Pretrial Vol. 1

John Rubin, Phillip R. Dixon Jr., and Alyson A. Grine

Volume One, Pretrial, of the North Carolina Defender Manual (second edition) focuses on the principal areas of pretrial criminal procedure in North Carolina. Fifteen chapters cover a variety of topics, such as capacity to proceed, discovery, criminal pleadings, speedy trial, and suppression motions. The manual includes cases decided by the courts through June 2013 and legislation enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly through the end of its 2013 legislative session. It replaces the first edition, dated 1998-2004. The current edition of the manual, released in 2013, now includes updated chapters. As updated chapters are completed, they will be posted on this site, with the date of completion, e.g., July 2018, indicated on the chapter. The 2013 edition is available for purchase as a soft-bound book here.

2013 (with updated chapters)

About the Authors


John Rubin

John Rubin joined the School of Government faculty in 1991. He specializes in criminal law and procedure and indigent defense education. Before joining the School, he practiced law for nine years in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, California. He has written extensively on criminal law and procedure and teaches and consults with indigent defenders, judges, magistrates, prosecutors, and others who work in the court system. He earned a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and a J.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill. In 2008, he received the Albert and Gladys Coates Term Award for Faculty Excellence. In 2012, he was named Albert Coates Professor of Public Law and Government.

Phil Dixon

Phil Dixon joined the School of Government in 2017. Previously he worked for eight years as an attorney in Pitt and surrounding eastern North Carolina counties, focusing primarily on criminal defense and related matters. Dixon served as assigned counsel to indigent clients throughout his career, and represented adult and juvenile clients charged with all types of crimes at the trial level. He earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a JD with highest honors from North Carolina Central University. He works with the indigent education group at the School to provide training and consultation to public defenders and defense lawyers, as well as to research and write about criminal law issues.

Alyson A. Grine

Alyson A. Grine is an Assistant Professor at North Carolina Central University School of Law. Previously, Grine served as the Defender Educator at the School of Government from 2006 until 2016. She continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the School’s NC Racial Equity Network. Grine received the Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Teaching Excellence Award from the School in 2012 and the Margaret Taylor Writing Award in 2015 for her work on Raising issues of Race in North Carolina Criminal Cases. Prior to 2006, Grine worked for five years as an Assistant Public Defender in Orange and Chatham counties. She served as a judicial clerk for Chief Justice Henry Frye of the NC Supreme Court in 2000 and for Judge Patricia Timmons-Goodson of the NC Court of Appeals in 1999. In recognition of her work on issues of race and criminal justice, Grine received the James E. Williams award in 2016 from the North Carolina Public Defenders Association. Grine earned a BA with distinction and a JD with honors from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MA in Spanish from the University of Virginia.