DISMISSALS
State v. J.A. – First Degree Rape
I am a criminal defense attorney. I have received Not Guilty verdicts in cases ranging from Statutory Sex Offense to First Degree Murder. I graduated from Duke University School of Law and have attended the Trial Lawyers College (selective “finishing school” for practicing trial attorneys). Before founding Roberts Marcilliat & Mills PLLC, I was a prosecutor in Wake, Johnston and New Hanover counties.
Now, I exclusively represent those accused of criminal sex offenses. That is, I focus all of my attention, years trial experience, and training on defending those accused of sexual misconduct. Over the course my career spent as an attorney practicing criminal law, I have served on both sides of these types of cases—both as prosecutor and defense attorney. In my past life as an Assistant District Attorney, I served specifically as a juvenile sex crimes prosecutor for a period of time. In 2007, however, I left the Wake County District Attorney’s Office to found Roberts Marcilliat & Mills PLLC, and establish a State-wide practice dedicated to defending the accused.
Sex crimes present unique legal and factual challenges. The allegations in a sex offense case are extremely sensitive and the potential consequences are extremely severe—those who seek my counsel are almost always charged with crimes that carry both a lengthy prison sentence and registration as a sex offender. My years of experience uniquely qualify me to meet these challenges. Although I have handled almost every type of criminal case that can arise under North Carolina law, I saw the need for an attorney who focused on, and understood, the issues and intricacies that arise when the allegation involves sexual encounters. This is a difficult, sensitive subject for everybody involved. And when charges are brought, this usually private subject is at the center of litigation heard in open court.
I have represented people from nearly every walk of life on nearly every type of sex offense crime recognized by North Carolina law. The types of cases I accept are those where the allegations are:
Each day, every day, I work tirelessly to master my craft and to better serve the people I represent. Where other people may turn away from a person due to an allegation of sex misconduct, I step in to fight for them and their lives as they know it. In my experience, unlike any other type of crime, a sex offense allegation can totally upend a person’s life, work, family relationships, and reputation before the case is even heard in court.
My job performance directly affects peoples’ lives and I take pride in that. Success in sex crime defense means changing lives by what I do on a daily basis. Solving complex problems is the work that I am best suited for. In college, I studied Chemical Engineering. It may not sound related, but that’s where I discovered that I love solving problems. In my legal practice, I am solving problems every day for people, hunting for the best possible outcome based on all the facts, evidence, and law at hand. I am passionate about this work and wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Treat people with respect—when people come to me, they have been accused of things that are terrible, heinous, and stigmatized. But an accusation of bad conduct does not amount to the accused being a bad person, despite conventional thinking and societal stigma. In any case, treating people without respect never works. The practice of law, particularly criminal law in my experience, is about people. You never know who might have an impact on the case. Being an “aggressive” criminal defense lawyer is much more than talking loud in court, looking to negotiate a quick plea, or making big claims about past results (even if those claims are true). I believe I can help people in need and deliver quality legal service to clients. There’s nothing special about me just because I’m a lawyer. My job is to help and serve people. Where I do believe that I am uniquely qualified is in my experience, training, exclusive focus defending sex offense crimes, and results. Period.
To master my craft means sacrificing lots of time and energy to be the best I can be. I went to both the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College and the National Criminal Defense College. This was after graduation from Duke University School of Law and several successful jury trials. These are selective, rigorous programs, with some of the best trial lawyers in the country. The total number of graduates from both programs is a very small number. I’ll let that speak for itself.
I have handled thousands of cases over my career. I have fought for dismissals, negotiated plea bargains, argued for the reduction of felony charges to misdemeanors, won acquittals at trial, and succeeded in criminal appeals.
As my career progressed, my focus narrowed to representing individuals only on high-level felonies (e.g., murder) and sex offenses cases. At this point, my career narrowed further to a point where sex offense matters are my sole focus. I’ve defended people in Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, Greensboro, Wilmington, and throughout North Carolina on this type of case since leaving the Wake County District Attorney’s Office in 2007. I am a former prosecutor for Wake, New Hanover, and Johnston Counties. And even during my time as a prosecutor, one of my duties was to handle juvenile sex offense cases.
And while prior results and awards don’t guarantee future outcomes, they’re a good indicator of my qualifications. I have a 5.0/5.0 rating from prior clients on Lawyers.com and have been recognized as a Super Lawyer in 2019 and Super Lawyers Rising Star in previous years. I am also listed in Top 100 North Carolina Trial Attorneys and Top 40 North Carolina Attorneys Under 40.
In 2014, I was appointed by North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory to serve on his Crime Commission, Juvenile Justice Planning Committee, working to help ensure fair treatment and justice for North Carolina’s children and teens.
Most recently, in 2016, I was appointed by Gov. McCrory to serve on the North Carolina State Ethics Commission, to assist in the investigation of complaints made against state lawmakers, state officials, judges, district attorneys, and other covered persons accused of ethics violations.
These aren’t my words – they’re the words of a former client:
“Patrick Roberts is an amazing attorney. He is brilliant, insightful, compassionate, and has an incredible grasp and love of the law. I highly recommend his services.” – J.L.
In the end, what you’ll need to do is call me at 919-838-6643 or send an email. I offer free consultations for potential clients. At the end of the consultation, you’ll know whether or not I am the right lawyer for you.
Read about Patrick Roberts’ journey to the US, law and the top floor in this Super Lawyers article.
State v. J.A. – First Degree Rape
State v. B.S. – First Degree Murder
State v. E.D. – Identity Theft
State v. J.A. – First Degree Rape
Each case is different and must be evaluated on its individual facts. We work hard to assess each case individually. Prior results do not guarantee any future outcome.
Put our team of criminal defense lawyers on your side today. You are one phone call or email away from getting your questions answered by an experienced defense attorney.
Call us at 919-838-6643to set up a free consultation or send us an email.
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*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories — legal ability and general ethical standards.
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