Legal Question in Traffic Law in North Carolina

Why did judge say I need a lawyer for driving without a license?

My license was suspended after a DWI conviction. It took me several years to pay all of my fines. I was very close to getting my license back when I was stopped because of expired tags. I was cited for expired tags AND driving while license was revoked. In court, the D.A. dismissed the ''tags'' charge and dropped my DWRL charge down to driving without an operators license. It seemed pretty obvious that I was guilty so that's how I tried to plead. The judge said he thought that was a bad idea and that I should continue the case and speak with a lawyer before pleading guilty. Why? What can a lawyer do for me? Other than literally turning back time, how can a lawyer make me ''not guilty'' ?


Asked on 1/19/07, 10:23 am

2 Answers from Attorneys
Dennis Gibson Law Office of Dennis Gibson

Re: Why did judge say I need a lawyer for driving without a license?

DWLR is a criminal charge which could subject the defendant to jail time under the right circumstances. The Constitution requires that an individual subject to jail time have a lawyer, either provided by the state or themselves.

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Answered on 1/19/07, 10:38 am
Dennis Gibson Law Office of Dennis Gibson

Re: Why did judge say I need a lawyer for driving without a license?

Just because you're "guilty" doesn't mean you're "guilty." An NOL during a period of revocation would probably get you revoked for an additional period of time by the DMV. If you are close enough to getting your license that continuing the case would allow you to do that, then many DA's would dismiss the DWLR charge since you've gotten a valid driver's license.

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Answered on 1/19/07, 10:46 am


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