Tom Farris, 57, a Wilson defense lawyer, collapsed about 11:30 a.m. and died despite efforts to resuscitate him in the courtroom. The courthouse -- a weekday gathering place for hundreds -- does not have a defibrillator.

Defibrillators deliver a shock or series of shocks to the heart and can revive some patients. Portable units are increasingly found at stadiums, amusement parks and other places where large crowds gather. Some homes also have them.

Wake County officials set aside money to buy defibrillators last June but spent the past 10 months doing a study to assess the county's need for them in the courthouse and other buildings.

Four to 10 defibrillators should be in the courthouse by June when the county's fiscal year ends, county spokeswoman Sharon Brown said.

"We don't have the funding to get as many as we'd like," she said.

The Wake County Office Building, next door to the 12-story courthouse and home to the county elections office, is also without defibrillators. Both buildings are considered priorities and should get the devices soon, Brown said.

Farris lost consciousness in a fifth-floor courtroom. Witnesses said that shortly after he collapsed, he appeared gray and had one arm extended from his body.

Duncan McMillan, a friend and fellow lawyer, said Farris had a history of heart problems.

"He was at the defense table, and he fell out in the floor between the defense table and the bench where lawyers sit," McMillan said.

McMillan entered the courtroom moments after Farris collapsed and called 911 on his cellular phone.

By then, bailiffs and a police officer were tending to Farris and had opened his shirt, McMillan said. The group tried to administer CPR and open Farris' airways before paramedics arrived.

McMillan said the first emergency personnel showed up nearly six minutes after he dialed 911 and did not have defibrillator paddles.

According to the time records on McMillan's cell phone, he called at 11:35 a.m. and stayed on the line for 5 minutes, 58 seconds.

Thursday afternoon, McMillan said the lack of defibrillators on site is cause for concern -- especially with the dozens of lawyers, clerks and judges plus the daily crowds in the courthouse.

"There was a lot of tension up here," he said. "There are some old people who come up here to handle their business."

Farris, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and its law school, practiced for years in Wake County but moved back to Wilson, his hometown. He comes from a family of lawyers, including his brothers, a nephew, a niece, cousins and his late father.

He often took cases for very little money and stuck with his clients until their cases were resolved, said his brother and law partner, Robert Farris.

Friends described Tom Farris as "a kind-hearted professional dedicated to helping people."

"You never heard him say anything rough or bad about anybody," McMillan said. "He was just a perfect gentleman."

A visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. today at Joyner's Funeral Home in Wilson.