Peter Adolf centers his practice on the trial of mass tort and product liability cases. Before joining the firm, he had 30 years’ experience as a trial lawyer focusing exclusively on indigent criminal defense, including the last 18 years as a Federal Public Defender, handling complex fraud and other white collar and internet crimes as well as everything from DUI to capital murder cases.
As a law student in 1994, Peter demonstrated his legal acumen by winning his first jury trial as an intern at the Marin County, California Public Defender’s Office. After completing his law studies, he joined the New York State Capital Defender Office, where he dedicated his legal profession to defending those charged with capital murder. His noteworthy contributions include second-chairing the office's first trial and successfully moving to dismiss a capital indictment, a significant achievement considering the strictures of the state's post-Gregg death penalty statute.
His journey then led him to the Union County, New Jersey Public Defender’s Office, where he started in juvenile court before progressing to the adult felony trial team. Here, he proved his legal prowess by trying eighteen jury trials over three years, with a solid record of eleven wins.
Peter was recruited for the Federal Public Defender, W.D.N.C. Here, he handled a variety of high-profile cases, from defending the alleged operator of the world's largest "dark web" child pornography website to representing one of the defendants in the infamous January 6th Capitol Breach case. Peter has cultivated a reputation for unwavering dedication to justice and consistently successful defense representation.
Thought Leadership
- "Clients Gone Wild: Selected Topics in Bad Client Decision-Making," Federal Criminal Defense Practice Annual CLE, Charlotte, NC, April 27, 2023
- "The Bail Reform Act," Orientation for New CJA Panel Members, October 28, 2021
- "Supervised Release Violations," CJA Panel Training Brown Bag Lunch Series, June 4, 2019
- "Playpen Cases," Federal Criminal Defense Practice Annual CLE for M.D.N.C. & W.D.N.C., April 6, 2017
- "Bail Reform Act," FDWNC, Becoming an Effective Advocate in Federal Criminal Court: Orientation Seminar for New and Returning Members of the CJA Panel, Charlotte, NC, December 5, 2014
- "Effective Plea Strategies," FDWNC, Federal Criminal Practice Seminar, Asheville, NC, March 28-29, 2013
- "Electronic Case Presentation in Federal Court," Federal Bar Association, Western District of North Carolina, Criminal Practice Seminar, Charlotte School of Law, Charlotte, NC, November 5, 2010
- Panelist, "Does the Fourth Amendment Still Exist, and Other Key Issues in 21st Century Drug Prosecutions," North Carolina Advocates for Justice, Federal Court Criminal Practice, Greensboro, NC, March 19, 2010
- Panelist, "What Constitutes a Good Plea Agreement," Federal Public Defender's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina, Criminal Justice Act Training Seminar, October 11-12, 2007, Wrightsville Beach, NC
- “Killing Me Softly: Is the Gas Chamber, or Any Other Method of Execution, Cruel and Unusual Punishment?” 22 Hastings Const. L.Q. 815 (Spring 1995).
