Nifong Hires Lawyers; Duke Case Grinds On

Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong has hired attorneys. He knows that the gavel is going to drop on him in a real bad way. Disbarment is not out of the question here considering the egregious behavior that includes withholding exculpatory evidence from the defendants.

The prosecutor who removed himself from the Duke lacrosse sexual assault case has hired a well-known law firm to defend him against ethics charges before the North Carolina State Bar.

Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong has retained Winston-Salem lawyers David Freedman and Dudley Witt, law partners known for defending lawyers facing professional misconduct charges.

"Years ago, I just started helping out lawyers who got in trouble for various things," said Freedman, a 1982 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's law school. "I have a firm belief that you look out for your own."

The state bar filed ethics charges against Nifong in December, accusing him of violating rules of professional conduct. The bar said Nifong made misleading and inflammatory remarks to the media about the lacrosse players.

The punishment for ethics violations can range from admonishment to disbarment.

KC Johnson has much more on this and other developments in the case.