I heard someone say a few nights ago that in North Carolina, the District Attorney isn't required to have a valid law license. It is only required to practice before the court, not to hold office. Another stupid North Carolina law that needs fixing!
And rest assured that the Hunt / Easley machine with the Dem controlled legislature, as well as the courts, will only grant Nifong a mild slap on the wrist regardless of how badly he handled the case.
There probably is no law requiring the Prosecuting attorney to be a licensed attorney. But that isn't the entire story. Only the Prosecuting attorney can bring cases to court. His assistants are his agents and have no more authority than he does. So practically speaking he must be licensed to be a prosecuting attorney.