Brooks Pierce is pleased to be an active participant in the Criminal Justice Act panels for the U.S. District Courts for the Middle District and Eastern Districts of North Carolina and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, with six attorneys involved in the program. Panel members provide legal representation to qualified defendants in federal court who cannot afford their own attorneys, helping to uphold these individuals’ Sixth Amendment rights to counsel. In all, Brooks Pierce attorneys have represented clients in more than 150 Criminal Justice Act-related cases.
Attorneys Daniel Adams and Kearns Davis serve on the panel for the Middle District of North Carolina, while Mike Dowling, Shana Fulton and Ed West serve on the Eastern District panel. Shepard O’Connell is in training to join the Eastern District panel, as well. Davis and Dowling also serve on the Fourth Circuit panel.
“Brooks Pierce has a long history of providing service to those most in need through a variety of avenues,” said Reid Phillips, managing partner of Brooks Pierce. “The U.S. Constitution guarantees every individual the right to an attorney, and we are pleased we can be that voice and representative for so many people across North Carolina.”
The Criminal Justice Act panels were established in 1964 to guarantee professional legal counsel in federal courts for individuals who cannot afford to pay for their own legal representation. Panel attorneys must have demonstrated knowledge in federal criminal law and procedure and be admitted to practice law in North Carolina, before the United States District Court for the district they serve, and before the United States Court of Appeals.
