Sometimes a criminal defendant needs a lawyer that knows the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code as well as criminal law. No time is this more clear and relevant than when a person has been charged with a drug possession offense. While a Montgomery County drug lawyer needs to be able to exploit all the possible defenses a client may have to try and win the case they must also be mindful of what could happen to his client’s drivers license if there is a conviction.
75 Pa. C.S.A. Sec 1532 (c) provides that any person convicted of a drug possession offense must suffer a suspension of their Pennsylvania drivers license, or Pa. driving privileges, for a term of not less than six months and up to two years, depending on how many previous convictions the client has on his record. As a Pennsylvania suspended license lawyer, prospective clients come to my office with their PennDot notices that say that their licenses are to be suspended because of their drug possession conviction and that nobody told them that this was going to happen. That is because not all criminal lawyers are aware of it. Unfortunately, once there is a conviction, the suspension is in the books and their is nothing that can be done short of appealing the criminal conviction. This is also true for any “delinquency adjudication” in juvenile court when a youth is charged with drug possession. An adjudication of delinquency for drug possession is viewed the same a conviction for PennDot suspension purposes. That is why any minor charged with possession, or any other crime, should contact a juvenile lawyer to help navigate the juvenile court system, which is a bit different that adult court.