Greensboro Criminal Defense Attorneys
We defend criminal charges in Guilford County District and Superior Court, and in federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina. Former Assistant District Attorneys are on staff. Find your charge below and go straight to the page that covers it.
What are you charged with?
Read us the charge exactly as it appears on your paperwork, and tell us your court date.
Sending this form does not make us your lawyer yet.
Find your charge in the list below. Each one has its own page with the statute, the class, the sentencing range at your record level and what the defense actually looks like.
If something is happening right now, a warrant, a missed court date, someone in the jail, go to Warrants, Bond and Court Dates or call. Those are the situations where the first few days change the outcome.
If you are not sure what you are charged with, read us the words on the paperwork. The exact wording usually tells us the subsection, and the subsection decides most of the rest.
Charges we defend in Guilford County
Everything we handle, grouped. If your charge is here, so is a page about it.
DWI and Impaired Driving
Guilford County DWIs are sentenced on six levels, and the level decides everything.
DWI defense · DUI vs DWI explained · habitual DWI, a fourth offense · felony death by vehicle · misdemeanor death by vehicle · DWI in High Point · driving while license revoked · getting your license back
Drug Charges
The drug decides the class. Cocaine and methamphetamine are felonies in any amount.
drug possession · drug charges overview · drug trafficking · possession with intent to sell · felony possession of cocaine · marijuana charges · drug paraphernalia · maintaining a dwelling
Assault and Violent Charges
Two words the statutes never define, deadly weapon and serious injury, decide the class.
assault charges · simple assault · assault with a deadly weapon · assault by strangulation · simple affray · communicating threats · cyberstalking · child abuse charges · murder charges · robbery · common law robbery
Warrants, Bond and Court Dates
If something is already happening, or has already been missed, start here.
warrants · order for arrest · missed a court date · bond motions · first appearance · probable cause hearing · what an indictment means · probation violations · resisting arrest · fleeing to elude arrest · disorderly conduct
Theft, Property and Fraud
Larceny splits at one thousand dollars, and a single prior can change the class.
theft and larceny · shoplifting · habitual larceny · larceny by employee · breaking and entering · embezzlement · white collar and fraud · obtaining property by false pretenses · uttering a forged instrument · possession of stolen goods · stolen motor vehicle · possession of a stolen firearm · failure to return rental property · trespass
Firearms Charges
A felony conviction and a firearm are a bad combination in both state and federal court.
felon in possession of a firearm · carrying a concealed gun · firearm hold · restoring your gun rights · discharging a firearm in city limits · discharging a firearm into occupied property · firearm on education property · firearm with drugs, state or federal
Domestic Violence
The 48 hour hold is a ceiling, not a fixed sentence, and that matters in the first days.
misdemeanor crime of domestic violence · how domestic holds work
Underage and Alcohol Charges
Most of these are not DWIs, which changes what can be cleared later.
driving after consuming under 21 · underage drinking and fake ID · alcohol tickets · open container · intoxicated and disruptive · possession of malt beverage under 21 · underage alcohol tickets in High Point
Sex Offenses
Charges where the collateral consequences often outlast the sentence.
sex offense defense · statutory rape · indecent liberties with a minor · second degree sexual exploitation of a minor · solicitation of prostitution · crimes against nature · failure to register
Felony, Misdemeanor and Habitual Status
Where your charge sits on the grid, and what a prior record does to it.
felony charges · misdemeanor charges · Class I felony · habitual felon status
Federal Charges
A different courthouse, different prosecutors, and no parole at the end of it.
federal criminal defense · federal conspiracy charges
Clearing Your Record
North Carolina shortened the wait for one misdemeanor from five years to three in 2025.
Traffic offenses other than impaired driving have their own section, on the traffic ticket page.
What happens after an arrest here
The order of events is the same for almost every charge, and each step has somebody who can act at it.
- The magistrate. Conditions of release are set first, often within hours. On a domestic charge there is a 48 hour hold and only a judge can set conditions during it. We can often get the case heard sooner. See bond motions.
- First appearance. The charge is read, counsel is addressed, and conditions can be revisited. See first appearance.
- Probable cause hearing, on a felony. The State has to show enough to send the case up. It is also the first real look at their evidence. See probable cause hearings.
- Grand jury and indictment. Felonies move to Superior Court by indictment. See what an indictment means.
- District or Superior Court. Misdemeanors are tried in District Court, felonies in Superior Court. Guilford County has two courthouses, in Greensboro and in High Point, and your citation says which.
If you have already missed a date, or there is a warrant or an order for arrest out, that is its own situation and it is fixable: missed court dates, warrants, orders for arrest.
Felony or misdemeanor in North Carolina
North Carolina does not use the one year rule people quote from federal law. G.S. 14-1 defines a felony as a crime that was a felony at common law, is or may be punishable by death or by imprisonment in the State’s prison, or is denominated a felony by statute.
Misdemeanors run on the chart in G.S. 15A-1340.23. At the lowest prior conviction level the authorized ranges are 1 to 60 days for a Class A1, 1 to 45 for a Class 1, 1 to 30 for a Class 2 and 1 to 10 for a Class 3. The much larger numbers quoted elsewhere are the Level III figures, for someone with five or more prior convictions.
