North Carolina has adopted an ethics rule that requires lawyers in private practice, as well as prosecutors, to reveal evidence of innocence they discover after a conviction. …
North Carolina is the first state to apply the disclosure rule to lawyers in private practice. The North Carolina Supreme Court approved the ethics rule earlier this month. …
Sixteen other states require mandatory reporting by prosecutors after a conviction. …
The rule requires lawyers to disclose credible evidence or information if it creates a reasonable likelihood that a convicted defendant did not commit the offense for which he was convicted. The rules says the information should be disclosed to prosecutors and public defenders.
Exceptions in the rule say private practice lawyers don’t have to disclose information that would harm the interests of their clients or that would violate attorney-client privilege.
