Thomas Amburgey holds the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating that peer review system awards, a distinction that places him in a select group among the criminal defense attorneys practicing in Western North Carolina. That rating, alongside recognition from Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Business North Carolina Legal Elite, is the peer community’s assessment of a practitioner who has tried more than 70 jury trials, prosecuted cases as a Buncombe County Assistant District Attorney, and earned Board Certification as a Specialist in State Criminal Law from the North Carolina State Bar.
Introduction
The Law Office of Thomas Amburgey is located at 22 South Pack Square, 12th Floor, Asheville, North Carolina 28801, and can be reached at 828-989-3210. Asheville is the county seat of Buncombe County and the hub of the Western North Carolina legal community, and the firm’s location at the 12th floor of a Pack Square address places it at the center of that community.
Amburgey’s background is unusual in that it includes time on both sides of the courtroom. He began as a prosecutor in Buncombe County, where he tried cases ranging from minor misdemeanors through first-degree murder, developing the understanding of how prosecutorial decisions are made and how cases are built from the government’s side. He then moved to criminal defense, where that prosecutorial perspective has informed how he anticipates, prepares against, and challenges the state’s approach in every case.
The firm’s practice is criminal defense, with a scope that spans from DUI and misdemeanor traffic offenses through homicide, capital offenses, sex crimes, federal healthcare fraud, and cybersecurity crimes. Regardless of where on that spectrum a charge falls, the firm’s approach is consistent: every case receives the same attention and respect.
More information is available at https://amburgeylaw.com.
Practice Areas
State Criminal Defense
Thomas Amburgey handles the full range of state criminal charges in Western North Carolina, with particular depth in serious felony matters.
Homicide and Capital Offenses: Homicide cases represent the most severe charges in the North Carolina criminal system, and capital offenses, those that can result in the death penalty, represent an additional layer of procedural complexity and consequence. The firm handles these cases with the preparation and expertise that their gravity demands.
Violent Crimes: Beyond homicide, violent crime charges include assault, robbery, kidnapping, and other offenses involving force or the threat of force. These cases often involve witness identification issues, questions about intent, and factual disputes that require thorough investigation and cross-examination.
Weapons Offenses: North Carolina firearms and weapons laws create multiple categories of offense, from misdemeanor carrying of a concealed weapon through felony possession by a felon. The firm handles weapons charges, including cases where a weapons offense is charged in connection with another underlying crime.
Drug Crimes: North Carolina drug charges range from simple possession of small quantities through trafficking offenses that carry mandatory minimum prison sentences. Drug cases often turn on the legality of the search and seizure that produced the evidence. The firm’s constitutional defense focus applies directly in drug cases, where Fourth Amendment analysis can determine whether the case proceeds at all.
DUI and DWI: Impaired driving charges in North Carolina require attention to both the license revocation process and the criminal case. The firm handles DUI and DWI defense, including cases with aggravating factors such as prior convictions, accidents, or injuries.
Sex Offenses: Sex crime allegations carry consequences that extend far beyond the immediate criminal charge: mandatory sex offender registration, employment restrictions, housing limitations, and permanent reputational effects. The firm provides defense representation in sex offense cases, with careful attention to the evidence, the investigation process, and the legal standards governing consent and age.
White-Collar Crimes: Financial crimes in state court include fraud, embezzlement, forgery, and identity theft. These cases typically involve extensive documentary evidence and often require expert analysis of financial records.
Federal Criminal Defense
Federal criminal charges carry distinct procedural rules, different evidentiary standards, and sentencing guidelines that can produce significantly different outcomes than state court. The firm handles federal criminal matters in the following areas:
Healthcare Fraud: Healthcare fraud investigations by federal authorities, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, typically involve extensive document review and focus on billing patterns, medical necessity determinations, and compliance with Medicare and Medicaid regulations. The firm handles healthcare fraud defense.
Tax Offenses: Federal tax crimes, including tax evasion and filing false returns, are prosecuted by the Department of Justice’s Tax Division and can result in substantial prison sentences in addition to civil penalties. The firm represents defendants in federal tax offense cases.
Environmental Violations: Federal environmental law creates criminal exposure for certain regulatory violations involving hazardous materials, water, and air quality. The firm handles environmental criminal defense.
Cybersecurity Crimes: Federal computer crime charges, including those under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, have become increasingly common as digital evidence plays a larger role in criminal investigations. The firm handles cybersecurity crime defense.
