i hired an attorney for a traffic ticket why do i still have to go

If you decide to fight a traffic ticket, you'll generally have to go to court at least twice. But if you hire an attorney, you typically won't have to go to court at all. In other words, your attorney can represent you in court without you being present.

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When should you hire a traffic ticket lawyer?

When to Hire a Traffic Ticket Lawyer. Our course helps you learn quickly and easily, using state-specific questions and easy-to-understand answers. From a speeding violation to forgetting to use your turn signal, even the most routine traffic stop can add up quickly; thus, sometimes, hiring a traffic ticket lawyer can make a difference—especially regarding reduced fines, keeping …

Do you have to go to court for a traffic ticket?

An Attorney Can Go to Traffic Court For You. If you decide to fight a traffic ticket, you'll generally have to go to court at least twice. But if you hire an attorney, you typically won't have to go to court at all. In other words, your attorney can represent you in court without you being present.

Can a lawyer represent you in traffic court without being present?

If you don't think you're guilty, then you may be considering the option of contesting your ticket in a court of law. As always, this means you will have to hire a lawyer. Lots of people believe hiring a traffic ticket lawyer can help you get all charges dropped, which sounds ideal. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

Should I hire a lawyer to contest a parking ticket?

A better option is to hire a lawyer who can fight the ticket for you. Hiring a lawyer can save you time, money, provide you with a legal advocate, and keep points off your license. Here’s how: Save You Time. If you decide to fight a traffic citation without legal representation, you’ll need to appear in court to represent yourself.

How many times do you have to go to court for a traffic ticket?

If you decide to fight a traffic ticket, you'll generally have to go to court at least twice. But if you hire an attorney, you typically won't have to go to court at all. In other words, your attorney can represent you in court without you being present.

Why is it difficult to represent yourself in traffic court?

One of the problems with representing yourself is the lack of experience and legal knowledge. The average person just doesn't know what the best courses of action are in a given case. Experienced traffic attorneys have the best idea of what tactics and options are available for obtaining good results. And, it's not all legal knowledge. Attorneys who spend lots of time in traffic court are familiar with the tendencies of the different judges and sometimes of the law enforcement officers who write the tickets. This local knowledge can prove valuable in deciding how to defend against a ticket.

Is a minor traffic violation a criminal charge?

In short, the consequences of a minor traffic violation conviction are generally much less severe than those for a DUI or other criminal charges. So, whereas you might be able to contest a traffic ticket without an attorney, fighting a serious charge like a DUI without legal representation typically isn't a good plan.

Can a traffic violation be avoided?

For instance, sometimes traffic violation points can be avoided by negotiating a moving violation ticket down to a non-moving violation.

Do traffic lawyers win at trial?

Traffic lawyers with lots of trial experience are far more likely to win at trial than the average Joe or Jane. Simply put, attorneys who have spent countless hours in a courtroom and have knowledge of the law know what to focus on at trial. For non-lawyers, it's easy to get off track.

Is it worth hiring a traffic attorney?

In some circumstances, hiring a traffic attorney clearly isn't worth the expense. For example, if you're eligible for traffic school and don't have a reasonable chance of beating your ticket, it's probably best to forgo hiring an attorney. Generally, you can sign up for traffic school without even going to court, so there isn't much benefit of having legal representation—you can just do it yourself.

Can you get a license suspension for multiple tickets?

Getting multiple tickets within a short period of time can lead to license suspension. For drivers who are in this situation, beating a ticket could make all the difference. And to increase the chances of winning in traffic court, hiring an attorney might be the way to go.

How to fight a traffic citation without representation?

If you decide to fight a traffic citation without legal representation, you’ll need to appear in court to represent yourself. To do this, you’ll have to take time off of work, journey to the courthouse, and sit through all court proceedings.

How much is a speeding ticket?

Traffic tickets are expensive. A typical speeding ticket can be upwards of $500 depending on the details of the incident, including how many miles per hour over the posted speed limit you were going. On many occasions, hiring a lawyer is cheaper than paying a fine upfront, and even when it isn’t, there’s a chance your lawyer can mitigate fines and charges. Paying the ticket is an admission of guilt and will likely result in MVA assessing points to your driving record. In the event your lawyer cannot get the charges dropped, he or she can still possibly get a probationary sentence, the fine reduced and/or the points withheld.

What are the advantages of hiring a lawyer?

Advantages of Hiring a Lawyer 1 You don't have to go to traffic court and you don't have to keep track of court dates. In most situations, your presence is not required at a contested hearing. The attorney will appear on your behalf and keep track of all court dates. 2 Prevent against raising your insurance premium. Many people think that hiring an attorney is too costly because most times, the cost of hiring an attorney is more than the face value of the traffic ticket. But this cost is far less than the cost to your insurance and your driving record if you admit to the violation and pay the fine. 3 Knowledge and expertise. A great number of tickets and officer reports are written up imperfectly. Since a certain amount of gamesmanship is involved in defending a traffic ticket, an attorney is always in the best position to look at the evidence and determine the best legal or technical arguments to make in front of a particular judge in a particular court. An attorney will know which errors or omissions on the traffic ticket or officer's report will be fatal to the state or city's case.

Do you have to go to traffic court?

You don't have to go to traffic court and you don't have to keep track of court dates. In most situations, your presence is not required at a contested hearing. The attorney will appear on your behalf and keep track of all court dates.

Why You Need Representation for a Traffic Ticket

Do you really always need a lawyer for a traffic ticket? From a practical perspective, the definitive answer is probably. It is shocking how many completely misunderstood issues surrounding how speeding and stop sign cases there are. To start with, every county has its own rules.

Howard A. Kurtz, Partner

The question is why you need a lawyer for a simple traffic ticket. Well, even in something as simple as traffic ticket, you have a lot at stake. If handled improperly, your insurance could go up by leaps and bounds for a full three years. Worse yet you could make a whopper of a mistake and end up getting your own license revoked.

Seth A. Blum, Partner

The most common mistake that people make is simply mailing in a check and paying a ticket off. Lots of people don’t realize that is the same thing as pleading guilty. You may not realize it when you’re mailing in a check, but this will come back to bite you when it’s time to write another check to your insurance company.