The court system in Fayetteville and Cumberland County is about to undergo a massive change. Paper files and court documents will soon be a thing of the past. Computers will take their place. On October 14, the entire court system in Cumberland County will go digital.

This change has pros and cons for the average citizen:

The Portal: Greater Access for the Public

Instead of making a trip to the Cumberland County Courthouse and waiting in line for help, the citizens of Cumberland County will be able to access and view legal filings online. The new PORTAL system will allow anyone to search public court documents and make payments, as long as they have an internet connection.

Efile: File Court Documents from Anywhere

All court filings in Cumberland County will be electronic. To file a document into a court file, everyone will use the new Efile system.

The Problem: New Systems Take Time

It is not easy to overhaul a system that has run on paper documents for decades. In addition, some courtrooms in Cumberland County, especially those dealing with domestic, criminal and traffic cases, process hundreds of cases daily. New computers have been installed in these Fayetteville courtrooms to assist with the change, but there will be a learning curve for the Assistant District Attorneys and the clerks as they get up to speed. You can expect to see increased wait times in Cumberland County courtrooms for the next several months.

The Solution: Our Local Law Firm

Attorneys Patrick Anstead and Melinda Flinn make appearances in courtrooms in Cumberland County on a weekly basis. They have been trained in the new eCourts software and will ensure your case receives the priority it deserves. If you have a divorce, traffic, or criminal case in Cumberland County in the next several months, hiring one of our attorneys could save you a great deal of time.

Patrick Anstead, an attorney at The Richardson Firm, was recently featured on WRAL News for his work in a Civil Rights case:

Hoke County Sheriff’s Office pays $75,000 to settle wrongful arrest lawsuit (wral.com)

The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office has settled a civil rights lawsuit for $75,000 with a woman who claimed she was wrongfully arrested and unlawfully detained.

The sheriff’s office on Oct. 3 agreed to settle Samantha Fugate’s civil rights claims, which alleged that deputies had falsely charged her with felon in possession of a firearm by providing false information to a magistrate to secure a felony warrant against her.

Fugate, who had a legally registered firearm, was arrested due to deputies’ mistaken belief that she had a felony conviction in Colorado.

The arrest occurred when deputies responded to a routine call and found the firearm in her possession despite her cooperation and valid identification. Although Fugate had a clean record, she spent two days in the Hoke County Detention Center before posting bail. The charges against her were later dropped.

“Deputies had reasonable grounds to know the information they were providing to the magistrate was false but proceeded anyway,” Patrick R. Anstead, Fugate’s attorney said. “The charging officer made false statements under oath in reckless disregard for Ms. Fugate’s civil rights.”

Attorney Patrick Anstead represents individuals in civil rights cases in Fayetteville and Eastern, North Carolina.

The Richardson Firm attorney Patrick Anstead recently helped a client receive a $60,000 settlement and a written apology from the Fayetteville Police Department.

Read the full article from CBS17 here: https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/cumberland-county-news/woman-wrongfully-arrested-in-fayetteville-drive-by-shooting-case-receives-settlement-from-police/

Congratulations to Matt Richardson, partner at The Richardson Firm, for receiving the prestigious “40 Under 40” award. The award is presented by the Fayetteville Observer and recognizes top business professionals and community leaders. Matt was recognized for his professional achievements as an attorney as well has his work on his political website: Cross Creek Divide.

Congratulations to our Senior Attorney Billy Richardson on his return to the North Carolina Legislature!!! Billy served previously in the N.C. House of Representatives from 1992-1996. He will continue to practice law with The Richardson Firm while representing the people of Cumberland County in Raleigh. Read more about Billy’s appointment on the following links:

Billy Richardson Sworn in at State House

Glazier Successor Back in North Carolina House – WRAL

http://electbillyrichardson.com/

Attorney Billy Richardson has announced his intention to fill the vacancy left by Representative Rick Glazier’s resignation from his seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives. The vacancy will be filled by a committee from the local Democratic Party.

Billy served previously in the legislature from 1992-1996.

Writers from the Fayetteville Observer have given Billy “front-runner” status:

http://www.fayobserver.com/blogs/news/peoples_business/people-s-biz-ed-melvin-withdraws-from-consideration-for-glazier/article_1115a5e8-145f-11e5-a795-b35b49496f06.html