Kurtz & Blum, PLLC - Criminal Justice Attorney

Peer Testimonials

“You won’t do better than Seth Blum if you are looking for a great lawyer. He is confident, thorough, inventive and very smart. Don’t let the clothes fool you — Seth knows the game of criminal defense and he plays it exceedingly well, much to the chagrin of the local DA’s office.”

– Meredith Nicholson, Speeding / Traffic Ticket Lawyer in Durham, NC

“Seth is a good trial attorney. He is a zealous advocate and does a great job for his clients.”

– Bonnor Hudson, Litigation Lawyer in Clayton, NC

“Seth exemplifies the very best attributes of a criminal defense attorney: Honesty, Passion, and Dedication. His experience and tenacity allows him to obtain excellent results for his clients. Seth is also always willing to help a fellow attorney. I would recommend him without any hesitation.”

– David Coolidge, Criminal Defense Attorney in Raleigh, NC

“I had the opportunity to sit in on the Brad Cooper trial to pick up more skills in criminal defense. As attorney for Mr. Cooper, Howard Kurtz was a master in the courtroom. Both his opening and closing arguments were compelling, clear, and charismatic.”

– Anthony Cuticchia, Criminal Defense Attorney in Raleigh, NC

“I had the distinct privilege of working for Mr. Blum from May 2010 – September 2011. He is an exceptionally intelligent individual who cares immensely for the well-being of all those around him, especially that of his clients. Mr. Blum was, and continues to be, a professional mentor to me, which is particularly meaningful as Kurtz & Blum was the first law firm to give me an opportunity during law school. I have the utmost respect for Mr. Blum’s contribution to the legal community, and would recommend him to anyone facing criminal charges or interested in appealing a prior conviction.”

– Banks F. Woodruff, Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law

“Thankfully, I’ve never had to put Seth’s expertise to work, but if I ever needed council he would be my first choice hands down. I have had discussions with Seth on a range of legal issues and I know his advice to be completely sound. His intellect is amazing and his professionalism is absolute.”

– Todd Buker, Managing Director / Company Composer at Bare Theatre

“Seth is an excellent attorney with a powerful presence in the courtroom. I would recommend his representation to anyone looking for a criminal attorney.”

– Devon Glick, Attorney

“Seth is one of the most talented advocates I’ve met. He always has his client’s best interest as his top priority. He is skilled at both trial and negotiation.”

– Tim Wipperman, Director at NC Division of Veterans Affairs

“Seth Blum was kind enough to give me my first legal job as a summer clerk between my 1L and 2L years in 1998. Seth threw me right into the fire, for which I remain grateful to this day – it is the only way to learn how to practice law. In addition to answering phones and making copies, I was allowed to write an entire Court of Appeals brief in a felony assault case, to interview an alleged murderer in Central Prison, and to attend hearings in superior court and the DMV – now that is what practicing law is all about, and I experienced all these things under the expert tutelage of Seth Blum. Not only was Seth a great legal mentor, he was (and is) a witty, engaging, super-smart person who’s a pleasure to be around. I recommend him wholeheartedly.”

– George Simpson, Partner at Cranfill, Sumner, & Hartzog

“I had the pleasure of working with Seth for nearly ten years while employed as a Sentencing Specialist with ReEntry, Inc. As an attorney, he was knowledgeable about the law and the individual circumstances of each client. He was not afraid to fight for their rights, but also advised them of the realities of their particular situations. He was not merely concerned with a successful legal outcome; but also the success of his clients after the disposition. Personally, he is a great communicator and responsive to the requests of those with whom he works. I hope to work with him again in the very near future!”

– Josie Van Dyke, Mitigation/Alternative Sentencing Specialist at Sentencing Solutions

“Seth and his partner, Howard, are the smartest lawyers – the smartest people – we know. They run an excellent firm. I keep their contact information in my wallet at all times.”

– Nancy Rich, Owner of Monkeybravo

“Over the years in a variety of situations, Seth Blum has proven himself to be a focused, superbly competent, energetic and dedicated advocate for his clients as a criminal defense attorney. His criminal defense work at both the trial and appellate levels has always been outstanding. I have also observed Mr. Blum to be a highly effective teacher of law and of trial advocacy. He has handled the most serious charges and the most complex factual situations with through organization and analytical skills.

“In short, I consider Seth Blum to be a ‘lawyer’s lawyer.'”

– John T. “Jack” Hall, Attorney/Owner at Criminal Appeals

“Seth is an amazing criminal defense attorney. Articulate, passionate, and dedicated to his clients. He knows the law and strives every day to reach the best possible outcome for his clients.

“Seth also takes time to help other attorneys who do not have his experience.

“I would recommend Seth without hesitation.”

– David Coolidge, Partner at Coolidge Law Firm

“Seth is one of the finest criminal defense lawyers with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work in North Carolina. He is creative, well-organized, zealous in pursuit of his clients’ interests, hard-working, and knowledgeable in the law. I refer friends to him regularly, and if I needed an attorney in North Carolina, he’d be among the lawyers I’d call.”

