www.seiferflatowlaw.com You may have several legal defenses of which you were unaware, besides whether or not you were actually driving while impaired. For example, did the officer have reasonable suspicion to pull you over or did he have probable cause to arrest you. Just because you believe or even know that, in hindsight, you were impaired doesn’t mean that the State, which has the burden of proof for every element of the crime, can meet that burden beyond a reasonable doubt. Furthermore, if you are convicted, a lawyer can help with the sentencing, which in North Carolina is very complex for a DWI. The difference between extra hundreds or thousands of dollars in fines, extra community service or even jail time often depends on whether certain factors are brought to the judge’s attention. Also, a first time offender is usually eligible for a limited driving privilege upon conviction. There is a lot of paperwork that is necessary and a lot of documents that need to be put together before the judge will even sign the privilege. It is often a daunting task to try to tackle this on your own. If nothing else, an attorney can help make a stressful situation less stressful by providing insight and answers to often difficult questions during a very difficult time.