Raleigh is a great place to live. It’s a beautiful, bounding city surrounded by several smaller towns like Garner, Apex, Cary, and Morrisville.
It's also not well-served by easy public transit. We don’t have light rail like Charlotte.
Wake County has pockets of business and growth, but there is no one, primary centralized area where you can both live and work. We’re a spread out city.
What makes Raleigh wonderful also causes problems if you don’t have a valid NC drivers license. Most people underestimate the true value of a license, that is, until they lose it.
If you received a Notice of Suspension from DMV in NC or maybe have the opportunity to get reinstated through a hearing, talk to a lawyer right away.
We can help you understand what has become an incredibly complex and occasionally frustrating system.
It Doesn’t Cost Anything to Call a “Traffic Lawyer” and Ask QuestionsAt least at our law firm, the Fanney Law Office PLLC, we provide a free initial consultation. Feel free to call now, set up an appointment or phone conference, and ask John Fanney questions about traffic tickets and DMV restoration hearings.
Everything you tell us is strictly confidential, even if you ultimately choose to handle the case yourself and not retain our firm for legal representation. We’re glad to help.
In the era of YouTube and “do it yourself” everything, it’s not uncommon to see people in court, trying to handle their case by themselves.
Clearly, you can always serve as your own lawyer. But is that good idea? Should you hire a lawyer?
NC DWI License Suspension Laws
As defense attorneys, when we see people struggling in court, it’s a bit frustrating. It’s like watching someone walking on a ledge with a blindfold on.
We know how perilous one wrong step can be. We’ve seen the negative consequences of handling things badly.
And here’s a VERY important point: Neither the prosecutor nor the Judge is allowed to give you legal advice.
Indeed, it’s improper for them to offer guidance about traffic law issues, insurance points, motor vehicle points, or answer a very basic question, “What should I do?”
If You Have a Shot at a License Restoration, Take it Seriously. Do What You can to Get it Right, the First TimeIf you’ve gone a period of time without a valid drivers license, trying to figure out how to get to work or even the grocery store, you want to make absolutely certain you do what you can to get reinstated.
“Sometimes that’s a one-shot deal. If things get goofed up at a DMV hearing, that can be a problem. There aren’t a lot of do-overs with NC DMV.”
– John Fanney, Raleigh License Restoration Attorney
It’s more than taking a day or two off to go to your local Raleigh DMV Office and pay some fees. DMV hearings are very-much centered in the NC Traffic Laws.
Hearing Officers in North Carolina carry substantial power. They are given broad discretion and they are generally speaking, sticklers for detail.
People occasionally make the mistake of thinking, “Maybe I can go in there and see what they say.” There are specific requirements in NC to obtain and keep a license.
Because of that, a good number of people take time off from work to go to a DMV license office, wait in line, only to be turned-away because they don’t have the right forms or proof of ID or even financial responsibility (insurance).
It’s frankly easy to confuse how things work. It’s a complicated system. Actually, it’s often two complicated systems: 1. Court; and, 2. DMV.
Maybe your license is revoked due to unpaid court costs or fines. A suspended license can also be the result of a Failure to Appear or handle traffic tickets.
You may have outstanding fees, costs, and “restoration fees” due to DMV, on top of costs of court, fines, and fees at the courthouse.
Do NOT Just Pay off old Tickets, no Matter What You’ve Been Told by Someone at DMVWe fix a lot of damage caused by the DIY approach to handling traffic tickets and DMV issues. With a surprising level of frequency, we hear this:
“I called DMV and they said if I pay off all my old tickets they’d give me my license back.”
Paying off tickets, without knowing what will happen, is a bad idea. What a well-meaning person working the phones at DMV may not tell you, or even realize, is that paying off old tickets could result in getting another Notice of Revocation.
“Paying off tickets, without legal counsel, is a terrible idea. While it’s true DMV may re-issue your license for a short period of time, they may immediately thereafter revoke it.”
– John Fanney, Raleigh Traffic Lawyer
It may be a matter of NC DMV points. It also could be for a conviction of a moving violation during a period of revocation or suspension.
Call Raleigh Lawyer John FanneyWe’re available for legal representation. Call NOW: (919) 617-7009
You may also reach John Fanney by email: John@FanneyLaw.com