Washington, DC (Feb 28, 2025) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) presented its Champion of Justice Award to criminal defense lawyer David Rudolf at a reception hosted by NACDL’s Foundation for Criminal Justice (NFCJ) in Charlotte, NC. David Rudolf is one of the preeminent trial lawyers in the country, specializing in high-profile and complex criminal and civil rights cases. He has been listed for more than twenty-five years in the Best Lawyers in America and was one of only three criminal defense lawyers selected for the inaugural class of the North Carolina Lawyer Hall of Fame. In recent years, in addition to his work defending individuals accused of crimes in federal and state courts, he has successfully represented individuals in civil rights litigation against law enforcement agencies arising from wrongful convictions. He is the co-host, with his partner, Sonya Pfeiffer, of the award-winning podcast, Abuse of Power.
Mr. Rudolf has taught Trial Advocacy at the UNC School of Law and for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and Criminal Litigation at Duke University School of Law. He has also been recognized for his work with professional organizations, serving in various leadership positions in the ABA Criminal Justice Section, the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, and North Carolina Advocates for Justice. He has received worldwide acclaim for his representation of Michael Peterson in The Staircase on Netflix.
“For me, doing what I’ve done for 50 years was never a job,” said David RudoIf. “It was never about making money; it was about doing the work. It was a privilege, and something that I felt like I just needed to do. I’ve drawn inspiration from everybody at NACDL … I hope that you feel the same passion that I’ve felt. And I’m still doing it; I still have the passion. I hope that you all will follow in that path, because it’s a worthwhile endeavor.”
Contacts
Jessie Diamond, Deputy Director, Public Affairs and Communications, (202) 465-7647 or jdiamond@nacdl.org
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.
