COURTROOM EXPERIENCE WORKING FOR YOU

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Personal Background

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Darren Jackson is a lifelong resident of eastern Wake County, father of three wonderful children, Alyssa, Logan and Jack, grandfather of the beautiful Ina Rose, attorney and small businessman.  He and his wife Tina, an Adult Nurse Practitioner with Cary Cardiology, live outside of Knightdale with their Valley Bulldog, Caroline.

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Educational Background 

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Darren attended public elementary and middle schools in eastern Wake County, East Wake High School (Class of 1988), and UNC-Chapel Hill where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science (Class of 1993).  He then earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Duke University School of Law in 1996.

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Professional Background

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After graduating law school in 1996, Darren practiced law with the firm of Gay, Stroud & Jackson (later renamed Gay, Jackson & McNally) in Zebulon, North Carolina.  There, he enjoyed a typical small-town general practice with an emphasis on real estate and civil litigation.  In his twenty- five years of private practice, he litigated both criminal and civil cases in all levels of the state courts, from Small Claims Court to the North Carolina Supreme Court, as well as United States District and Bankruptcy Courts as well as working on appeals to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  This practice included approximately 50 jury trials over the course of 25 years representing individuals and local businesses.

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From January 2021 until December 2022, Darren served as a Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He authored more than 140 appellate opinions, including decisions on issues of first impression in constitutional, criminal, civil, and administrative law.

 

Notable Criminal Opinions:

 

In re D.A.H., COA20-212 (juvenile interrogation rights at school).
 

State v. Eagle, COA21-701 (Fourth Amendment).
 

State v. Steele, COA20-171 (Fourth Amendment).
 

State v. Atwell, , 278 N.C. App. 84 (Jackson, J., dissenting), dissent position adopted by NC Supreme Court, 2022-NCSC-135.
 

State v. Swindell, COA20-263 (Jackson, J., dissenting), (right to counsel)dissent position adopted by NC Supreme Court, 2022-NCSC-113 (jury instructions).

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Notable Civil Opinions:

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Midfirst Bank v. Brown, COA22-283 (secured transactions; equitable subrogation).

D.V.Shah Corp. v. Vroombrands, LLC, COA22-104 (civil procedure).
 

Blaylock v. AKG N. Am., COA-21-607 (civil procedure).
 

Fox v. Fox, 873 S.E.2d 653 (N.C. App. 2022), petition for discretionary review denied (trusts and estates).
 

Belmont Ass'n v. Farwig (dissent), 277 N.C. App. 387, dissent adopted by NC Supreme Court, 381 N.C. 306 (statutory interpretation; restrictive covenant).

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In addition to his law practice, for 12 years, Darren served in the North Carolina General Assembly as North Carolina State Representative representing District 39, which includes most of eastern Wake County.  He served on the Appropriations Committee, the Appropriations, Justice and Public Safety Committee (Vice-Chairman), the Commerce and Job Development Committee, Education Committee, Elections Committee, Ethics Committee, Insurance Committee, Judiciary I Committee (Vice-Chairman), Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House, Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee, Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Capital Improvements, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, and the House Select Committee on COVID-19, Continuity of State Operations (Emergency Services, Elections & Public Safety (Chair).

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Darren is also a licensed Real Estate Broker.

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Professional Organizations

 

• North Carolina Bar Association

• Wake County Bar Association

  • Served on the Grievance, Bar Interview, and Fee dispute committees.

• 10th Judicial District Bar Association

• North Carolina Advocates of Justice (1996-2020). 

• North Carolina Sentencing Commission (appointed by Speakers Tillis and Moore; 2013- 2017)

• North Carolina Courts Commission (appointed by Governors McCrory and Cooper; 2015-2017)

 

Community Involvement

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Throughout his career, Darren has served on a number of civic boards and committees, including as a mentor in the Communities in Schools program at East Wake Middle School, long time member and former Vice-President of the East Wake Education Foundation in Wendell, as a Board Member on the Wake County Community Foundation (2012-2103),  a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Visitors, and has coached over 30 youth sports teams in the local area. 

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He and his family are members of Knightdale United Methodist Church.

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Honors and Awards

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• Martindale-Hubbell Top Rated Lawyer in Litigation for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability

• Mothers Against Drunk Driving Legislator of the Year (2013, 2015)

• State Employees Association Lisa B. Mitchell Legislator of the Year (2102, 2018)

• North Carolina Sherriff’s Association Defender of Public Safety (2019)

• Police Benevolent Association Legislative Excellence Award (2018)

• Defender of the Environment by the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (2019).

• Green Tie Award North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (2011).

• League of Municipalities Legislative Award (2015)

• Knightdale Mayor’s Award of Excellence for Civic Contributions (2018) 

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