How others in the legal community, our colleagues and peers, view the work we do is an important measure of its quality. Over the years we have been fortunate to earn a reputation for hard work, preparation, and fighting for our clients, and to be publicly recognized for these qualities about which we care so deeply.
#1 Verdict in NC in 2017
May 13, 2018
Award of $9.5 million against City of Charlotte is the highest in North Carolina in 2017, according to North Carolina Lawyers Weekly.
David Rudolf selected for inclusion in the 2018 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America
May 11, 2018
David Rudolf selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2016 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the following practice area(s):
• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Litigation – Securities
Gordon Widenhouse selected for inclusion in the 2018 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America
May 10, 2018
Gordon Widenhouse selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2016 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the following practice area(s):
• Appellate Practice
• Commercial Litigation
• Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Rudolf and Widenhouse Named in 2018 Best Lawyers in America
April 16, 2018
David Rudolf and Gordon Widenhouse have again been listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Rudolf was listed in the areas of: Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Non White-Collar, and Securities Litigation. Gordon Widenhouse was listed in the areas of: Appellate Practice, Commerical Litigation, and Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Non White-Collar.
Rudolf Widenhouse receives a Tier 1 ranking in the 2018 Edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms”
December 15, 2017
This Tier 1 ranking was determined through the firm’s overall evaluation, which was derived from a combination of the firm’s clients’ impressive feedback and the high regard that lawyers in other firms in the same practice area have for the firm. Tier-1 rankings were achieved in:
Charlotte
Commercial Litigation
Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar
Criminal Defense: White-Collar – Governmental Investigations
Criminal Defense: White-Collar – Litigation
Raleigh
Appellate Practice
Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar
Criminal Defense: White-Collar – Governmental Investigations
Criminal Defense: White-Collar – Litigation
Sonya Pfeiffer selected as Chair of Criminal Section, NCAJ
July 01, 2017
The Criminal Law Section of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice is the largest section of the NCAJ, with over 600 members. As Vice-Chair, Pfeiffer will focus on establishing enhanced communications between the members of the Section and the NCAJ leadership.
Sonya Pfeiffer Profiled by N.C. Advocates for Justice
May 13, 2017
Sonya Pfeiffer Chairs Panel Discussion of Academy Award winner “Spotlight”
March 17, 2017
Sonya Pfeiffer Appointed to NCAJ Mass Incarceration Task Force
January 29, 2016
NCAJ President Chris Nichols has appointed Sonya Pfeiffer to serve on the Mass Incarceration Task Force created by NCAJ’s Board of Governors. The issue of mass incarceration has received a great deal of publicity both nationally and locally, and is a priority for NCAJ.
David Rudolf Again Named to Top 100 North Carolina Super Lawyers List
December 06, 2015
See the full list here.
David Rudolf Interviewed on NPR Regarding Expert Witnesses
November 19, 2015
On November 19, 2015, David Rudolf appeared on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show to explain the use of expert witnesses in civil and criminal trials. To listen to the interview, click here: http://www.wnyc.org/story/do-expert-witnesses-have-our-fates-their-hands
Sonya Pfeiffer chairs Mountain Magic, NCAJ’s preeminent fall conference
October 15, 2015
As Chair of this Continuing Legal Education Seminar and NCAJ Fall Conference, Pfeiffer secured the attendance of several prominent national legal speakers, including Roger Dodd and David Ball.
https://www.ncaj.com/index.cfm?pg=ScheduleofEventsforMountainMagic
David Rudolf Quoted in Atlanta Journal Constitution Story on Police Shootings
October 15, 2015
In five years, only one police officer in Georgia was indicted for shooting a civilian, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 Action News investigation of 171 fatal police shootings across the state from 2010 to 2015.
Read story here: http://investigations.myajc.com/overtheline/#prosecuted.