Attorney Profile
Thomas Amburgey is a Board-Certified Specialist in State Criminal Law, a designation granted by the North Carolina State Bar to attorneys who have demonstrated expertise in criminal law through examination, peer evaluation, and documented case experience. This certification is not automatic; it requires deliberate application, testing, and review, and it is held by a limited number of attorneys.
Before practicing defense, Amburgey worked as a prosecutor in Buncombe County, where he handled cases ranging from speeding tickets to first-degree murder and tried more than 70 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials. That prosecutorial experience is not simply background biography; it is active knowledge of how the other side works, what makes a strong prosecution, and where prosecutorial cases carry vulnerabilities that defense counsel can exploit.
His recognition by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, Business North Carolina Legal Elite, and the AV Preeminent Martindale-Hubbell rating represents consistent acknowledgment from multiple peer-evaluation systems, each using its own criteria. Taken together, these recognitions describe an attorney who has sustained a reputation for excellence across different evaluation frameworks and over an extended period.
The firm’s stated philosophy: every case, regardless of the severity of the charge, receives the same level of attention and respect. That commitment is notable because criminal defense workload can create pressure to give more time to more serious cases and treat minor charges as administrative matters. Amburgey’s approach rejects that hierarchy.
Location and Service Area
The firm is located at 22 South Pack Square, 12th Floor, Asheville, North Carolina 28801. Pack Square is the civic center of Asheville and is within walking distance of the Buncombe County Courthouse, which is central to the firm’s geographic reach.
The primary service area is Western North Carolina, with particular focus on Buncombe County and surrounding jurisdictions. Asheville’s position as the regional hub of western North Carolina means that clients from neighboring counties, including Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Yancey, and others, commonly seek representation in Asheville attorneys.
Phone: 828-989-3210.
Client Focus
The Board Certification, prosecution experience, and multi-source peer recognition converge on a practice that serves clients across the full spectrum of criminal severity. Someone charged with a DWI and someone charged with first-degree murder receive the same quality of attention, which means that every client benefits from the thoroughness and preparation that the firm’s most serious cases demand.
The firm’s focus on Western North Carolina also means that Amburgey has specific familiarity with the local courts, the local prosecutors, and the specific legal culture of Buncombe County and surrounding jurisdictions. That local knowledge complements the national-level recognition and produces a practitioner who combines broad professional standing with specific regional expertise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that Thomas Amburgey is a Board-Certified Specialist in State Criminal Law?
The North Carolina State Bar awards Board Certification to attorneys who meet specific requirements: a minimum number of years in practice, a demonstrated concentration of work in the specialty area, peer evaluation, and passage of a certification examination. Board Certification in State Criminal Law indicates that Amburgey has been formally recognized by the State Bar as having demonstrated expertise in criminal law practice, not merely self-identified as a criminal defense attorney.
What is the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell?
Martindale-Hubbell is a longstanding attorney rating service that evaluates lawyers based on peer reviews from other attorneys and judges. The AV Preeminent rating is the highest rating available and reflects both a high assessment of legal ability and the highest ethical standards. It is awarded only to attorneys who have been in practice long enough to develop a track record that peers can meaningfully evaluate.
Does Thomas Amburgey handle both state and federal criminal charges?
Yes. The firm handles state criminal matters in North Carolina courts as well as federal criminal matters, including healthcare fraud, tax offenses, environmental violations, and cybersecurity crimes in federal jurisdiction. State and federal prosecutions operate under different rules and require different expertise; the firm is experienced in both.
What is the advantage of having a former prosecutor as a criminal defense attorney?
A former prosecutor brings direct knowledge of how the government builds and presents cases. That knowledge allows a defense attorney to identify the weaknesses in a prosecution’s evidence and strategy more readily than an attorney who has only seen cases from the defense side. Amburgey’s experience as a Buncombe County prosecutor, where he tried over 70 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials, is an active analytical advantage in every case he defends.
How can I reach the Law Office of Thomas Amburgey?
The firm can be reached at 828-989-3210. The office is at 22 South Pack Square, 12th Floor, Asheville, North Carolina 28801. Additional information is available at https://amburgeylaw.com.
Closing
Board Certification, the AV Preeminent rating, recognition from Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America, and a prosecution background that produced more than 70 jury trials: these credentials reflect a criminal defense practitioner whose standing in the Western North Carolina legal community rests on a specific and verifiable foundation. The firm’s commitment to equal attention across every case, from a first-offense misdemeanor to a capital charge, means that every client who walks into that Pack Square office receives the same quality of preparation and advocacy. For criminal defendants in Asheville, Buncombe County, and Western North Carolina who need experienced state and federal criminal defense representation, the firm’s number is 828-989-3210.