North Carolina Lawyers Weekly

Just weeks ago, when a Wilmington jailbird took flight, this Sidebar reporter made a comment to his coworkers wondering why prison inmates bother to escape. “They are always captured,” I wrote on the real-time messaging service our company uses so ...

Tagged with: Social Media

In his mugshot, 23-year-old Paul Simmons Jr. of North Carolina looks reasonably intimidating, to the extent that one can be intimidated by a photograph. This is a good thing for “PJ,” as prison records list him, since he is headed ...

Tagged with: poaching Theft

So much for being courteous and civil to opposing counsel. According to multiple media reports, things got a toad, er, a tad ugly between two Texas lawyers who are facing off against each other in multiple lawsuits. Texas Lawyer was ...

Tagged with: Texas

If Sidebar ever rises high in politics, no one will be more surprised than his law school classmates. But at least they’ll be in fine company. Two North Carolina attorneys who collected their JDs alongside Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim ...

Tagged with: Tim Kaine

A developer who wants to pave over a pet cemetery in New Hanover County has one foot in the grave, legally speaking, after losing a significant battle ahead of an upcoming trial. Last year, Ricky Coates raised eyebrows and triggered ...

Tagged with: pet cemetery

Something strange is happening at dollar stores in North Carolina. Earlier this month, state health authorities closed a Dollar Tree in Wilson because it was infested with rats, according to a report from the local Fox affiliate. “Two signs were ...

Tagged with: rats

Much to the defendant’s chagrin but in a relatively straightforward application of the law, the state Court of Appeals held recently in North Carolina v. Rico Barnes that being handcuffed on your cousin’s porch while probation agents search the home ...

Tagged with: miranda

It’s always nice to know you can count on your siblings in a time of need. But apparently federal prosecutors in Charlotte think “sibling assistance” doesn’t include stealing your brother’s passport so you can leave the country, especially not while ...

Tagged with: passport

There are many attributes that would aid a candidate for a seat on the state’s Court of Appeals. A distinguished legal career, eloquent public speaking, and an enthusiasm for stumping for voters would all presumably come in handy. But having ...

Tagged with: Phil Berger

Luddites, rejoice. The North Carolina Court of Appeals has made it official: Putting pen to paper is still a valid means of making a written objection. The court’s ruling in favor of low-tech communication came in Eisenberg v. Hammond, a ...

Tagged with: writing