Publications

North Carolina Pattern Jury Instructions are sample jury instructions organized in separate volumes by legal topic (Criminal, Civil, Motor Vehicle). Judges use the instructions when conducting trials and share them with juries to guide them in reaching verdicts. The instructions are created and compiled by the Pattern Jury Instruction Committee, made up of trial judges who are assisted...

A single lawsuit can take years to resolve and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but local governments cannot avoid them altogether. A Guide to Civil Litigation for Non-Attorneys in Local Government provides a brief, accessible overview that demystifies and explains the various phases of this daunting process for employees and public officials in local government...

Consolidated Human Services Boards in North Carolina is a guide for individuals who serve on the governing boards of consolidated human services agencies across the state, giving them information they need to conduct their work lawfully and effectively. It is intended for both appointed consolidated human services boards and any elected board of county commissioners that serves as the...

North Carolina Crimes: A Guidebook on the Elements of Crime is a treatise on North Carolina substantive criminal law. Originally written for law enforcement officers, it has evolved over nearly half a century into an important reference source for sheriffs, probation officers, magistrates, prosecutors, public defenders, defense lawyers, and judges...

Every department of social services (DSS) in North Carolina is responsible for receiving and evaluating reports of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation of disabled adults. These reports and the evaluations that follow them often involve highly sensitive information about vulnerable adults. A DSS must synthesize many state and federal confidentiality requirements when dealing with a request...

Arrest Warrant and Indictment Forms is all about criminal pleadings. Most of the manual consists of forms that may be used to draft valid criminal pleadings. The forms are intended to be straightforward, but readers are more likely to use the forms successfully if they have a grasp of the basic legal principles that apply to criminal pleadings. How much detail are...

This flow chart is intended to assist county DSS directors, social workers, and attorneys as well as court officials and others working in the area of adult protective services (APS) in understanding the procedure applicable to adult protective services court proceedings, including proceedings to obtain an order for protective services, an order for emergency services, and an ex parte order...

The North Carolina Trial Judges' Bench Book, District Court, Family Law, 2024 is a comprehensive legal reference created for North Carolina district court judges. The 2024 edition provides summaries of North Carolina law governing family law cases routinely heard in district court, with statutory and case law updated through October 15, 2024. Because of its size, the print edition is published...

This guidebook describes best practices and offers practical tips for productively evaluating the manager’s and governing board’s performance. It provides examples of evaluation measures, rating scales, and formats along with suggestions for ongoing performance improvement. For those already doing performance evaluations for the manager or the board, this guidebook offers suggestions that can...

An organization’s strategic plan is a vision for its community, a promise to realize that vision, and a road map with which to get there. Creating that plan is a process: leaders must agree on what the organization is and what they want it to be. Then they must organize their resources and efforts toward achieving that vision. The second edition of Strategic Planning for Elected...

This primer illustrates the flow of child abuse, neglect, and dependency cases in North Carolina. A case starts with a mandated report of suspected abuse, neglect, or dependency and ends with the termination of the district court’s jurisdiction over an abuse, neglect, or dependency proceeding.

There are many different stages and outcomes; some involve court action, and some do not....

See below for a free PDF download of the 2016 Supplement.

Designed as a reference for North Carolina judges and litigants, this supplement discusses Davis v. Washington, the United States Supreme Courts first decision interpreting Crawford; describes a number of key issues that remain open even after Davis; and summarizes significant Crawford cases decided since publication of Crawford v. Washington: Confrontation One Year Later