The next time you are pulled over by a police officer and given a traffic ticket, don't just pay the fine. It does not matter if it is a large fine or not, you should consider having a traffic violations lawyer from a firm like Hogan-Kimrey LLP Attorneys At Law look at the ticket and see what can be done. Here are a few ways an attorney can help.
Dismissal of the Citation
If the attorney can find an error on the citation, the case can be dismissed. Not all errors are grounds for dismissal. However, if the error is one that lists the wrong license plate, driver's license number or name, an attorney may fight for a dismissal. If the violation is listed wrong, as in the wrong statute, it may be dismissed on the grounds that you have the right to know what you are being charged with, and a wrong statute does not inform you of the correct charge.
Lowering the Charges and Fine
If there is no reason for dismissal, an attorney will work with the prosecutor to get the charges and fines lowered. Many times, the charge will be reduced to some type of non-moving violation that will not be of any importance. This is the same thing as a plea bargain. The court does not want to have to pay for a jury trial for a traffic offense. A plea bargain means you plead guilty to a lesser charge and give up your right to a trial. You end up paying a lot less than what the original charge would cost you. The court would rather have less money from you than the bigger fine and have to spend it all, and more, on a trial.
Keep Your Driving Record Clean
One of the problems many people do not think about when it comes to traffic violations is the fact that they go on your legal record and your driving record. Unless there is a reason to seal the legal record, the lesser charge will be recorded. However, an attorney can make sure that it does not show up on your driving record. Your insurance premium will not go up due to points on your driving record. In addition, if you have a job that requires review of your driving and legal records periodically, the lesser charge will usually not be cause for trouble at work.
An experienced traffic violations attorney can usually give you a good idea of what the outcome of the citation will be before he or she sees the judge. If you feel the cost of the legal services are not worth it, you do not have to hire the lawyer to go to court for you. However, in most cases, you are going to end up saving more than enough money on the fine with the reduced charge. When you add in the lower insurance premiums, you just can't go wrong with an attorney.
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