It might sound like the beginning of a funny joke. However it’s something you may want to ask yourself in case you’re aiming to retain a traffic ticket attorney.
In the last few years, a significant number of enterprises dedicated to traffic tickets have appeared in California. Unfortunately, many are not legal entities. Instead, they make you fill out a trial declaration form, which they afterwards charge. This is a process you can do alone for free. It’s true that many times the legal paperwork can be intimidating, and some people prefer to pay a fee to have the forms done. However, this is arguably not the optimal way to fight a ticket.
These entities employ attorneys who in most cases aren’t litigators, so what happens is that they go to court hoping that the officer doesn’t show or attempt to negotiate your ticket, which is what marks the difference. If you’re prepared to pay a lot of money for traffic tickets defense, you should ask many questions to find out what the particular firm will do to defend your interests.
In California, you may be aware or not, a traffic violation is considered criminal offense and, therefore, treated as such in court. For this reason, an attorney with an ability to contest your case, and a strategy to fight your particular type of citation, is priceless and also most likely expensive. Most often, cases require more than one appearance, due to various motions and subpoenas necessary to argue them. Additionally, lawyers expert in traffic law, and those who are familiar with the local courts, judges, and district attorneys will perform better in such situations.
If you are eligible for traffic school your best and least expensive option is paying off the ticket. However, if you need to get out of that fine, remember that you don’t need a “legal team”, just a good, experienced attorney, with a positive track record who fits your needs and can work well for you. Here’s where the expense is justified.