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I have practiced law since 2004 and tried more than 25 cases to a jury verdict.  I have represented persons accused of crimes ranging from driving with a license suspended to murder, along with a general practice.

SUMMARY:  Joe Kennedy is a former prosecutor who has successfully handled tens of thousands of criminal cases, including hundreds of DWI trials. He has attended concentrated training courses in a variety of areas, including the Intox EC/IR II (Intoximeter) Operator School Conducted by the NC Department of Health and Human Services, as well as DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing promulgated by NHTSA.  He has also attended the Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) promulgated by NHTSA.. Joe Kennedy has lived in Carteret County since 2009 and resides in Morehead City with his wife, Natalie. Prior to joining Cummings & Cummings in June of 2012, Joe prosecuted thousands of criminal and traffic cases, including hundreds of Driving While Impaired offenses for District Attorney Scott Thomas in the district’s Beaufort office. Joe attended concentrated training in a variety of areas, including the Intox EC/IR II (Intoximeter) Operator School Conducted by the NC Department of Health and Human Services. As a prosecutor, Joe studied the strategies and tactics of elders in the criminal defense bar, while learning valuable lessons from seasoned law enforcement professionals. He also met his wife, Natalie, who was then employed as a Special Agent with the NC Department of Public Safety’s Alcohol Law Enforcement Division.. While employed as a prosecutor, Joe also served on the adjunct faculty at Carteret Community College and taught classes in Criminal Law and Constitutional Law.  Joe still serves on the College’s Board of Law and Technology.. Prior to joining the District Attorney’s office in April of 2010, Joe was a private solo practitioner and concentrated his practice exclusively in the area of criminal defense.. Joe gained admission to the North Carolina State Bar in 2006, the same year that he graduated from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. Joe graduated in the top 20% of his class and earned a spot on the Dean’s List every semester. While At Cumberland, Joe was president of the school's Federalist Society chapter and North Carolina student Bar Association.. While in law school, Joe interned as a Civilian Summer Law Clerk at the Joint Law Center aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.  That experience gave him an appreciation for the unique legal issues that face the men and women in uniform who are stationed near the Crystal Coast.. Joe received his BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from UNC Chapel Hill in 2000. While at Chapel Hill, Joe was a member and treasurer of the Upsilon Chapter of Kappa Alpha Order.  Joe also interned with (then) Congressman Richard Burr’s Washington, DC office.  After graduation, Joe worked in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina before attending law school.. Joe is a member of the Carteret County Bar, District 3-B Bar, N.C. Bar Association and North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers. He limits his practice Criminal, DWI and Traffic law to ensure that his clients get the maximum amount of attention and resources for the best possible outcome.  When not at work, he enjoys boating, hunting and fishing with his wife, Natalie, and Labrador Retriever, Boone.

Joel Hancock is a native of Carteret County, NC. He was born and raised on Harkers Island by Susan and Joel Hancock, Sr. He has four older sisters, Emily, Joella, Alyson, and Leah; and a little brother, Mike.. On the first day of school at East Carteret High School in Beaufort, NC, Joel sat beside Lauren Sechler in Ms. Gillikin’s Art I class. After 10 years of dating, Joel and Lauren were married in 2008. They had both just graduated from East Carolina University, where Lauren was a cheerleader for the Pirates and where Joel finished first in his class with a degree in Economics.. Joel and Lauren’s first baby boy, Calvin (or “Cal-boy,” as they call him) was born in 2011 during Joel’s final year of law school at The Penn State Dickinson School of Law. As an infant, Cal-boy went to class with Joel and stole kisses from Joel’s classmates.. After graduating law school and passing the Pennsylvania Bar, Joel, Lauren and Calvin moved back to Harkers Island where Joel hung drywall and studied for the North Carolina Bar. In May of 2013, Joel was sworn in as an Attorney and Counselor at Law in Carteret County District Court by the Honorable Peter Mack. A special guest in attendance that day was Oliver (“Ollie”), Joel and Lauren’s second baby boy, who was just one week old.. In September of 2015 as Joel was in court defending clients, he received a text from Lauren: She was in labor. A few hours later, the couple’s third baby boy, Levi, was born at Carteret Health Care in Morehead City, NC.. In May of 2018, after five years of representing thousands of clients charged with everything from simple seat belt tickets to serious felonies, Joel opened Hancock Law Firm in Beaufort, NC, so he could devote 100% of his time at work to providing elite representation to his clients, and devote 100% of his time away from work to his family and friends.. When Joel isn’t in the courtroom or meeting clients face-to-face, he prefers to be watching UFC fights with Lauren, fishing with his boys, hunting with his friends, training jiu-jitsu, or grilling at his home for whomever wants to come by for dinner.

For the last 10 years I have only practiced criminal law in Carteret County, N.C.  During that time I have handled over a thousand DWI's and thousands and thousands of other types of criminal cases for ally types of clients.  I only handle criminal law cases because I truly believe it allows me to give the best representation to my clients.  If you a friend or a loved one needs a criminal attorney in Carteret County, N.C. give us a call and Cummings and Kennedy.  We are experienced, local and trusted by our client's when it matters most.

For over 30 years, Roger L. Crowe has represented tens of thousands of clients. He has earned a reputation as a fierce trial attorney with an impressive track record of successes, even in complex charges involving serious felonies. Mr. Crowe has been named one of the Top 100 Criminal Trial Lawyer in North Carolina by the National Trial Lawyers Association and is widely regarded as a legal powerhouse advocate. He regularly ranks high in client satisfaction due to his personalized approach. Mr. Crowe dedicated to serving criminal defendants with his in-depth knowledge of the law and cutting-edge defense strategies.

Britt graduated form the University of Oregon School of Law in 2003. She began her legal career with the District Attorneys office and served for 11 years including time spent as Chief Prosecutor for the 24th District Attorney’s office, prosecuting homicide cases in Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, and Madison Counties. Britt uses her knowledge and passion for litigation to work on behalf of her clients through the entire legal process from indictment, pre- and post-trial hearings, jury selection, and litigation to sentencing. Britt and her husband John live in Boone with their two children – Lilly and Reed.

My Promise. I am committed to helping my clients minimize the consequences of a criminal conviction, which could include prison or jail time, sizeable fines, loss of your driving privileges and a permanent mark on your criminal record. I understand the impact that criminal charges can have on your life, both personally and professionally. I will work hard to help reduce the consequences you may be facing, or zealously defend you in a trial. That decision will be made with full disclosure to you as a client and my recomendation. You as the client will have the final  say in the decision of whether or not to go to trial.