Rudolf & Pfeiffer Speak to Inn of Court in Asheville
September 30, 2015
David Rudolf & Sonya Pfeiffer were invited to give the opening presentation for the 2015-2016 Harry C. Martin Inn of Court in Asheville, North Carolina. Their presentation on September 30, 2015, Seeing is Believing: Proving Your Case With Demonstrative Evidence, was attended by more than 60 members of the Asheville Bar, including two federal judges.
Pfeiffer named to Board of Governors of NC Advocates for Justice
June 02, 2015
NCAJ provides continuing legal education for lawyers aimed at enhancing the quality of the legal profession, offers public education programs aimed at enhancing public access and understanding of the legal system, supports the writing of amicus briefs for the appellate courts, and advocacy work at the legislature in the areas of criminal and civil justice. The association has served its members for over 50 years. See announcement: https://www.ncaj.com/index.cfm?pg=Leadership
Pfeiffer selected as a member of Women in the Profession Committee and reappointed as member of the Communications Committee, NCBA
June 01, 2015
The Women in the Profession Committee serves as a resource for the North Carolina Bar Association by, among other things, identifying ways to encourage and maintain the active participation and advancement of women in the Association and the legal profession.
The Communications Committee educates and informs the public of NCBA programs and projects, helps the public understand the rule of law and the role of lawyers in society and instills confidence and respect of the legal system by using whatever media are most effective and appropriate.
Gordon Widenhouse interviews Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
May 16, 2015
The Honorable Antonin Scalia gave the keynote address at the 2015 National High School Mock Trial Championship in Raleigh on May 16 (NHSMTC Awards Gala). “We are extremely excited that Justice Scalia has agreed to attend the NHSMTC next month,” said Gordon Widenhouse, Host Director for the competition in Raleigh. “He is an engaging speaker and will provide the highlight to our hosting this event.”
Sonya Pfeiffer Quoted in NC Lawyer’s Weekly
February 01, 2015
In February 2015, Pfeiffer was quoted in a NC Lawyer’s Weekly article on changes in forfeiture and seizure rules, voicing concerns among criminal defense lawyers.
Read Article: http://nclawyersweekly.com/2015/02/05/feeling-a-squeeze-changes-in-forfeiture-and-seizure-rules/
Gordon Widenhouse Receives NC Bar Distinguished Service Award
June 19, 2014
On June 14, 2014, Gordon Widenhouse received the Distinguished Service Award from the NC State Bar. The John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award program honors current and retired members of the North Carolina State Bar throughout the state who have demonstrated exemplary service to the legal profession.
David Rudolf Named 2014 Lawyer of the Year – Criminal Defense: Non-White Collar
August 16, 2013
David Rudolf won the distinguished award of 2014 Lawyer of the Year in Charlotte for Criminal Defense: Non-White Collar. Rudolf was also named in the 2014’s Best Lawyers in America in three other categories: Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Securities Litigation.
David Rudolf Quoted In USA Today
July 04, 2013
David Rudolf comments in USA Today about the Hernandez case.
David Rudolf, the attorney who represented Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth in a murder trial 2001, believes that even if Hernandez didn’t fire any of the five shots that killed Lloyd in a North Attleborough, Mass., industrial park, prosecutors will offer a deal to the trigger man to nail the former New England Patriots tight end on the murder charge.
David Rudolf speaks at the ABA Southeast Region White Collar Seminar
June 13, 2013
On June 13, 2013, David Rudolf was a speaker at the ABA Southeast Region White Collar Seminar on Securities Fraud. He spoke on sentencing, and particularly on calculating loss amounts, in securities fraud prosecutions.
Gordon Widenhouse Receives NCAJ Award For Excellence in Teaching Trial Advocacy
May 21, 2013
NCAJ presented M. Gordon Widenhouse, Jr. with the Charles Becton Award for excellence in the teaching of trial advocacy.
