The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of North Carolina was established in 1986. The office exists solely to provide legal assistance to people who are facing criminal charges in federal court and who are unable to afford a lawyer to represent them. The Federal Public Defender is appointed to represent individuals by the federal district court pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. section 3006A. The attorneys, paralegals, investigators and administrative staff are dedicated to providing our clients effective, quality legal representation.

Our main office is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. We have several satellite offices located throughout the Eastern District, both staffed and unstaffed, in Greenville, Wilmington, New Bern and Elizabeth City. Our staff serves nearly half of North Carolina, which includes the 44 counties of the Eastern District, from Wake County to the North Carolina coast.