171mph

OK I had the hearing. I went with a lawyer who charged a flat $2000. He has lunch every other Friday with the judge who heard my case.

Outcome: 1 month suspension and 11 month probation (meaning if i get a ticket the license gets yanked no questions asked).
The original indictment was for 6 months suspension. So i saved 5 months but my insurance is still going to skyrocket.

Live and learn. Now i just save all my speeding for the track. Oddly enough I find it rather calming sitting in the middle lane watching all the youngsters speed by while I sip my tea and listen to classical radio. But highway on and off ramps are still fair game....

997, esq

Seems like a pretty good outcome. If you don't mind me asking, about how many hours did the lawyer spend on your case. Maybe I should quit defending corporations and start defending Porsche drivers...

171mph

It was a joke - he hade $2000 for what i estimate was about 45 minutes work. 20minutes on the phone doing the hearing and 25 minutes meeting with me beforehand.

I basically paid for his connection to the judge.

997, esq

That's too bad re the $2k. I hope the connection with the judge helped. If they were really close friends, I would think the judge would be obligated to recuse himself. At any rate, it's done and it seems like you had a pretty good outcome. Clearly, being able to drive for 6 mos is worth $2k. It seems pretty exorbitant, though, considering what was involved...

Edgy01

One month is nothing,--compared to the alternative. Consider the $2k well spent,--and don't even think otherwise. Now let the young kids go get pulled over!

fuenfer

Something about this strikes me as being pretty darned unethical on the part of the lawyer ... it's been years , though, since I took the MPRE so who knows.

cvazquez

All is fair in love and war! Ooh-Rah!

Time to invest on a V-1, 171mph.

997, esq

You're assuming that his supposed "connection" is the reason for one month suspended. Might not be the case... Might have happened anyway. I don't like the way the guy seems to have sold his services. It's one thing to say that judge so and so knows me and trusts me. It's another to suggest that a judge will go easier on a client because he's friends with a lawyer.

NNH

I totally agree with you, right up until I need a lawyer

SrfCity

How much of the $2K to the judge? My guess is 1/2. Money can sure make problems go away Good outcome regardless.

dgcate

I'm right in there w/ ya brother. Mine was just reduced to 4 mos. probation. If I stay clean, it'll be dismissed. Hopefully, my ins. co. shouldn't find out about this, since I will not have been "convicted" of anything.

but, this was my first ticket.

how's not driving for a month going to affect you? Try not to speed in the next year! And, if you do, do not get caught 171! You'll be in a world of hurt if you do...! Good luck
I hope you make it !!

dgcate

Oh yeah...the price..

lawyer 750
court fee 100
some other fee 120

Clean driving record.. not cheap, but well worth the $$ imo

Drive safe guys

S4to911

Lessons:

(1) Be very neutral when pulled over. Give them nothing to remember you by. When asked "do you know what you were doing?" reply "no" and leave it at that. Talk as little as possible. Be nice and cooperative.

(2) Delay the trial as many times as they allow. This allows for the chance that the cop eventually won't show up. Always plead not guilty, and go to trial. Usually the cop will settle with you before you go in front of the judge, and knock the ticket down to no points (unless you were going 25-30 mph over).

(3) If found guilty at the first level with more points than you want (in PA, this is magistrate), always appeal to the next level (in PA, this is the county courthouse). The cop has to take a day off to do this. Again, try to delay this appeal as many times as your state system allows. Usually, an Assistant DA will be trying the case. They have a lot of cases in front of them, and want to settle as many as possible. Here is where you usually can get out of the points. If the cop shows up, you can usually try to negotiate with him (or her) as this point as well.

(4) Always fight the ticket. The worst that happens is that you are found guilty. The threats of excessive punishment (more than allowed by law) if you fight are false, and aimed at trying to prevent you from excercising your rights. The best that happens in that the cop doesn't show at the hearing.

(5) If this is the first time through the system, or if the speed is very excessive (ie in PA if you are 31 mph or more over, you can get an automatic 15 day suspension), a lawyer is reasonable, especially if you are appealing. You can learn a lot which can help you in the future to fight your own tickets without the lawyer.

(6) These lessions were learned the hard way by me, and I will leave it at that. Perhaps if you had fought some of the tickets, maybe 2 of the 4 would have been reduced or thrown out, and your license may not have been suspended.

(7) Is there an "occupational limited license" in CA, which allows you to drive to/from your job during the suspension?

9974G

+1

Congrats on your reduced suspension.