North Carolina Defender Manual, Volume Two, Trial, 2020 Edition

Volume Two of the North Carolina Defender Manual is a resource for public defenders and appointed counsel who represent poor people accused of crimes. The book focuses primarily on criminal procedure at the trial stage. Fifteen chapters cover a variety of topics, such as personal rights of the defendant, selection of the jury, opening and closing arguments, witness examination, and appeals, post-conviction litigation, and writs.

Volume 1, Pretrial, Second Edition (2013) , which focuses primarily on criminal procedure at the pretrial stage, is also available.

This publication is part of the "Indigent Defense Manual Series" - a collection of reference manuals addressing law and practice in areas in which indigent defendants and respondents are entitled to representation of counsel at state expense. The series was created to address the need for comprehensive reference materials for public defenders and appointed counsel, who devote their time, skill, and effort to representing poor people. In addition to assisting indigent defenders with their responsibilities, the manuals may be useful to others who work in the court system and need a reference source on the law. The manuals are available in their entirety, free of charge, at defendermanuals.sog.unc.edu.