64/100LFR Score
Ranked #1 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.4★ from 329 Google reviews.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Emergency Criminal Defense Lawyers in Hickory, NC (2026)
Top 50 of 53 criminal defense lawyers, in emergency orderUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank
6 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 Hickory: King Law, 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 Hickory 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 | King Law | 64 | 4.4★ (329) | Hickory | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 2 | Burts Law, PLLC | 62 | 4.8★ (216) | Newton, 8 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 3 | King Law | 59 | 4.8★ (144) | Morganton, 19 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 4 | King Law | 57 | 4.2★ (129) | Lincolnton, 19 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 5 | McKeny Law Firm | 56 | 4.7★ (73) | Statesville, 26 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 6 | King Law | 51 | 5.0★ (8) | Statesville, 26 mi away | Open 24 hrs (Google) |
| 7 | Cayll Law, PLLC | 54 | 5.0★ (283) | Newton, 8 mi away | — |
| 8 | Minick Law, P.C. | 52 | 5.0★ (50) | Hickory | — |
| 9 | Law Office of Anthony R. Morrow | 51 | 4.0★ (4) | Morganton, 19 mi away | — |
| 10 | Matthews Law Firm | 50 | 4.4★ (47) | Hickory | — |
Call an emergency criminal defense lawyer in Hickory 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 (828) 229-5814
#1King Law
Open 24/7 · 4.4 from 329 Google reviews
- #2Call (704) 751-0455
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 216 Google reviews
- #3Call (828) 229-5828
#3King Law
Open 24/7 · 4.8 from 144 Google reviews
- #4Call (980) 206-3805
#4King Law
Open 24/7 · 4.2 from 129 Google reviews
- #5Call (704) 771-0015
Open 24/7 · 4.7 from 73 Google reviews
- #6Call (980) 206-4465
#6King Law
Open 24/7 · 5.0 from 8 Google reviews
The 50 emergency criminal defense lawyers in Hickory, 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 53 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 Newton, 8 mi away
62/100LFR ScoreRanked #2 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.8★ from 216 Google reviews.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#3 King Law
Based in Morganton, 19 mi away
59/100LFR ScoreRanked #3 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.8★ from 144 Google reviews.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#4 King Law
Based in Lincolnton, 19 mi away
57/100LFR ScoreRanked #4 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.2★ from 129 Google reviews.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Statesville, 26 mi away
56/100LFR ScoreRanked #5 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 73 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Law firm”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#6 King Law
Based in Statesville, 26 mi away
51/100LFR ScoreRanked #6 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 8 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Law firm”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Newton, 8 mi away
54/100LFR ScoreRanked #7 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 283 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Hickory
52/100LFR ScoreRanked #8 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 50 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Morganton, 19 mi away
51/100LFR ScoreRanked #9 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.0★ from 4 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 Hickory
50/100LFR ScoreRanked #10 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.4★ from 47 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Morganton, 19 mi away
48/100LFR ScoreRanked #11 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 77 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Hickory
48/100LFR ScoreRanked #12 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 12 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Statesville, 26 mi away
48/100LFR ScoreRanked #13 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 98 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Statesville, 27 mi away
47/100LFR ScoreRanked #14 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 92 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Statesville, 26 mi away
46/100LFR ScoreRanked #15 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.1★ from 111 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
#16 Wayne O Clontz
Based in Morganton, 19 mi away
46/100LFR ScoreRanked #16 because of its Google rating and review volume: 3.9★ from 100 Google reviews.
Based on 6 of 9 factors; bar status, recency and availability not yet collected.
Based in Charlotte, 29 mi away
45/100LFR ScoreRanked #17 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.5★ from 74 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Statesville, 26 mi away
45/100LFR ScoreRanked #18 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 35 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Hickory
45/100LFR ScoreRanked #19 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.8★ from 189 Google reviews.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Hickory
44/100LFR ScoreRanked #20 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.8★ from 110 Google reviews.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Statesville, 26 mi away
43/100LFR ScoreRanked #21 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.5★ from 13 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Hickory
42/100LFR ScoreRanked #22 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.6★ from 68 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Attorney”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Lincolnton, 18 mi away
41/100LFR ScoreRanked #23 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.6★ from 218 Google reviews.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Morganton, 19 mi away
41/100LFR ScoreRanked #24 because of its Google rating and review volume: 4.9★ from 155 Google reviews.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Based in Hickory
40/100LFR ScoreRanked #25 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 3.9★ from 58 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Law firm”.
Based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected.
Top 50 of 53 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 Hickory
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 Hickory: questions
Which criminal defense lawyers in Hickory are open 24/7?
6 on this list post 24/7 hours, including King Law, Burts Law, PLLC, King Law, King Law and McKeny Law Firm.
Who is ranked #1 for emergency criminal defense in Hickory, NC?
King Law is #1, with an LFR Score of 64 out of 100 on emergency weights.
How are emergency criminal defense lawyers in Hickory 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 Hickory
- November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 53 criminal defense lawyers serving Hickory.