The Raleigh Criminal Defense and Appellate law firm of Daniel M. Blau Law is pleased to announce that Dan Blau is now a Board Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice as certified by the North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization of the North Carolina State Bar in late 2020.

Board Certification is a comprehensive effort that requires years of commitment. Applicants must be licensed and in good standing, substantially involved in the practice area for a minimum of five years, and must attend a certain number of continuing legal education credits in the specialty area during the three years prior to application. A satisfactory showing of qualification in the specialty through judicial and peer review must be made and the applicant must achieve a satisfactory score on an extensive and comprehensive written examination. The certification of lawyers as specialists according to objective criteria fulfills the mission of the North Carolina State Bar to protect the public by providing truthful, relevant, and reliable information to consumers of legal services. Certifications help clients identify lawyers who are skilled and experienced in a specific area of practice.  Dan earned this certification in the last quarter of 2020. It is held by only 35 lawyers licensed to practice in North Carolina.

Dan is a constitutional advocate and criminal defense attorney. He focuses on criminal appeals and trial defense in serious felony cases. Dan began his career as a law clerk for the Honorable Linda M. McGee, the Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals.  He holds an undergraduate degree in Public Policy Studies from Duke University, minoring in Political Science and certified in Health Policy.  Dan attended law school at the University of North Carolina where he graduated with honors in 2007.  He is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina since 2005, is a career-long member of the North Carolina Bar Association, its Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities Section, the Criminal Law Section, and the Appellate Law Section. He has written and presented extensively on issues of legal ethics for defense lawyers.  He is an AV Preeminent Peer Rated Lawyer by Martindale Hubbell and is included in the Appellate Practice Section of Best Lawyers in America.

For more than a decade, Dan Blau has handled thousands of felony, misdemeanor, and criminal traffic charges in North Carolina’s state and federal courts, along with dozens of state and federal appellate and post-conviction matters. He is extensively experienced with every stage of the criminal process. Though Dan focuses a significant portion of his practice on the meticulous issues of state and federal appeals, the foundation of his law practice surrounds complex criminal defense matters, including drug offenses, sex crimes, violent crimes, firearms and weapons violations, and criminal traffic matters.