And also, you can negogiate the lawyer's fee. Don't be afraid of a huge estimate given by the lawyer.
I got some traffic tickets.
- Thread starter dpm802
- Start date
And also, you can negogiate the lawyer's fee. Don't be afraid of a huge estimate given by the lawyer.
Not to mention the beginning of March Madness (full blown, play in games start Tuesday).
OldSaw
The wife's investment
Guilt has nothing to do with it. It's the level of punishment we're talking about. Just paying the fine is really almost too easy, gives the most financial punishment and may not even be a real deterrent for future infractions.
Pleading for a lesser charge forces one to really get into this and drive the point home. The extra involvement is more likely to reduce future infractions and the financial punishment will be far more appropriate to the crime.
There's more than one way to deal with this, as has been pointed out and the max penalty isn't always necessary to reform the offender.
Try wearing the short skirt and low cut top 
- Thread starter
- #86
Update:
I went ahead and hired an attorney. Not the first one I talked to. This guy has much more experience in these matters than the first one, and he's only charging me $275.
I went with him not because of the lower price, but because he impressed me with his knowledge and experience. Even if he'd asked for more than the other lawyer wanted, I probably would have gone with him.
I decided to hire a lawyer to save myself a lot of stress. He can do the negotiatiating for me, he knows how the system works, he can take care of all the details to get me the best deal. He's been down this road many times before, and knows how to navigate it far better than I do.
My ultimate goal is to keep points off my license and prevent my insurance premiums from skyrocketing. In the long run, that would cost me far more than the lawyer and the fines put together.
Thanks for everyone's advice ... I took it all in and sifted through to pick out what I thought was the most relevant and beneficial to me. Despite the way the poll turned out, I had to make up my own mind about hiring the attorney.
It will take another month or so before the case is settled. I'll keep you informed how it all turns out.
I went ahead and hired an attorney. Not the first one I talked to. This guy has much more experience in these matters than the first one, and he's only charging me $275.
I went with him not because of the lower price, but because he impressed me with his knowledge and experience. Even if he'd asked for more than the other lawyer wanted, I probably would have gone with him.
I decided to hire a lawyer to save myself a lot of stress. He can do the negotiatiating for me, he knows how the system works, he can take care of all the details to get me the best deal. He's been down this road many times before, and knows how to navigate it far better than I do.
My ultimate goal is to keep points off my license and prevent my insurance premiums from skyrocketing. In the long run, that would cost me far more than the lawyer and the fines put together.
Thanks for everyone's advice ... I took it all in and sifted through to pick out what I thought was the most relevant and beneficial to me. Despite the way the poll turned out, I had to make up my own mind about hiring the attorney.
It will take another month or so before the case is settled. I'll keep you informed how it all turns out.
Failure to show license is something that if you produce your license in court will get dismissed.
Sorry if this has already been mentioned, I'm in a rush.
Sorry if this has already been mentioned, I'm in a rush.
Wise decision.
I agree.
Here in St. Pete the police periodically set up monitoring points where they give tickets out to hundred of motorists. I know of a few individuals who swear the police nabbed the wrong car and who have worked out deals whereby they pay a fine but no points are assessed. Unfortunately, too often the police use these setups more to raise money than for safety.
OldSaw
The wife's investment
Wise decision.
Agreed.
And even if the lawyer gets everything thrown out or reduced, I'm sure you will be much more careful in the future and that's the main thing, staying safe. I'm a firm believer in leniency for normally law abiding citizens. The process alone is enough to deter most people from going through it again for quite a while.
- Thread starter
- #91
Tomorrow (Thursday, May 19) is my court appearance. I went and got a really good haircut today, and I'll be showing up at 5pm (EDT) with checkbook in hand.
Wish me luck. Send some Karma, Good Vibrations, whatever else you might believe in, and beam it on its way to Municipal Court.
I'll check in here Friday morning and let you know how it all turns out.
Wish me luck. Send some Karma, Good Vibrations, whatever else you might believe in, and beam it on its way to Municipal Court.
I'll check in here Friday morning and let you know how it all turns out.
Good luck!
- Thread starter
- #93
Well, its over and almost done with.
I showed up at 5:00pm, met my attorney for the first time. He went into a back room and negotiated with the Prosecutor.
Formal court started at 6:00pm. The place was extremely crowded, but luckily, I was one of the first cases called, since I was represented by counsel.
The "Failure to show License" was dropped, all I had to pay was $33 court cost.
"Running a No-Turn on Red" was thrown out entirely.
I plead guilty to the "Careless Driving" (44mph in a 25 zone) and was fined $76 plus $33 court costs.
I may get 2 points assigned to my license by the DMV. I can take an online course in safe driving, and have those points erased. I'm going to wait a day or two to check the DMV for their computers to update.
I had to wait another 15 minutes in the hallway for the court clerk to get my paperwork. Paid my $142 and I was out of there. Came straight home in time to watch Jeopardy.
I'm glad its all over.
I showed up at 5:00pm, met my attorney for the first time. He went into a back room and negotiated with the Prosecutor.
Formal court started at 6:00pm. The place was extremely crowded, but luckily, I was one of the first cases called, since I was represented by counsel.
The "Failure to show License" was dropped, all I had to pay was $33 court cost.
"Running a No-Turn on Red" was thrown out entirely.
I plead guilty to the "Careless Driving" (44mph in a 25 zone) and was fined $76 plus $33 court costs.
I may get 2 points assigned to my license by the DMV. I can take an online course in safe driving, and have those points erased. I'm going to wait a day or two to check the DMV for their computers to update.
I had to wait another 15 minutes in the hallway for the court clerk to get my paperwork. Paid my $142 and I was out of there. Came straight home in time to watch Jeopardy.
I'm glad its all over.
Yes but how much was the attorney. My guess is $200 to $500...because that's how much I charge for class C tickets.
- Thread starter
- #95
He charged me $275.
The first lawyer I spoke with advertised $200 per appearance, and then wanted to charge me $400. After I balked, she backed down to $350, and I told her I'd think about it.
When I spoke to the one I hired, he sounded much more experienced than the first, and instilled a good deal of confidence in me that he knew what he was doing and would take care of things in my best interest. And he did.
I called him back the next day to reatain him. Even if he had asked for more than the $350 the first lawyer wanted, I probably would have paid it, because he impressed me with how much he knew about this area of law.
So altogether so far ... $275 + $142 = $417 ... I may have to cough up some more fees to take the online safety course. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I rarely do tickets, mostly for family and friends. I am way too expensive. Most ticket lawyers make money by just doing tickets en masse. I can not make any money spending half the day in traffic court negotiating one ticket. Most traffic attorneys do 10-20 each setting. They know the prosecutors and move through each case very quickly...usually within 5 minutes. I stick to felony cases justifying bigger fees...
So after all is said and done are you glad you went the lawyer route? Do you think it helped alot with the reduction of charges? And if you had it to do over again knowing what you know now would you do the same?
I would pay, then be very aware of my suroundings
Careless driving will be picked up by your insurance carrier and your rates will increase.
