Wrongful Convictions Clinic
The Wrongful Convictions Clinic investigates plausible claims of innocence made by people incarcerated for felonies in North Carolina.
Students in the clinic study the causes of wrongful convictions, including mistaken eyewitness identification, false confessions, faulty forensic evidence, and “jailhouse snitches.” Together with the Duke Law Innocence Project, a student-run organization with the same mission, student-attorneys work under the supervision of faculty to manage cases and perform a wide range of duties, including interviewing claimants, locating and interviewing witnesses, gathering documentation, writing legal documents and memos, and working with experts. Most clinic cases do not involve DNA.
Many students describe their time in the clinic, working to exonerate individuals incarcerated for crimes they didn't commit, as their most rewarding experience during law school.
Knowing that I can play a role in correcting an injustice and bringing these innocent individuals home to their families — where they should have been all along — motivates me to constantly work harder and to strive to become a better advocate.
On June 25, 2025, Benjamin Cole, 47, walked free from prison after serving nearly three decades for a murder he always maintained he didn't commit. Duke Law's Wrongful Convictions Clinic took on Cole's case in 2021.
The clinic’s supervising attorney, Jamie Lau, says the team discovered that the defense did not receive evidence supporting Cole’s alibi that he was in Ohio during the 1998 Greensboro murder. Lau says they also discovered that a key witness had recanted her identification of Cole after hearing his Jamaican accent, telling prosecutors the suspect didn't speak with such an accent. Lau says this crucial information was never shared with the jury who convicted Cole. Lau’s team in the Duke Law clinic, working with attorney Robyn Sanders and the firm Troutman, Pepper, Locke, filed a post-conviction motion to vacate Cole’s conviction.
Cole accepted an Alford plea, allowing him to maintain his innocence while securing his freedom. “We felt that no one would listen to us when reaching out for help in Benjamin’s case,” said Britney Butler, Cole’s sister. “We are so grateful that we were finally heard by the Wrongful Convictions Clinic at Duke Law, and we appreciate every student that did anything, big or small, to help bring Benjamin home."
Quincy Amerson
Quincy Marquies Amerson was exonerated and released on March 13, 2024 after 23 years in prison.
Willie George Shaw
Willie George Shaw was exonerated and released on Jan. 19, 2021, after nearly six years in prison.
Ronnie Long
Ronnie Long was exonerated and released on August 27, 2020, after 44 years in prison.
Dontae Sharpe
Dontae Sharpe was exonerated on August 22, 2019, after serving 25 years in prison.
Ray Finch
Charles Ray Finch was exonerated on May 23, 2019, after serving 43 years in prison.
Howard Dudley
Howard Dudley was released from prison on March 2, 2016, after 23 years of incarceration.
Michael Parker
Michael Alan Parker was released from prison on August 26, 2014, after 22 years of incarceration.
Noe Moreno
Noe Moreno was released on August 31, 2012, after serving six years in prison.
LaMonte Armstrong
LaMonte Armstrong was released on June 29, 2012, after serving 17 years in prison.
Scott Pierpoint
Jonathan Scott Pierpoint was released on July 6, 2010, after serving 17 years in prison.
Shawn Massey
Shawn Giovanni Massey was released on May 6, 2010, after serving 12 years in prison.
Law in Action: The Clinic Experience
Professor of the Practice James Coleman, director of the Duke Wrongful Convictions Clinic, and Clinical Professor Jamie Lau, supervising attorney for the clinic, talk about the clinic's work, how students get involved, skills learned, and their favorite part about leading the clinic.
The clinic investigates plausible claims of innocence made by people incarcerated for felonies in North Carolina.
Clinic Faculty
James E. Coleman, Jr.
John S. Bradway Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law
Director, Wrongful Convictions Clinic
Director, Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility919-613-7057
Jamie T. Lau
Clinical Professor of Law
Supervising Attorney, Wrongful Convictions Clinic
Deputy Director, Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility919-613-7764