Mr. Eben T. Rawls III, Attorney

Eben Rawls is a highly respected and professionally recognized trial lawyer who has spent more than 28 years focused exclusively on defending people accused of crimes. In that time, he has handled a number of high-profile cases that were reported in both print and electronic media. Mr. Rawls has always maintained the philosophy that less media attention is more beneficial for his clients, however, and has worked diligently and successfully to avoid putting his clients in the spotlight. Mr. Rawls and his staff uphold the highest degree of professionalism, discretion, and complete confidentiality in order to protect his clients' interests.

Most recently Mr. Rawls has been selected by his peers to be included in the 2007 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the specialties of White-Collar Criminal Defense and Non-White-Collar Criminal Defense. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review process and is considered a singular honor. Please click on the following link in order to read more about this:
http://www.bestlawyers.com

Mr. Rawls has also been named by Business North Carolina to be among the state's "Legal Elite" for the past three consecutive years.

Professional
Martindale-Hubbell has consistently rated Mr. Rawls an AV lawyer, signifying the highest legal ability and ethical conduct. The Bar Registry of Preeminent Lawyers lists Mr. Rawls as one of the nation's top criminal defense attorneys. In 2004, the North Carolina Business Journal named him one of North Carolina's Legal Elite, designating him as one of the top criminal defense attorneys in North Carolina.

Mr. Rawls has successfully handled hundreds of federal and state cases in the past twenty years. His clients include many professionals doctors, lawyers, bankers, securities traders, CEO's, labor union presidents, and elected officials. Of the many murder cases Mr. Rawls has handled in his career, none has resulted in a death sentence or a first-degree conviction.

The North Carolina State Bar has certified Eben Rawls as a Specialist in both Federal and State criminal law. In 1991, only two lawyers in the state possessed the qualifications to sit for the exam; Eben Rawls was one and he has been certified a specialist every year since then. Currently fewer than 60 attorneys out of approximately 15,000 in North Carolina have met the rigorous qualifications necessary to be certified as a criminal defense specialist. In addition, Mr. Rawls has been selected as a member of the State Bar Specialization Committee for six years, reviewing applicant qualifications and assisting the effort to rewrite the criminal law specialization exam. He served as Chairman of the Criminal Justice Section of the Mecklenburg County Bar for two years.

After graduating from UNC law school, Mr. Rawls worked at Farmworkers' Legal Services for two years, representing migrant farm workers in rural eastern North Carolina. He began his criminal law practice in 1980 with the Mecklenburg County Public Defender's Office, often representing defendants charged with serious felonies. There he gained practical experience and crucial courtroom skills as he tried more jury trials than most lawyers try in a lifetime. In 1983, after three years in the Public Defender's Office, Mr. Rawls went into the private practice of criminal defense law.

Personal
Eben Rawls grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he attended R.J. Reynolds High School. At Reynolds, he served on the Varsity Debate Team, which won the State Championship during his senior year. In 1972, he graduated from Duke University with honors. Before starting law school, Mr. Rawls worked as a licensed taxi driver in New York City, then as a framing carpenter, trained as a welder, painted houses in Berkeley, California, and held positions as a security guard in San Francisco and a bouncer in a New Orleans bar. He worked his way through law school at UNC-Chapel Hill by cooking in a vegetarian restaurant.

In law school, Mr. Rawls was a member of the UNC National Moot Court team that participated in the national finals in New York City. In the national competition, he received the Louis F. Powell Award for Outstanding Oral Advocacy. Mr. Rawls was also a member of the National Mock Trial Team while in law school and was elected to the Order of Barristers Honor Society.

Mr. Rawls is a husband and father of two. His wife is also an attorney whose practice focuses on appellate practice and legal research. They were married more than twenty years ago in Yosemite National Park and went backpacking for their honeymoon. The Rawls family shares their country home with two dogs, two cats, two rabbits, and a bird. (There used to be chickens, but snakes and dogs interfered with raising them.) Mr. Rawls' hobbies include scuba diving, motorcycle riding, and music.

Areas of Practice:

Federal Criminal Law
North Carolina State Court
North Carolina Licensing Boards
Alcohol Beverage Control Hearings (ABC)
Federal and State Criminal Appeals
Post Conviction

Bar Admissions:

North Carolina
U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina
U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina
U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina
U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court

Education:

University of North Carolina School of Law, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1978Honors: National Moot Court Team
Honors: Participated in National Moot Court Final Rounds in New York City
Honors: Awarded Louis F. Powell Award for Outstanding Oral Advocacy
Honors: National Mock Trial Team

Duke University, 1972
Honors: Cum Laude

Honors and Awards:

The Best Lawyers in America - White-Collar Criminal Defense and Non-White-Collar Criminal Defense, 2007

Professional Associations and Memberships:

North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, 1979 - Present
American Bar Association, 1979 - Present
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Past Employment Positions:

Farmworkers Legal Services, Attorney, 1978 - 1980
Public Defender Office for Mecklenburg County, Attorney, 1980 - 1983
Private Practice, 1983 - Present