Top Verdicts of 2012
January 08, 2013
In securing a not guilty verdict in federal court for a client charged with structuring, Sonya Pfeiffer and David Rudolf hand a federal prosecutor his first courtroom loss in nearly two decades. The verdict is named by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly as one of North Carolina’s top verdicts of 2012.
David Rudolf Named 2013 Lawyer of the Year in Criminal Defense: White Collar
December 15, 2012
Mr. Rudolf was named the Best Lawyers’ 2013 Charlotte Criminal Defense: White-Collar “Lawyer of the Year.” Only one lawyer in each practice area in each city is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year”.
He was also selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2013 edition of Best Lawyers in United States in the practice areas of Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Securities.
Charlotte Magazine: Best Lawyers In Charlotte
October 03, 2001
“ A long-held distrust for authority and the government has led David Rudolf to defend those who might seem indefensible. But for him, popularity isn’t as important as improving the system, one case at a time.”
Read the story. How Does This Man Sleep At Night?
Rudolf’s Talent is a Cut Above
January 28, 2001
Carruth’s Lawyer Not One to Back Down
December 28, 2000
Carruth’s Lawyers Highly Respected
December 28, 2000
When The Husband Is The Suspect
December 16, 2000
A book by renowned criminal defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey discusses a number of high profile murder cases in which the husband or boyfriend was charged with killing his wife or girlfriend. One of the cases, North Carolina v. Rae Carruth, was defended by David Rudolf. Here is what Bailey had to say about Rudolf’s performance:
“[If the jury had believed] that Carruth had indeed blocked [the victim’s] car when the shooter in the Nissan opened fire — a claim that had some some strong evidentiary support — it is likely that Carruth would have been convicted of murder in the first degree. That this close call was resolved in favor of Carruth can clearly be attributed to the excellent work by a high-caliber defense lawyer, David Rudolf of Chapel Hill.”
Read an excerpt from When The Husband Is The Suspect.
Hacksaw
December 14, 2000
Ed Jones was infamous as a convicted jewel thief who escaped from more federal prisons than any inmate in the history of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, earning himself the nickname “Hacksaw.” Mr. Jones was represented on a post-conviction petition by David Rudolf, and was released from prison as a result of Rudolf’s work. Mr. Jones described his search for a lawyer as follows:
“After some extensive checking, I was told that the man I needed was David Rudolf. . . . He would be expensive, but there was no one better in the entire South. I figured, well, you get what you pay for, and called him. An agreement was reached, Dave took the case, and immediately went to work.”
Read an excerpt from Hacksaw.
Lovers And Madmen
August 03, 2000
Lovers and Madmen is the story of Julienne Busic an American charged with her husband and 3 other Croatian nationalists with the hijacking of an airplane. Mrs. Busic was represented by David Rudolf.
“ Our attorneys do such a good job defending us, they believe in us, respect us, want to perform a miracle in spite of the overwhelming evidence against us. My attorney, Dave Rudolf, puts his entire heart and spirit into the case. I see it transforming him as the trial continues, shattering some of his illusions, some important ones, sapping him of his idealism. But he is so imbued with enthusiasm that I find myself entertaining the possibility of an acquittal, or at least a term of probation in lieu of imprisonment. ”
Read an excerpt from Lovers and Madmen.
The Government vs. Erotica
March 09, 1987
North Carolina v. PHE, Inc. involved the prosecution of a mail order distributor of sexually explicit materials represented by David Rudolf. Phil Harvey, the founder and President of PHE, described a critical meeting with his team of attorneys. The issue was whether to fight the charges or plead guilty and pay a fine:
“ While we ruminated, Dave Rudolf suddenly stood up and said, ‘Goddammit, we’re talking about the First Amendment here!’ He looked at me. ‘If you don’t stop the government, who will? Every time we agree to a fine, they raise the ante. If we agree to these guilty pleas and escalating fines, there’ll be no end to it.’ He was addressing everyone now. ‘Someone’s got to take a stand. If not PHE, who will?’ ”
Read an excerpt from The Government vs. Erotica.