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Michael P. Sanders is a true native to the area. He was born and raised in Elizabeth City and spent many summers on the Outer Banks. He has practiced law in Northeastern North Carolina since 1990, almost exclusively handling criminal matters. Over the course of his career, Mr. Sanders has handled thousands of criminal and traffic cases. He handles cases including but not limited to murder, rape, robbery, drug offenses, assault, domestic violence, DWI and all traffic matters. Some of his cases have received widespread notoriety and have been featured on Forensic Files and Court TV. Mr. Sanders believes strongly in personal contact with his clients and in listening to their questions and concerns. He also dislikes lawyer “solicitation letters” based on criminal charges or speeding tickets and will not allow them to be sent by his firm. Referrals from clients and other lawyers and word of mouth are where he built his reputation.
Education
Campbell University – JD cum laude 1990
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – BA Journalism 1986
Born and raised in Eastern North Carolina, Marshall attended Davidson College from 2007–2011, where he lettered in Varsity Football. Marshall then attended Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law in Raleigh, North Carolina from 2011–2014, serving as an Articles Editor for the Campbell Law Review and graduating 15th in his class of 156 students. After law school, Marshall served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of North Carolina for six years. One of those years was spent on detail to the United States Sentencing Commission in Washington, DC, where he was the Visiting Assistant Federal Public Defender and participated in the Commission’s policy-making role concerning the United States Sentencing Guidelines. In 2020, Marshall returned to Northeastern North Carolina and joined Hornthal, Riley, Ellis & Maland, LLP. During his time with the area’s oldest law firm, Marshall defended clients facing federal and state criminal charges, both felonies and misdemeanors, trying many of these cases to verdict before judges and juries. In 2023, Marshall represented a Dare County man who was found “not guilty” by a jury of his peers for charges of robbery, assault, and witness intimidation. Later that year, Marshall represented Stephen Horn, an independent journalist charged with crimes for documenting the events at the United States Capitol concerning the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election on January 6, 2021. After a three-and-a-half-day trial in September 2023, a Washington, DC jury convicted Stephen, but at sentencing Marshall convinced the court to reject the government’s request that Stephen be sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment and instead sentenced him to probation. As a Board Certified Specialist in Federal and State Criminal Law, Marshall’s practice continues to focus on criminal defense in both federal and state courts, as well as general civil litigation. Marshall is licensed to practice law in the State of North Carolina and has also been admitted to practice in the Eastern District of North Carolina and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Education
Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
-Juris Doctor, 2014, cum laude
-Campbell Law Review, Articles Editor
Davidson College
-Bachelor of Arts, History (2011)
-Varsity Football Letterman
Honors & Distinctions
-Campbell Law Review Write-On Competition Winner (2012)
-Recipient of Nancy Bryan and Duncan McLaughin Faircloth Law Scholarship(2014)
-Webster Scholars Program (2012)
-Selected to serve as Visiting Assistant Federal Public Defender to the United States Sentencing Commission (2018–19)
-North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization
-Board Certified Specialist in Federal and State Criminal Law
Bars & Affiliations
-North Carolina State Bar
-United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
-Member of the Court’s Criminal Justice Act Attorney Panel
-United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
-North Carolina Bar Association
-Federal Bar Association
-North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services
-Commissioner, Appointed March 2023
-United States Sentencing Commission, Practitioners Advisory Group
-Fourth Circuit Representative, Appointed January 2023
Personal & Community
Lettered in Varsity Football at Davidson College
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Edenton, NC
Experienced counsel for criminal and traffic matters across Northeastern North Carolina and the Outer Banks. Prompt, courteous attention for your legal needs.