Britney Spears has "closed a chapter" in her troubled life after her driving without a license charges were dropped earlier this week.Spear's trial for a driving misdemeanor was scrapped on Tuesday after a Van Nuys, Calif., jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.

Judge James Steele subsequently dismissed a criminal charge for driving without a valid California license in August 2007.And Spears' lawyer Michael Flanagan has hailed the mistrial as a turning point for the star, who has endured a difficult 12 months since she lost custody of her boys, Sean Preston and Jayden James, to her ex-husband Kevin Federline last November.

Flanagan says, "It marks a turnaround for her. This case was a thorn in her side for more than a year, a reminder of the bad old days."She's thrilled the court system, for once, worked in her favor."Spears has since gotten her personal life back on track and is preparing to make her pop comeback with the release of her new album, "Circus," this December.