Thompson, G. Patrick

Author: "DNA Fingerprinting: Prosecutors Dream Come True - Nightmare for the Defense," The True Bill, Vol. 11, No. 1, Nov. 1990; "DNA Fingerprinting: Part Two, The Making and the Meaning of a Match," The True Bill, Vol. 11, No. 2, March 1991. Faculty Advisor, Career Prosecutor Course, National College of District Attorneys, 1985. Assistant District Attorney, North Carolina 10th Judicial District, 1978-1982, 1983-1987. (Board Certified Specialist in State Criminal Law, North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization).

After two stints as a prosecutor with the Wake County District Attorney's Office totaling almost eight years, Raleigh, NC Attorney Karl Knudsen has settled into a trial law practice with concentration on criminal defense and plaintiff's personal injury litigation. The majority of his day is spent in the courthouse, where he is the most comfortable. "Trying cases is exciting...it's as real as practicing law gets," says Attorney Knudsen, who has more than 25 years of trial experience. "In order to be good at it you've got to be in the arena every day, learning from other lawyers and judges, learning about juries and knowing what to do and what to avoid." One of only five Lawyers Board Certified in State Criminal Law practicing in Raleigh, North Carolina, Karl Knudsen has tried literally hundreds of cases on both sides of the fence, as a prosecutor and as a defense lawyer, including dozens of murder cases. He says his prosecution experience has been invaluable to him in effectively defending his clients and representing injured people. "The years spent in the courtroom give you credibility with your opponent and with the courts," added Knudsen. "You've established relationships that carry you through each day." Knudsen is a lawyer that isn't afraid to get his hands dirty or represent unpopular causes and unpopular people, including the criminally insane. "As trial lawyers, we need to have enough faith in the righteousness of our causes to be vocal and without fear of what other people might think," he says. "If we are going to be an effective voice for others, we have to be willing to speak up and speak out." Knudsen still accepts court-appointed capital cases because he feels that indigent people facing execution by the state deserve access to excellent legal counsel. It's part of his way of giving back to the community that has given him so much.