Joel Hancock, Carteret County Criminal Defense Attorney

I’m Joel Hancock, a criminal defense attorney in Beaufort, North Carolina. I was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 2013 and opened Hancock Law Firm, PLLC in May 2018. I limit my practice to one thing: defending people charged with traffic offenses, DWI, misdemeanors, and felonies in Carteret County District and Superior Court.

I’m from here

I was born and raised on Harkers Island. My people came from Diamond City, the community that used to sit out on Shackleford Banks before the storms moved everybody to the mainland. My family has been in Carteret County a long time. According to some genealogical records, Blackbeard is my eighth-great-grandfather. Make of that what you will.

If you see me at the courthouse in Beaufort, it isn’t because I drove in for one case I happened to pick up while I actually practice somewhere else. I didn’t move to the coast to take the occasional case on my way to retirement either. This is what I do all day, every day, right here. When your case is called, I’m standing in front of the same judges, the same assistant district attorneys, and the same clerks I’ve been in front of nearly every week since 2013. I know how this courthouse actually works.

Education and admission

• North Carolina State Bar, admitted 2013. State Bar No. 45430
• Penn State Law (Dickinson School of Law), J.D. 2012
• East Carolina University, B.A. Economics 2008, magna cum laude

What I do, and what I don’t

Criminal and traffic defense is one hundred percent of my practice. I don’t split my week between real estate closings, divorces, and estate plans, and I’m not a general practitioner who takes criminal cases on the side.

I don’t practice in federal court. I don’t handle immigration matters or divorces. I handle North Carolina state criminal and traffic charges, in Carteret County. That’s the whole list.

If you call me with something outside that, I’ll tell you so and try to point you somewhere useful. I turn that work down for the same reason I’d tell you to be careful who you hire for a criminal case in Carteret County. You want a lawyer who does the kind of case you have, and who is in the courthouse where your case will be heard. I don’t take work outside criminal defense, because that isn’t what I do, and I don’t leave Carteret County, because that isn’t where I practice. I’d rather tell you that than take your money and learn on your case.

Since opening the firm in May 2018 I’ve handled thousands of client matters, everything from a simple seatbelt ticket to homicide and other serious felonies. I’m fluent in Portuguese, from two years doing missionary work in Brazil, and conversant in Spanish (though I’ll ask you to speak slowly and clearly).

What it costs

I charge flat fees. You’ll know the number before you hire me, not after. In most cases I can set up a payment plan. If paying it all at once is the problem, ask me, because I’d rather work something out than have you walk into court by yourself. The first conversation is free, and I’ll give you an honest read on that call instead of making you come in to find out.

Part of that read is whether hiring me is worth it at all. I studied economics before I studied law, and I know that some problems cost less to live with than to fix. If my fee on a minor ticket would run more than the insurance increase I’d be saving you, that math doesn’t work, and I’ll say so on the phone rather than take the case. When I do take one, it’s because I think I’m adding more value than I’m charging you for. Sometimes what’s at stake is your license, your job, or your record, and the money isn’t the point at all. I’ll tell you which situation you’re in.

When you call

You’ll reach Keri Flippin, my office manager and paralegal. A real person, in the office here in Beaufort. Not an answering service, not a call center in another state, and not an AI. She’ll find out what’s going on and get it to me, and I’ll get back to you.

By the time you’re standing in court, Keri and I both know your case: what you’re charged with, what actually happened, what matters to you, and what you’re hoping to walk out with. That last part matters more than people expect. Two people facing the same charge can want very different things, and the defense ought to be built around what you need, not around whatever is easiest.

Away from the courthouse

My wife Lauren and I have four sons: Calvin, Oliver, Levi, and Evan. I’m one of six. Four older sisters, Emily, Joella, Alyson, and Leah, and a younger brother, Mike. Our parents are Susan and Joel Hancock, Sr. In my free time I’m watching UFC fights with Lauren, fishing with my boys, duck hunting with my friends and my dogs, grilling a steak medium-rare, or out on the golf course doing considerably more damage to the fairway than to my handicap.

Talk to me about your case

If you’ve been charged with something in Carteret County, call me at 252-515-1516. The first conversation is free and confidential.

This page is general information about my practice, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.