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Orange County Restoration Legal Counsel
The Restoration Legal Counsel program assists justice-involved individuals who are unable to pay for court fines and fees or who are otherwise disproportionately impacted by the criminal legal system. The program aims to help reduce barriers to employment, housing, continued education, licensing, etc. faced by those with unpaid fines, costs and fees and/or criminal records (see the Collateral Consequences Tool in the quick links section for a full list of barriers).
The Restoration Legal Counsel is an attorney position that works with the Court, the District Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, and local community partners to provide pro bono restoration legal services to residents of Orange County. Services include:
- Expungements
- Certificates of Relief (a form of criminal record relief for those not eligible for expungement)
- Court Debt Relief
- Driver’s License Restoration
- Probation and Court Fee and Cost Relief
- Other ameliorative actions as needed
If you’d like to find out if the Restoration Legal Counsel can help you or someone you know, or if you have questions about the services provided by the Restoration Legal Counsel, please contact Mitchell Lucas by email or by phone at (919) 245-2313.
Please use this form for a referral: Restoration Counsel Referral Form
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Orange County Suspension Stats
Garrett, Brandon L. and Crozier, William, Driver's License Suspension in North Carolina (March 19, 2019). Duke Law School Public Law & Legal Theory Series No. 2019-27, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3355599 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3355599
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Cycle of Revocation Graphic
Cycle of Revocation Graphic
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Mitchell Lucas, Esq.
Restoration Legal CounselPhone: (919) 245-2313 (office)Additional Phone: (919) 451-0281 (cell)
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Criminal Justice Resource Department
Physical Address
106 E Margaret Lane
1st Floor, Courthouse
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Phone: 919-245-2310Fax: 919-640-1729
- Understanding Expungements - This document explains what expungement is and who is eligible
- Driver's License Suspension in N.C. - an empirical analysis of driver’s license suspensions for traffic offenses in NC
- Summary of North Carolina Expunctions (2021) - North Carolina Justice Center guide to criteria and filing requirements for selected expunctions in NC. Includes data on expunctions by statute
- NC DMV Driver's License Restoration Info - Instructions from the NC DMV on how to reinstate driver’s license after suspension requirements have been satisfied
- UNC SOG Info page on Certificates of Relief - Explains what a Certificate of Relief is for, and how to get one
- Collateral Consequences Assessment Tool - This tool from the UNC SOG outlines the statutory consequences of criminal convictions. Created for use by attorneys but can be eye-opening for all.