Although most assault charges in state court are misdemeanors, being charged with assault, especially assault on a female, can have wide-ranging effects on a person’s ability to keep or obtain a job, and keep his firearm rights. This is especially true in North Carolina, where a person can seek (and often obtain) criminal charges against another person simply by signing an affidavit and submitting it to a magistrate–without any law enforcement screening. North Carolina has specialized domestic violence courtrooms which can be intimidating. Recently in those courtrooms, Fialko Law has successfully defended a retired businessman accused of assault and communicating threats after he cut off a relationship with a young woman, an NFL star charged with assault in a late-night altercation with his ex-girlfriend, and a local landscaper accused by his girlfriend of harassing phone calls and communicating threats.