When you receive a charge in Wake County, whether it is a North Carolina Traffic Ticket, North Carolina Misdemeanor or North Carolina Felony, all of these cases end up at the Wake County Courthouse. As a Raleigh DWI Lawyer and Raleigh Criminal Lawyer, I spend a lot of time going in and out of this building. One thing I notice is how many people have come to court for the first time without an idea of where to go and what to do. Though I've written previous articles on courtroom etiquette, this will deal with more navigating the courthouse so that you can be where you need to be, when you need to be there.The Wake County Courthouse's address is: 316 Fayetteville St., Raleigh, NC 27601. It is located between Fayetteville St. and Salisbury St. When entering this building, if you enter on the Fayetteville St side, you are on the first floor, if you enter on the Salisbury St. side, you are on the lower level.
The first thing that should be determined before you even arrive to court is which courtroom you are suppose to be in, on what day, at what time. The date and time should be on your ticket. If it is your second or more time in court on the same charge, then there are several options you have. The easiest way is to go to http://www.nccourts.org and use the toolbar on the left to look up your citation by name. There should be basic information about your charge and most of the time which courtroom you should be in. If you have hired an attorney, you can also ask their office where you are suppose to be. Additionally, if you arrive at court early, you can go to room 102, which is the Clerk's Office. In there, the clerks can look up your case and tell you where you are suppose to be. Additionally, if you know what floor you are suppose to be on, but not which room, a list of all the cases which are scheduled for the floor are posted outside each courtroom listing everyone by name. The list on the top is for the AM session of court, the list on the bottom is for the PM session of court.
If you are scheduled to be Disposition Court then there is no morning or afternoon session. That court opens at 8:30 and normally closes down by 2:30 or 3. It is recommended to get there sometime in the morning in order to ensure your case is heard and/or you don't show up during the Judge's lunch break.
Once you have identified which courtroom you are suppose to be in, be sure to be seated before court starts (9:00 AM for the morning session and 2:00 PM for the afternoon session).
If you have been charged with aNorth Carolina Traffic Citation, North Carolina Misdemeanor or Felony, speak with a local Criminal De North Carolina Traffic Citationfense Attorney about your particular case.
Disclaimer - Information and advice offered in this article is for informational and educational purposes only and is specific to North Carolina law. The viewing, receipt and/or exchange of information from this article does not constitute an Attorney-Client Relationship. For assistance regarding your particular legal question speak with an Attorney practicing in the field from which your questions derives.