Felonies run on a separate grid with ten classes and six prior record levels. Where you sit on it is argued, not assigned.
More detail: felony charges, misdemeanor charges, habitual felon status.
Not sure which of these applies to you?
Read us the charge and the court date. One call usually settles which page on this site is yours and what happens next.
Call (336) 379-0539Free consultation, answered 24/7State court or federal court
Greensboro sits in the Middle District of North Carolina, and federal cases are heard at the L. Richardson Preyer Courthouse on West Market Street. Federal court is not state court with bigger numbers. Different prosecutors, a different sentencing system, rebuttable presumptions of pretrial detention on several charge types, and no parole at the end of it.
If you have had a target letter and no charge yet, that is the point of maximum influence on the case. See federal criminal defense and federal conspiracy charges.
What a criminal lawyer costs in Greensboro
We quote a flat fee for the stage of the case you are in, and you get the number on the first call rather than after a consultation.
What moves it: whether the charge is a misdemeanor or a felony, which class, whether there is a bond hearing or a warrant to deal with this week, how much evidence there is to go through, and whether the case is heading for trial or for a negotiated resolution. Ask any firm what the fee covers and what it does not, because that is where quotes differ most.
Our criminal defense team
Jason Aycoth
Criminal Defense, Felony Charges, State and Federal Court
Jason handles criminal cases in state and federal court across North Carolina. He has served as Editor of the True Bill and was Commencement Speaker at Elon Law School's graduation.
- Former President, Greensboro Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Elected member, Criminal Justice Section, North Carolina Bar Association
- Selected to present the Wade M. Smith Award for Top Criminal Defense Lawyer in North Carolina
Chad D. GarrettFounderJason AycothPartner
Sean OlsonPartner
Brandon GoldsboroughCriminal Defense
Stephanie GoldsboroughCriminal Defense
Rebecca ElliottCriminal Defense
Patrick BidwellCriminal Defense
Samantha HeplerCriminal DefenseWhat clients say
4.9 out of 5 from 587 Google reviews. A few recent ones:
Where we practice
Our office is two minutes from the Guilford County Courthouse.
Guilford County: Greensboro · High Point · Jamestown · Gibsonville · Summerfield · Oak Ridge · Pleasant Garden · Stokesdale · Whitsett · McLeansville · Sedalia
Also serving: Randolph, Forsyth, Alamance, Rockingham and Davidson Counties
Questions people ask us
How do I find the best criminal defense attorney in Greensboro?
No lawyer in North Carolina is permitted to claim to be the best, under State Bar rules. Ask specific questions instead. What class is my charge and what is the range at my record level? Is probation authorized for that class? What are you doing in the first two weeks? Each of those has an exact answer.
Do I need a lawyer for a first offense?
The outcomes people hope for on a first charge, a dismissal, a deferral, a conditional discharge, a reduction, are all things that have to be asked for and argued. Nobody at the courthouse offers them. That is the honest reason to have someone there, rather than a claim about what will happen to you if you go alone.
What does a criminal lawyer cost in Greensboro?
We quote a flat fee by stage and give you the number on the first call. It depends on the class of charge, whether there is urgent work such as a bond hearing or a warrant, the volume of evidence, and whether the case is heading for trial or a negotiated resolution.
Will I have a criminal record?
It depends on how the case ends. A dismissal or a not guilty finding for a case disposed of on or after 1 December 2021 is generally expunged by operation of law within about 180 to 210 days, with no petition and no fee. A conviction is different, and whether it can be cleared later depends on the offense and your record. See our expungement page.
Can my charge be expunged?
Some can and some cannot. North Carolina shortened the wait for one nonviolent misdemeanor from five years to three in July 2025. Offenses involving impaired driving are excluded from the expunction law entirely, and assault convictions are excluded as well. The expungement page covers which is which.
What happens if I miss my court date?
An order for arrest usually issues, and a failure to appear can follow. Both are fixable, and a lawyer can often put the case back on the calendar and appear for you. The sooner it is dealt with the smaller the problem, so it is worth calling the same week rather than waiting.
Do you handle cases in High Point as well as Greensboro?
Yes. Guilford County has two courthouses and your citation or release paperwork says which one you are assigned to. We appear in both. We also take cases in Randolph, Forsyth, Alamance, Rockingham and Davidson counties, and in federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina.
Were any of your attorneys prosecutors?
Yes. Former Assistant District Attorneys from Guilford County are on staff. The practical value is knowing how a file is actually worked up on the other side, which evidence a prosecutor will want before considering a reduction, and which arguments get heard.
Can I be charged in both state and federal court for the same thing?
It can happen, because they are separate sovereigns, though in practice one usually takes the case. The decision is made by the prosecutors, not by you, and it is often made before charges are filed. That is one reason a target letter or a federal agent making contact is worth a call the same day.
Talk to a Greensboro criminal defense attorney
Read us the charge and your court date. Free, and there is no obligation.
Garrett, Walker, Aycoth & Olson, Attorneys at Law
317 South Greene St, Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 379-0539 · answered live, 24 hours
Free consultation · Se habla español
This page explains North Carolina law in general terms as of October 2026. It is not legal advice about your case, and penalties and statutes change. Figures come from N.C.G.S. 14-1, 15A-1340.17 and 15A-1340.23. Each charge page linked above carries the statutes for that offense.