69/100LFR Score
Ranked #1 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 3,962 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Emergency Criminal Defense Lawyers in Durham, NC (2026)
Top 50 of 152 criminal defense lawyers, in emergency orderUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank
19 of the 50 criminal defense lawyers on this list post 24/7 hours. 24/7 law firms come first, then same-day, each ranked by LFR Score with availability weighted higher.
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
The short answer
- 1
#1 for emergency criminal defense in Durham: Cotten Law Firm, PLLC, open 24/7.
Rankings can't be bought. Lawyers can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank
Top emergency criminal defense lawyers in Durham at a glance
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
| Rank | Business | LFR Score | Google rating | Based in | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cotten Law Firm, PLLC | 69 | 5.0★ (3,962) | Raleigh, 21 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 2 | Hiltzheimer Law Office, PLLC | Durham DWI Lawyer | 67 | 5.0★ (51) | Durham | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 3 | Cotten Law Firm, PLLC | 66 | 4.9★ (2,664) | Fuquay-Varina, 29 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 4 | Hiltzheimer Law Office, PLLC | Chapel Hill DWI Lawyer | 64 | 5.0★ (32) | Carrboro, 12 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 5 | J. Alex Marshall, Criminal Defense Attorney | 64 | 5.0★ (154) | Wake Forest, 22 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 6 | DeMent Askew Johnson & Marshall, LLP | 64 | 4.8★ (187) | Raleigh, 21 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 7 | Hiltzheimer Law Office, PLLC | Raleigh DWI Lawyer | 64 | 5.0★ (117) | Raleigh, 21 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 8 | The Law Office of Christopher R. Detwiler, PLLC | 64 | 5.0★ (120) | Raleigh, 21 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 9 | Marcilliat & Mills PLLC | 64 | 4.9★ (83) | Raleigh, 21 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 10 | Gabriel Diaz Criminal Defense Law Firm | 63 | 5.0★ (28) | Cary, 16 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
Call an emergency criminal defense lawyer in Durham now
24-hour hours mean the firm lists itself as open around the clock on Google; that does not show its phone is answered. A lawyer may not be able to visit a jail or appear in court the same day: ask what they can do now and what it costs before you agree.
- #1Call (984) 253-4337
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 3,962 Google reviews
- #2Call (919) 727-7832
#2Hiltzheimer Law Office, PLLC | Durham DWI Lawyer
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 51 Google reviews
- #3Call (984) 253-4337
Open 24/7 · 4.9 from 2,664 Google reviews
- #4Call (919) 234-5229
#4Hiltzheimer Law Office, PLLC | Chapel Hill DWI Lawyer
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 32 Google reviews
- #5Call (919) 823-6699
#5J. Alex Marshall, Criminal Defense Attorney
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 154 Google reviews
- #6Call (919) 642-1717
#6DeMent Askew Johnson & Marshall, LLP
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 187 Google reviews
- #7Call (919) 297-2461
#7Hiltzheimer Law Office, PLLC | Raleigh DWI Lawyer
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 117 Google reviews
- #8Call (919) 526-7545
#8The Law Office of Christopher R. Detwiler, PLLC
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 120 Google reviews
The 50 emergency criminal defense lawyers in Durham, ranked
24/7 first, then same-day service, then the rest. Each group is in LFR Score order on emergency weights. The full ranking of all 152 is on the criminal defense lawyers page.
Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.
Based in Durham
67/100LFR ScoreRanked #2 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 51 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Fuquay-Varina, 29 mi away
66/100LFR ScoreRanked #3 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 2,664 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Carrboro, 12 mi away
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #4 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 32 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Wake Forest, 22 mi away
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #5 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 154 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Raleigh, 21 mi away
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #6 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 187 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Raleigh, 21 mi away
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 117 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Raleigh, 21 mi away
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #8 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 120 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Raleigh, 21 mi away
64/100LFR ScoreRanked #9 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 83 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Cary, 16 mi away
63/100LFR ScoreRanked #10 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 28 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Raleigh, 21 mi away
62/100LFR ScoreRanked #11 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 37 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#12 Sparrow Law Firm
Based in Raleigh, 21 mi away
62/100LFR ScoreRanked #12 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.4★ from 35 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#13 Hirsch Law Group
Based in Raleigh, 19 mi away
61/100LFR ScoreRanked #13 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 7 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#14 Ryan Willis
Based in Raleigh, 21 mi away
60/100LFR ScoreRanked #14 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 4 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#15 King Law
Based in Chapel Hill, 9 mi away
56/100LFR ScoreRanked #15 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 63 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Law firm”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#16 King Law
Based in Raleigh, 17 mi away
53/100LFR ScoreRanked #16 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.2★ from 49 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Law firm”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#17 Blue LLP
Based in Raleigh, 21 mi away
52/100LFR ScoreRanked #17 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 19 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Trial attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Raleigh, 21 mi away
52/100LFR ScoreRanked #18 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.1★ from 33 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Raleigh, 20 mi away
51/100LFR ScoreRanked #19 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.5★ from 8 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Durham
61/100LFR ScoreRanked #20 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 175 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 6 of 9 factors; bar status, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Durham
57/100LFR ScoreRanked #21 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 12 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 6 of 9 factors; bar status, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Morrisville, 11 mi away
55/100LFR ScoreRanked #22 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.5★ from 17 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 6 of 9 factors; bar status, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Mebane, 13 mi away
53/100LFR ScoreRanked #23 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 5 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 6 of 9 factors; bar status, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Chapel Hill, 9 mi away
50/100LFR ScoreRanked #24 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 692 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Durham
50/100LFR ScoreRanked #25 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 141 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Top 50 of 152 criminal defense lawyers by emergency score
#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #50, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile.
How we ranked emergency criminal defense lawyers in Durham
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Attorney advertising businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.
| Factor | Weight | Computed from |
|---|---|---|
| Reputation | 15% | Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back it |
| Bar status | 10% | An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded) |
| Review volume | 10% | Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the list |
| Recency | 10% | Share of reviews from the last 12 months |
| Availability | 15% | Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7 |
| Practice focus | 15% | How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name) |
| Proximity | 5% | An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it is |
| Claimed profile | 10% | The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same) |
| Law Firms Ranked reviews | 10% | Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there are |
Emergency criminal defense lawyers in Durham: questions
Which criminal defense lawyers in Durham are open 24/7?
19 on this list post 24/7 hours, including Cotten Law Firm, PLLC, Hiltzheimer Law Office, PLLC | Durham DWI Lawyer, Cotten Law Firm, PLLC, Hiltzheimer Law Office, PLLC | Chapel Hill DWI Lawyer and J. Alex Marshall, Criminal Defense Attorney.
Who is ranked #1 for emergency criminal defense in Durham, NC?
Cotten Law Firm, PLLC is #1, with an LFR Score of 69 out of 100 on emergency weights.
How are emergency criminal defense lawyers in Durham ranked?
Emergency lists move 10 points of the LFR Score from reputation to availability: 15% and 15%. Availability credits 24/7 hours, same-day service, weekend hours and weekly open hours. 24/7 criminal defense lawyers are listed first, then same-day, then the rest; ranks follow that order. Paid placement never changes a rank.
What should I do before the criminal defense lawyer arrives?
If you or someone you know is arrested: you can stay silent and ask for a lawyer before answering questions. Calls from jail are usually recorded, so do not discuss the facts of the case on them.
How many emergency criminal defense lawyers here list a phone number?
25 of the 25 law firms ranked in full list a phone number. Tap Call to dial it.
Update log for Durham
- November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 152 criminal defense lawyers serving Durham.