North Carolina Traffic Law For New Attorneys

Tyler, a white man with brown hair and a beard, wears a white shirt, purple tie and black jacket. Anastasia, a white woman with brown hair, wears a white blouse and black jacket. By Tyler Chriscoe and Anastasia Tramontozzi

Few attorneys enter law school dreaming of being traffic lawyers, yet traffic cases form a large portion of daily district court practice across North Carolina. Outcomes in traffic cases carry real consequences for clients, from impacting employment, to increased insurance costs, to long-term suspension or revocation of one’s driving privilege. Many lawyers handle traffic matters because they are frequent and predictable, but there is a difference between handling these cases and handling them well. Excellence in traffic practice begins at intake. The purpose of this blog is to help all, but especially new attorneys who practice traffic law.

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2025 Summer Internship Scholarship Recipient Spotlight Series: Meet Aaliyah LeCompte

Stacey, a woman with black hair and black glasses, wears a blue button-down shirt and black blazer.

By Stacey Rubain

Aaliyah LeCompte is a second-year law student at North Carolina Central University School of Law (“NCCU Law”). Her passion for serving others began even before entering law school. Aaliyah mentored children and also worked as a behavior technician, and these experiences strengthened her passion for helping people navigate challenging circumstances. This summer, she interned as a clerk with the Durham County District Court Judges’ Justice is Blind Program, and Aaliyah gained valuable insight into the day-to-day operations of district court.

Aaliyah, a Black woman with auburn and brown hair, wears a white blouse and black suit.

Aaliyah Lecompte

Aaliyah approached her clerkship with enthusiasm, though not without apprehension. As a rising 2L, Aaliyah was candid about her fears of litigation and even stepping into a courthouse. Clerking for the Durham County District Court Judges provided her with a meaningful opportunity to confront those fears directly.  Aaliyah spent her summer observing different district court proceedings, conducting legal research, and analyzing statutes. One of her most memorable experiences was the chance for Aaliyah and her fellow clerk to deliver a closing argument in an old DWI case before the District Court Judges and local attorneys. Aaliyah found this experience frightening and exhilarating at the same time.  Confronting her fears was extremely rewarding for Aaliyah, and she received positive feedback about her performance.

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2025 Summer Internship Scholarship Recipient Spotlight Series: Meet Aleah Wordsworth

Stacey, a Black woman with black hair and black glasses, wears a black suit and is standing outside.By Stacey Rubain

Aleah Wordsworth is a third-year law student at the University of North Carolina School of Law. She is deeply committed to public service and dedicated to improving the lives of individuals from underserved and disadvantaged communities. Her passion for this work was strengthened through prior experiences with the North Carolina Office of Special Counsel and a judicial externship with the Honorable Joe L. Webster, United States Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of North Carolina.

Aleah, a Black woman with black hair, wears a white blouse.

Aleah Wordsworth

This summer, Aleah interned with the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of North Carolina (FPDEDNC). There, she conducted legal research and analysis on a range of federal criminal law topics, such as the United States Sentencing Guidelines and evidentiary issues. She also drafted memoranda and motions that were filed in federal court. Aleah’s most meaningful project was contributing to a sentencing memorandum where she argued for a downward variance from the advisory sentencing guidelines under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Knowing that her work could help secure a fairer outcome for a client made the experience deeply impactful. Read more

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Shaping Tomorrow: Meet the 2025 Summer Internship Scholarship Recipients

Stacey, a Black woman with black hair and black glasses, wears a black suit and is standing outside.By Stacey Rubain

Over the next coming weeks, the Criminal Justice Blog will feature several outstanding recipients of the NCBA’s 2025 Annual Summer Internship Scholarship. These spotlights will showcase law students passionate about careers in government, public service, and criminal justice, offering an inside look at their Summer 2025 internship experiences. We hope you enjoyed the post spotlighting Liz Sharpe, a 2L at Campbell Law School, and her summer internship experience at the North Carolina Department of Justice. Stay tuned for our next post spotlighting Aleah Wordsworth, a 3L at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

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2025 Summer Internship Scholarship Recipient Spotlight Series: Meet Liz Sharpe

Stacey, a Black woman with black hair and black glasses, wears a black suit and is standing outside.By Stacey Rubain

Elizabeth “Liz” Sharpe is a second-year law student at Campbell Law School in Raleigh. Liz has long believed in the power of government to make a difference. Her commitment to public service runs deep—it’s rooted in a lifelong desire to help others and strengthened by her early professional experiences.

After earning her degree from Meredith College, Liz began her career at the North Carolina General Assembly as a Legislative Assistant, where she worked on public policy and constituent services.  The experience not only deepened her understanding of how law and governance intersect but also showed her firsthand how fair and effective government can improve the lives of everyday citizens.

Elizabeth, a white woman with short brown hair and clear glasses, wears a pale blue and white striped button-down shirt.

