North Carolina Office of the Capital Defender

The North Carolina Office of the Capital Defender (OCD) is located in Durham, NC. OCD maintains regional offices in Buncombe, Durham, Forsyth, Nash, New Hanover, and Robeson counties. With one Capital Defender, one Deputy Capital Defender, four Assistant Capital Defenders, one Capital Case Coordinator, one Roster Attorney Coordinator, one Paralegal and two Legal Assistants, the OCD represents indigent adult clients charged with potentially capital cases at the trial level. OCD strives to provide each client with competent, zealous, and cost-effective representation. In addition, the Office of the Capital Defender performs case consultations with trial attorneys who represent defendants in potentially capital cases, maintains a list of attorneys who handle these cases and works with other groups to develop and present specialized training programs for capital defense attorneys. The website of OCD has Capital Forms, Capital Motions, Capital Case Rules, Policies, Guidelines, and Info. For information on who qualifies for representation by the Office of the Capital Defender and how and when you can apply, please contact them directly.