Russell Babb came highly recommended by one of my mom's longtime friends who works in the Wake County Court System. "What lawyer would you use," my mother asked, "if you were charged with a DUI?" "Russell Babb," she answered without hesitation.
Within an hour of my leaving a message for him, R...ussell called me back and listened to me describe what had happened to me for more than an hour and a half. From the get-go he was asking questions and taking notes, and after I finished, he outlined several strategies we might pursue. My living in another state complicated issues, but Russell showed up on my behalf for all the administrative court dates, and continued my trial when I could not make it to NC because of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
When I finally did make it back to NC, more than a year after my initial arrest, Russell was the first lawyer in the courtroom to approach the DA. He asked that my case be heard, since getting back to the state (for a different trial date) would cause an undue burden on me. Russell's positive relationship with the various DAs, the judge, and even the police officers set me at ease very quickly in the courtroom. He has an extremely large presence and is very likeable. When he moves through a space he seems to be in charge.
And this is not just a show. When the trial began, Russell encouraged the DA to play the dash cam video which surprised the DA because she thought it contained some "gotcha" material. But Russell was adamant, and insisted that he himself would play it if the DA did not because there was exonerating evidence all over the tape. He took notes diligently throughout the DA's questioning of the arresting officer, and the strokes of his pen on his notepad made it clear that he would contest their version of the events. When it was finally his turn to question the officer, I had to check twice to see if anyone was filming. It was like we were in a John Grisham movie. "Expert" is really the only word to use when describing Russell Babb's advocacy on behalf of his clients. He cited precedent from multiple cases, picked apart the officer's testimony, insisted on the veracity of my own counternarrative, and argued convincingly that the state could not prove my guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge agreed, and I was found not guilty of the DUI.
In the courtroom that day, where every other defendant pleaded guilty, I asked Russell Babb to go to battle for me. And he did. I am always hesitant of putting my fate in someone else's hands, and even as I waited on the judge to call my case, I wondered if I had done the right thing. I wondered if Russell had prepared to the degree that I myself would have prepared. I watched the dash cam, I listened to the DA, I examined the judge's face, and I wondered. But as soon as Russell stood up and began arguing on my behalf, those doubts fled like a coward from a fight.
I am convinced that there is not a better attorney in the triangle than Russell Babb. He helped me out of a situation that--in a lot of ways--seemed hopeless. He went to battle, and he did it with a smile on his face.
If you are looking for someone who knows the system--and all the cogs within the system--if you are looking for someone who knows the law like the back of his hand, someone who comes recommended by folks on the other side of the aisle, if you are looking for someone who treats you more like a friend than a client, someone who commands the space through which he moves, someone who refuses to stop fighting until the fight is done, if you are looking for an attorney like this, then do yourself a favor and call on Russell Babb.
I can guarantee that he will not disappoint you.