Elizabeth Sharpe

Motivated by a desire to make a meaningful impact in her community, Liz spent the summer of 2025 interning at the North Carolina Department of Justice (NCDOJ) in the Special Litigation Section. There, she conducted legal research across a range of complex issues and contributed to drafting a section of a criminal appellate brief — a project she calls one of her most meaningful experiences. Her supervising attorneys encouraged her to take ownership of the argument’s development and structure and to think critically, helping her strengthen her legal writing and analytical skills while exploring new areas of law.

Liz found her experience at the NCDOJ deeply rewarding. Working alongside talented and experienced attorneys who dedicate their careers to public service reinforced her own commitment to pursuing justice through the law. As the first in her family to enter the legal profession, Liz valued the opportunity to learn from dedicated public servants and gain insight into meaningful legal careers in government. Her internship further solidified her goal of working in public service, and she encourages other law students interested in this path to seek out similar opportunities—especially at the NCDOJ.

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My Summer With North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services: A Reflection on Public Service Law

Tavaria, a Black woman with black hair, wears a white shirt and black blazer.By Tavaria Smith 

This summer, I had the privilege of working with North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services (NCPLS), an organization committed to providing legal assistance to incarcerated individuals in North Carolina. My internship offered me a front-row seat to the criminal justice system, from observing court proceedings to directly engaging with clients and their families. This experience not only solidified my commitment to a career in public service law but also deepened my understanding of the challenges and rewards of advocating for those who are often voiceless.

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A Look Into My Internship With the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission

By Shane Murphy Shane, a man with black hair, wears a white shirt, black tie and black blazer.

Working as an intern at the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, I’ve had the unique opportunity to contribute to the critical work of investigating post-conviction claims of innocence. This experience has been both challenging and rewarding, offering insights into the complexities of the criminal justice system and the meticulous process of seeking truth and justice. This is the type of role that I believe is only possible in a public-sector position, where an agency like the Commission can operate on their charge without financial motives.

One of main responsibilities I had during my internship was assisting in the evaluation of innocence claims. This process is far more intricate and demanding than I initially imagined. Each claim requires a thorough, objective analysis that often involves sifting through mountains of documentation. When a new claim comes in, we would start by reviewing the initial application. This document provides an overview of the case and the basis for the innocence claim. From there, we dive into the case files, which include trial transcripts, police reports, forensic analyses, and any post-conviction filings.

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A Call to All Lawyers – Please Volunteer to Help Our Western NC Neighbors!

Will, a white man with light brown hair, wears a white shirt, pale green bowtie with darker green stripes, and a dark grey jacket.By Otis Walker

Friends and Colleagues,

Our mountain neighbors need our help to recover from the devastation caused by Helene, and there is a way that you, our state’s criminal justice practitioners, can provide critical legal services to our neighbors in need.

The North Carolina Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division, Legal Aid of North Carolina, FEMA, the North Carolina Bar Foundation, and Pisgah Legal Services, are coordinating a way for attorneys to help our western neighbors. The program is known as Disaster Legal Services (“DLS”).

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A Look Into My Internship With the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs Office of General Counsel

Sadie, a white woman with light brown hair, wears a navy blue sleeveless dress. By Sadie Pruett 

After previously interning with the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives and with the Department of Defense, I have actively sought internships involving advocacy for veterans since 2020. Four years later and in my 1L year at Wake Forest Law, I took advantage of the opportunity to intern in the Office of General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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A Look Into My Internship With the Alamance County Public Defender’s Office

Grant, a white man with brown hair, wears a grey shirt, black blazer and maroon, navy and pale grey tie.By Grant Gergen 

This past summer I spent my first summer as a law student interning at Alamance County’s newly opened public defender’s office. The reason I chose this opportunity truly began from my time in college and the long journey I took before entering law school. I began law school as somewhat of a non-traditional student, having graduated from undergraduate studies at the University of Florida in 2019. I spent the next fifteen months living in Ecuador as a teacher for the Peace Corps (unfortunately, cut short by the pandemic), after that, a year in Wyoming for AmeriCorps, then, two years of graduate school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and finally, choosing to attend law school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

The right balance of circumstances and chance brings someone to where they are now. My path to becoming interested in working in public defense began with the right professor, in the right class, in my sophomore year of college. This man, whom many University of Florida college grads who went on to law school came to know, was Samuel Stafford. Professor Stafford teaches part-time at the University of Florida, with most of his hours and responsibilities dedicated to his work as a judge in Alachua County. It was him, and as a sad testament to our society’s failure to educate on inequality and injustice, and him alone, who pulled the curtain back on the deeply classist and racist strands that weave the American fabric and that touch virtually all aspects of our country’s criminal legal system. There is a much greater amount of text that could be written here to talk about my experiences in Professor Stafford’s three college courses (Civil Liberties; Constitutional Law; Race, Law, and the Constitution), which all took place at an almost-impossible-for-a-college-undergrad time of 7:25 a.m. in the morning.

I believe that these courses enabled me not only to think more critically about the inequality built into our country but also to actually see it in the everydayness of life when I looked the right way. Perhaps I would have found myself down a similar path eventually, but it was these experiences in the classroom with Professor Stafford that likely stand as some of the greatest inflection points in my life.

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