8:55 Welcome and Introductions
9:00 Mitigation Strategies
Josie Van Dyke, Sentencing Solutions, Raleigh
Mitigation information is critical in plea negotiations and sentencing preparation. Learn how to obtain this necessary information.
10:00 Break
10:10 eCourts‡
Brad D. Fowler, North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, Raleigh
Sarvani Jami, North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, Raleigh
Kristina P. Soeder, North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, Raleigh
North Carolina is moving to an electronic filing system. Gain an understanding of the background information from members of the Administrative Office of the Courts and receive a helpful tutorial specific to criminal attorneys.
11:10 Break
11:20 Cross of the Snitch
Christopher C. Fialko, Fialko Law, Charlotte
Attorneys representing clients in federal narcotics cases must work through challenging facts, including a determination of the drug weight, offense level under the United States Sentencing Guidelines and complex legal issues. Listen as a criminal defense attorney describes his experience and shares tips for preparing a strong defense in these cases.
12:20 Lunch Break
1:05 The Prosecution, the Defense and Ethics*
Jennifer L. Martin, Forsyth County District Attorney's Office, Winston-Salem
Noell P. Tin, Tin Fulton Walker & Owen PLLC, Charlotte
As attorneys, we must always vigorously represent our side — whether the State or a client — while maintaining the highest principles. Discuss important ethical issues that arise in those roles and in working with the other side.
2:05 Break
2:15 Technology in the Courtroom‡
Judge R. Allen Baddour Jr., North Carolina Superior Court, Pittsboro
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated modifications in the court system. Hear about the work and recommendations of the Technology and Innovations Working Group and the Webex Protocol Subcommittee.
3:15 Break
3:25 DWI Case Law Update
George V. Laughrun II, Goodman Carr Laughrun Levine & Greene PLLC, Charlotte
Attorneys who handle DWI cases must always keep up with the case law. End the day with an overview of the latest DWI case law.
4:25 Adjourn
* Indicates portion providing Ethics/Professional Responsibility credit
‡ Indicates portion providing Technology Training credit
Thank you for joining us for Building for the Future (2022 Criminal Justice Section Program).
As the court system evolves, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for attorneys to have the tools necessary for continuing success.
Judge R. Allen Baddour Jr. has been Superior Court Judge for the 15B Judicial District of the State of North Carolina since 2006 and Senior Resident Superior Court Judge since 2020 in Pittsboro. He was an Assistant District Attorney in Chatham County from 2001-2006, and practiced law with Baddour & Milner PLLC from 1997-2001.
Judge Baddour has served on the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association and on the Bench-Bar, Criminal Justice, and Membership Committees of the NCBA. He was president of the 15B Bar Association (2005-06). He is the Chair of the Pattern Jury Instruction Committee and serves on the Education Committee of the Conference of North Carolina Superior Court Judges.
Judge Baddour teaches at New Judges School, New Senior Residents School, and at conferences.
Judge Baddour earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.
Christopher C. "Chris" Fialko is owner of Fialko Law PLLC in Charlotte. He is comfortable both fighting for clients in "blue collar" cases, and guiding clients through "white collar" investigations. Since 2002, he has been Board Certified by the North Carolina State Bar as a Specialist in both State and Federal Criminal Defense.
Chris began his practice in the 1990s in Charlotte and Western North Carolina, representing people accused in State and Federal courts of everything from assault on a female to robbery, from embezzlement to drug trafficking, from burglary to murder.
In the 2000s, Fialko slowly shifted much of his practice to "white collar" cases, concentrating on advising and representing businessmen and professionals who face federal criminal, regulatory, or licensing investigations. Recently, he has represented bankers, doctors, executives, managers, lawyers, real estate agents, CFOs, stockbrokers, and other professionals who need help navigating through the uncertain waters of grand jury subpoenas, internal corporate investigations, and licensing board discipline actions.
Chris has earned widespread recognition for his work in criminal defense. He has been AV rated by the venerable Martindale-Hubbell, named a Super Lawyer for ten straight years, and named Legal Elite by Business Magazine.
Chris is a life member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Click here for more information about Chris.
Brad D. Fowler joined the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts in 2001. From 2001 – 2009, Brad was the Assistant Administrator of the Guardian ad Litem Program. In 2009, Brad moved to the Research and Planning Division. In that division, Brad has been responsible for developing and updating staffing resource allocation models across the Judicial Branch.
In 2018, Brad's role expanded to include managing the eCourts Program Management Office as well as leading a team of system analysts as they configure a vendor-provided integrated case management system for North Carolina trial courts. This team provides training and support of legacy applications as well as the suite of vendor products. Management of the eCourts Program Management Office includes working with a governance process that includes an eCourts Advisory Committee and eCourts Steering Committee.
Brad holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Tennessee.
Click here for more information about Brad.
William R. "Rob" Heroy is a partner with Goodman Carr Laughrun Levine & Greene PLLC in Charlotte. He represents clients in criminal matters in state and federal courts both in Charlotte and throughout North Carolina. He handles high-stakes criminal matters such as white collar criminal charges and investigations, large-scale drug trafficking conspiracies, weapons violations, serious assaults, and homicides, and is not afraid of trial. He represents individuals who have been federally indicted or targeted in the Western, Eastern, and Middle Districts of North Carolina for drug and weapons charges, immigration offenses, and white collar crime. His work frequently involves representing individuals who are the subject of investigations who want to know their legal options and whether steps can be taken early on to protect themselves.
Rob also represents individuals on a wide range of immigration matters with a focus on detention and removal. He primarily represents individuals in the Charlotte, Stewart and Atlanta Immigration courts, but on occasion conducts hearings in other courts throughout the country. Additionally, he represents detainees in the immigration courts and has challenged their detention through habeas corpus proceedings in both state and federal courts. In a number of cases, he has been able to obtain post-conviction relief for criminal convictions which have allowed his clients to remain in the country.
