person is feeling confident about the American judicial process, he believes it is the “best in the world” and rigorous. Courts convict people all the time with no rigor at all. They sentence people to death with no rigor. @ThisIsJoshSmith @r343l — Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) November 22, 2014 .@tanehisicoates There is no […]
Client Testimonials
"I'm so thankful I had the Chetson law firm on my side they helped me get out of a very tight situation that could have destroyed my record."
"I am very overwhelmed and satisfied from the result of a complete dismissal of a serious charge."
"I cannot possibly express my gratitude to the Chetson Firm in their care of my case. Mr. Chetson has exceeded my expectations."
"From the very minute I emailed Mr. Chetson at 9:38pm on a Saturday Night to his reply back to me at 9:48pm asking me to call him NOW I have felt secure and trusting in Mr. Chetson."