License privileges and insurance premiums are based on a system of points. A traffic violation or DWI will greatly increase your points, meaning license suspension and higher insurance rates. If you accumulate too many points, you will have to appear at a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) license reinstatement hearing, in which the state can take away your license. We have helped clients reduce the number of points allocated for an offense and even avoid points being added to their licenses at all. We have helped clients get their licenses reinstated. We have also helped clients get probationary licenses, with limited driving privileges to and from work. However, if you don't have a lawyer, you do not have much of a chance of getting this opportunity. Our lawyers have worked with countless numbers of drivers over the years. We know the rules of the road in North Carolina, and we will put our experience to work to protect your driving rights. Call us today at 252-757-3300!

Equitable distribution of your property in a divorce sounds like an equal 50-50 split. However, there are a lot of factors a judge will consider when it comes to dividing your property:

• Non-marital property. These are assets you brought to the marriage, or gifts or inheritances you received during the marriage.
• Earning power. The spouse with less earning power is usually given a greater percentage of property.
• Who earned the property? Favors the spouse who worked hard to acquire or maintain the property.
• Services as a homemaker. Usually awards a bigger percentage to the spouse who worked as a homemaker.
• Waste and dissipation. If your spouse wasted money, such as gambling, that could count against him or her when it comes time to divide property.
• Duration of marriage. The longer the marriage, the more likely a judge will view you as equal partners.
• Age and health. If one spouse has ill health or is significantly older, the courts generally award a larger percentage of property to the sicker or older spouse.

Car Accidents: A Step-by-Step Guide You're very shaken after a car accident. Try to stay clear headed and take care of the following steps. If you miss a step, please let one of our lawyers know.

• Stay at the scene. Leaving may be considered a hit and run.
• Check on all drivers and passengers. Ask if anyone was injured. Do not move injured people unless there is immediate danger in not moving them, such as another accident or fire.
• Do not apologize. Your impulse may be to check on the other car's passengers and explain what happened, such as not seeing the red light. To do so may leave you on the hook in terms of legal liability for what happened.
• Call the police. Get the police officer's name and the case number for the report filed.
• Exchange information. Get names, phone numbers, addresses, drivers' license numbers, license plate numbers, and insurance information.
• Preserve any evidence. If possible, take a photo, note the time and place where the accident happened, and get the name and phone numbers of any witnesses.
• Inform your insurance company, but first talk to our attorneys. Do not make a statement before first seeking legal advice. Protect yourself by making sure you know how to answer the questions the insurance company will ask. You may get cornered into an answer that can incriminate you.
• Whether you caused the accident or were the victim, call an experienced personal injury attorney.