Las Vegas Suspended License Attorney

Anyone in Las Vegas who relies on a vehicle for most or all of his or her personal and professional commitments – like going back and forth to work, driving the kids to school and sport practice, picking up groceries from the market – will no doubt agree that a suspended license would create a major burden for the driver and those who rely on the driver for transportation. Yet, many residents and visitors to Las Vegas have suspended licenses and are accused of driving with one.

If a vehicle is used as a source of income, or if a person is required to maintain a valid license as a condition of employment, then a license suspension can be even more detrimental, and could cost the driver his or her job and means of survival. A good Las Vegas suspended license lawyer can protect your legal rights, advocate on your behalf, and take your case to its best possible conclusion. If your license is at risk, make the call immediately, and put an experienced Las Vegas suspended license attorney on the case as quickly as you can.

Reasons for Suspension

There are several reasons why a driver in Las Vegas, NV may have his or her license suspended. The state of Nevada will generally suspend a person’s license when that person is convicted of a DUI, gets 12 or more driving record demerit points, fails to pay a traffic ticket, fails to pay child support, is mentally incompetent to drive, fails to appear in traffic court for minor violations, involved in a car accident that results injury, death or serious property damage, or is found guilty of a graffiti violation. In addition to these reasons, the state may suspend a minor’s driver’s license if that minor is convicted of a firearm, alcohol, or drug related offense, or if the minor is found to be truant from school.

If You Are Visiting Vegas

The Driver License Compact (DLC) was launched in 1960. It is an agreement among 45 states to share information about DUI convictions, other serious traffic violations, and driver’s license suspensions. Only Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Tennessee are not part of the DLC. Thus, if you are visiting Las Vegas and you are convicted of DUI, or if your driver’s license is suspended here for some other reason, your home state will probably find out and will treat your conviction or license suspension as if it happened there.

Along with the DLC, states also keep other states informed through the National Driver Register (NDR). When your license is suspended or revoked anywhere in the nation, your name is entered into the NDR’s computerized database. When your license has been suspended or revoked, the NDR prevents you from pretending it didn’t happen and acquiring a license in another state.

In addition to responding to any charges which may have resulted in a license being suspended, attorneys like the ones on staff at the Fletcher Firm, with specific experience representing drivers who have had their driving privileges suspended or revoked, may likely be able to help drivers have their driving privileges fully or conditionally reinstated.

A full reinstatement would mean that the driver could go back to driving as normal, while a conditional reinstatement is the issuance of a conditional license which limits the places where a holder may drive. Generally, conditional licenses are issued when the full suspension of driving privileges would result in a detriment and are issued to allow the holder to travel to work, school, and certain other pre-designated destinations as approved by the court. Driving anywhere other than an approved destination, or stopping anywhere en route to an approved destination, is equal to driving on a suspended license.

Don’t Drive Without a License

If they are ever accused of driving on a suspended license, drivers in Las Vegas face much more than driving restrictions. Driving on a suspended license is a misdemeanor in Nevada that can result in up to six months in jail and/or fines up to $1,000 for the person convicted.

When a statute says that you face up to a certain amount of months or years behind bars if found guilty of an offense, it does not mean that this is the amount of time you will actually have to serve. Judges, during sentencing, have great discretion when it comes to the amount of time that a person will have to spend behind bars. The facts of the case and severity of the circumstances will determine how far on the scale the judge will go when calculating a sentence. In many instances a judge can order confinement for as little as 24-72 hours if he or she feels it is appropriate under the circumstances.

However, some jurisdictions restrict a judge’s discretion by mandating minimum jail sentences for certain offenses. For example, if you are caught driving on a suspended license, and your license was suspended following a DUI conviction, then judges in Clark County are required to impose a jail sentence of 30 days or a sentence of home confinement of at least 60 days.

Besides a possible jail sentence and fines, the person may face an increase to his or her current license suspension, or the accused may be upgraded to a revocation. If your license is suspended, you only have to wait until the suspension is over in order to start driving again, but if your license is revoked, you will have to apply for a license as if you never had one – you will be required to take a behind the wheel driving test and all. Driving while a license is suspended or revoked is an entirely separate criminal offense that should be handled by attorneys with specific experience representing clients who are facing these types of charges.

If a person is caught driving in Clark County, which includes the city of Las Vegas, on a license that was suspended because of a conviction for driving under the influence, Clark County judges are required to impose a jail sentence of at least 30 days or a home confinement sentence of at least 60 days, in addition to a fine of between $500 and $1,000.