Defense Counsel for Cases When a Guilty Plea Won’t Do

Because our criminal defense practice tends to cover a lot of misdemeanor cases, our clients are often tempted to plead guilty, pay their fines, take their license suspensions, and get on with the rest of their lives. Only later do they find out what a big mistake that turned out to be.

If you’re interested in finding out about the alternatives to a permanent criminal record, contact the Law Office of Matthew J. Davenport for a free consultation in Greenville.

We offer useful alternatives to conviction in drunk driving and drug cases

A guilty plea is a conviction without a trial, and in North Carolina, there’s very little you can do to get rid of a criminal record once you’re convicted of anything. Our expungement laws are intended to remove records of arrest and prosecution in cases that were dismissed or resulted in “not guilty” verdicts.

Criminal defense lawyer Matt Davenport advises and represents clients who understand the importance of protecting their record as well as defeating the current charge. If you have been charged with drunk driving, property crimes, drug crimes, or serious traffic violations, you should consider the long-term effects of a criminal record on your access to job opportunities, academic programs, professional licensing or security clearances.

Our law firm finds and executes the criminal defense strategies that can best protect your future academic and professional interests.

Matt Davenport is a former Pitt County assistant district attorney who combined a brisk trial practice with substantial training responsibilities for local prosecutors and law enforcement officers. His interest in teaching is further reflected in his regular appearance as a seminar speaker at continuing legal education events for North Carolina attorneys. Our firm’s clients benefit from his ability to explain their risks and tactical options in clear terms.

Seminars taught include:

  • N.C. Criminal Law Update for Law Enforcement Officers – July & August 2004, represented the Pitt County DA’s Office
  • “The ABC’s of the new DWI Law” – ECU Continuing Education for Attorneys, February 2007
  • “Fighting the Magic Number – How to Beat the .08 Presumption under the new DWI Statute” – North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, December 2007 in Greensboro, N.C.; February 2008 in Wilmington, N.C.
  • “Basics of the new breath-testing machine in N.C. – the EC-IR II” – Eastern N.C. Mediation Center Continuing Education for Attorneys, April 2008
  • “DWI and District Court Practice” – ECU Continuing Education for Attorneys, September 2008
  • “DWI – The One-Sided Appeal,” Superior Court CLE, N.C.Advocates for Justice, Greensboro, NC, May 2010
  • “Search Warrants, Searches, and Seizures at Home and on the Road,” Annual Summer Convention, N.C. Advocates for Justice, Wilmington, NC June 2010
  • “DWI Law: Winning Cases Through Teaching Judges and Prosecutors,” N.C. Advocates for Justice, Greensboro, NC February 2011 and Wilmington, NC March 2011

    • Matt Davenport is scheduled to speak at the 2011 Annual N.C.Advocates for Justice Summer Convention in Wilmington, NC in June 2011, and the title of my seminar is “Checkpoints: Where are Your Papers?”

Our approach to criminal defense means that we take a lot of cases to trial. To learn more about the best ways to resolve your criminal case while protecting your record, contact us in Greenville for a free consultation.