Rob is licensed to practice before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Supreme Court, and the Board of Immigration Appeals. He has worked on criminal and immigration cases in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, and Texas. His cases have been prominently featured in media including the L.A. Times, MSNBC, CNN, the Charlotte Observer, and Geraldo at Large. He was recently recognized in a novel by a nationally recognized journalist for his assistance in contributing to the knowledge of organized crime in the Charlotte area.
Rob has presented at continuing legal educations seminars before other attorneys on the subject of immigration law. He was recently accepted as an expert witness in the area of immigration law in Mecklenburg County Superior Court.
Rob is a professor at Charlotte School of Law, teaching in the areas of appellate practice and advanced criminal law.
Click here for more information about Rob.
Sarvani Jami is a Senior Systems Analyst at North Carolina Administrative Office of Courts (NCAOC) with expertise in Guide & File and File & ServeTM (eFiling) product areas of the larger eCourts ecosystem.
Before eCourts, Sarvani worked as a lead on NCAOC's Online Services and NC Bar attorney data integrations in addition to garnering several years of experience on legacy criminal web applications. Sarvani provides an overview of Registering and setting up accounts in File & ServeTM and provides a demo of filing documents using File & ServeTM.
George V. Laughrun II is the senior partner at Goodman Carr Laughrun Levine & Greene PLLC in Charlotte. He has been practicing with the firm since 1982. For 2 years, prior to joining the firm, he worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Mecklenburg County (North Carolina), prosecuting cases in both District and Superior Court. During his years of practice, George has tried over 150 jury trials and cases in all federal courts within this district and in other jurisdictions including: The United States 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, The North Carolina Court of Appeals, The North Carolina Supreme Court and on December 5, 1983, he was also admitted to practice before The United States Supreme Court.
George received his undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University and his law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He graduated cum laude from both institutions.
George has been a Certified Criminal Law Specialist, as defined by the North Carolina State Bar, since 1991, and has held an "AV" Preeminent rating from members of the Bar and Judiciary for more than 25 years. He concentrates his practice on mostly criminal and DWI cases.
In addition, he is a member of the National College of DWI Defense, the American Bar Association (since 1980), the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers.
Click here for more information about George.
Jennifer L. Martin
graduated from WFU 1996 with a BA degree in English and minor in Women's
Studies. She graduated from WFU law school 1999. After receiving her
license to practice law in North Carolina in 1999 Ms. Martin started her
career as a prosecutor in the DAs office as a traffic court prosecutor in
Forsyth County.
Currently the Chief Assistant District Attorney, Jennifer
has tried 80 jury trials including 15 First Degree murder trials to verdict;
seven of those were death penalty cases.
As the Chief Prosecutor, Ms. Martin supervises the Forsyth
District Attorney’s
Office, trains prosecutors and she also works closely with law enforcement
agencies in Forsyth County to advise the preliminary investigation of all
murder cases. It has enabled her to meet with survivors at an early stage of
the case to guide the families through the traumatic process of the resolution
of a criminal case while dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.
Kristina P. Soeder is a Systems Analyst with the NC Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) and supports Guide & File and File & ServeTM (eFiling) products in preparation for the eCourts rollout.
Kristina has a breadth of court process knowledge, having worked both in the courts and at the Administrative Office of the Courts in Washington and North Carolina and worked on previous implementations of OdysseyTM Case Manager in Washington.
Noell P. Tin is a partner with Tin Fulton Walker & Owen PLLC in Charlotte. His principal areas of practice are criminal defense, professional liability and white-collar defense. Noell has represented clients in over 40 North Carolina counties and the three federal districts in North Carolina, as well as federal courts in New York, Florida, Virginia, and South Carolina.
In addition to trial work, a significant portion of Noell's practice involves representing people and businesses implicated in "white collar" regulatory and criminal investigations involving securities health care, and banking.
Noell is a member of the Mecklenburg Country Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, National Associate of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Mecklenburg County Bar: Judicial Nominating Committee. He received his B.A. degree from Miami University and his J.D. degree from Northeastern University School of Law.
Click here for more information about Noell.
Josie Van Dyke is a Mitigation/Alternative Sentencing Specialist at Sentencing Solutions in Raleigh. She performs background investigations for criminal defendants and preparing alternative sentencing plans when appropriate treatment options are needed for sentencing.
Josie earned her B.S. in Criminal Justice/Psychology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MPA in Human Resources, Employment Law at East Carolina University.
Click here for more information about Josie.
Patrick B. Weede is owner of Weede Law PLLC in Raleigh. His principal area of practice is criminal law. Patrick served as a prosecutor for almost ten years and handled cases in both state and federal court. Patrick has prosecuted almost every type of case, including traffic, DWI, drugs, fraud, property crimes, firearm offenses, common law/armed robbery, and murder.
Patrick has extensive jury trial experience, including five first-degree murder trials. He has also handled hundreds of other cases that resulted in non-trial dispositions.
In 2019, Governor Cooper appointed Patrick to a two-year term on the NC Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission (as the NC Bar Association representative). In 2021, Patrick was elected to a three-year term on the NC Bar Association Board of Governors.
In addition, Patrick is a member of the Susie Sharp Inn of Court and the Bench-Bar Committee for the Wake County Bar Association/Tenth Judicial District Bar. He has also served as Chair of the NC Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section Council and was a member of the Judicial Branch COVID-19 Task Force (NC Bar Association appointee).
He received his B.A. degree in Political Science and graduated with honors and highest distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.
Click here for more information about Patrick.
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