– Marshall Dayan, Assistant Professor at NCCU School of Law

“It’s hard to write a recommendation for Howard Kurtz without using what sounds like hyperbole but isn’t. Howard isn’t just bright, he’s a laser. Howard doesn’t just follow difficult conversations, he’s usually miles ahead of you and you don’t even know it. Howard isn’t just passionate about advocating for and protecting his clients, he’s positively ferocious. Howard is the first guy you’d ever want on your team in court and absolutely the last guy you ever want to see on the other side. Howard doesn’t just know the law, he’s a walking encyclopedia with instant recall of a million different points of arcane and obscure knowledge of statutes, case law, and the like. Yet Howard is always very calm, very understated. He is not arrogant. Don’t let Howard’s zen-like, understated manner fool you — behind the calm exterior is a mind that sees everything and forgets nothing. He doesn’t engage in grandstanding or histrionics, for exactly the same reason that you don’t bother to paint flames on the casing of a nuclear bomb.

“Plus, Howard listens, and I mean really listens. During the time that I worked with Howard on a relatively complicated technical problem, Howard listened carefully to everything that I had to say. He never interrupted me, ever. Howard had the patience and desire to hear all of the available facts before jumping to judgment, and as a result, fully understood the ramifications of each of the many little decisions and compromises that inevitably must be made in projects of any significant complexity. It’s hard to overstate how unusual and how impressive is Howard’s ability to keep a large, unwieldy problem, with all of its potential contingencies and alternatives, all in his head. I tried not to be intimidated by the fact that as far as I could tell, Howard never took notes yet seemed to have instant recall of every conversation we’d ever had. On the rare occasion that he didn’t know an answer, he never hesitated to say “I don’t know. Let me get back to you.” And he did get back to me, every time. Over and over again I was struck by Howard’s trustworthiness — if he says he’s going to do it, he’ll do it.

“The bottom line is that Howard Kurtz is the real deal. He is a lawyer who is what he says he is and does what he says he will do. This is a standard to which all of us, lawyers and non-lawyers alike, should aspire.”

– Jay Klinck, Patent Attorney at Jenkins, Wilson, Taylor & Hunt

“Guilty or innocent all people have right to a fair trial and counsel” These were some of the first words spoken to me by Attorney Howard Kurtz over 14 years ago. In all the years I have known him he has only grown more sincere about providing a strong legal defense for all his clients. One of Kurtz’s strong points is his willingness to seek out any and all information to assist his clients rather than relying on the standard. Smart, innovative and honest are the three words that describe Howard Kurtz. I highly recommend him and his law firm for anyone legal needs.”

– Hunter Glass, Detective, Criminal Intelligence at Fayetteville Police Department

“I had the privilege of working with Howard in a recent high profile murder case. Over the past 15+ years I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the very best lawyers in NC, and I can say without hesitation that Howard is one of the best. His passion, knowledge, tenacity and talent are something to behold. If I found myself in serious trouble, seeing Howard Kurtz’s face would be a welcome sight indeed.”

– Mark Valentine, Trial Consultant at The Visual Advantage

“Over the past year it has been my pleasure to have had the opportunity to get to know and work with Howard on a rather high profile murder case in North Carolina. Having grown up in a home with a criminal defense attorney as a step-father, it was continually impressed upon me that should I ever be in a position to help someone with my skills, that I should revel in that chance.

“Having helped to consult on various aspects of technology as it relates to the criminal law profession over the years, it was a breath of fresh air to have been contacted by an attorney that not only had more than a passing grasp of the underpinnings of technology, but that could actually speak to a “tech geek” such as myself and understand my responses.

“During my work with Howard, he showed tremendous aptitude and patience with me in trying to understand some of the more esoteric and deeply technical issues as they related to the case. As I was doing the work pro bono, Howard was never pushy with time lines, but would merely ask how my progress was going and if he could answer any questions for me as it related to the case time line.

Howard never once attempted to coach me on how I needed to approach the case or what he “needed me to find” but was unimpeachable in his desire to get at the truth – whatever it was. His approach was “here is the information, please tell me what you find.” This is more than I can say about a great many attorneys that I know and have worked with in the past.

“Howard is a tireless client advocate. He has proven willing to work himself into the ground for exceedingly long periods of time. Further, Howard is willing to uncover every possible stone in search of the truth and being able to provide the best, competent counsel for each of his clients.

“It is my utmost pleasure to be able to recommend Howard, in general, without ANY reservation as to the competency of his work and the content of his character. I would ESPECIALLY never hesitate to contact him should I or any of my friends, colleagues or acquaintances find themselves in need of an attorney for a case of a highly complex and technical nature.

“More than a colleague, I consider my time having worked with Howard to have formed the basis of an ongoing friendship. Anyone considering hiring Howard that has additional questions should not hesitate to contact me.”

– Jay Ward, President at WireGhost Security, Inc

Testimonials have been edited for potential spelling and/or grammatical errors.

Our attorneys help people throughout Wake County and North Carolina. We frequently handle offenses arising out of the following cities: Knightdale, Cary, Zebulon, Morrisville, New Hope, Apex, Wake Forest, Garner, Raleigh, Rolesville, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs and Wendell.

We also often handle cases arising out of the following counties: Granville, Guilford, Johnston, Nash, Alamance, Person, Edgecombe, Wake, Chatham, Forsyth, Orange, Wayne, Vance, Cumberland, Durham, Lee, Vance and Harnett.

Awards & Recognition:
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