Lvt19672

Challenge the ticket in court, you have 50% chance of the chp officer not showing up, and if he does, you could always plead no contest and pay the fine and request traffic school... I got out of my last speeding ticket that way

drummin4fun

The initial fine may in fact be $328... however you have to factor in all of the court assessments. That can take the fine up dramatically. I'm sure that RollingArt's $450 figure is right in the ball park.

X51

Macster - how did you find your attorney? Referral, online or ad listing with areas of practice or ???

JohnnyBahamas

30 over in Nevada and the officer can arrest you at his/her discretion.

Officer told me this during the ride to jail after he got me doing 60 over.

Jail was well lighted, very quite and clean.

Cost $600 and $250 for the attorney.

Macster

Yes, I called Lee Mezzetti. 510 791 1836 or www.mezzetti.com

You want an attorney who is very close the court where the ticket citation will be heard or whatever the term is. When I got cited and was supposed to appear in Pleasanton I hired Mr. Noonan who had his office right across the parking lot from the court house.

In Flagstaff I had to go about a block and half away from the courthouse to speak with an attorney who didn't take my case but offered some good legal advice and told me if I ran into trouble he would help me. I didn't need his help, after his advice. I met with the PA and went before the judge. One ticket was dismissed.The other cost $100 and a point.

Oh, the citing CHP officer for the ticket I turned over to Mr. Noonan failed to appear. I still remember the lovely words his office assistant said to me when I called (a day late -- missed the court date by one whole day.... thought I was about to be the star of the opening segment of a Cops show): Ticket dismissed due to lack of prosecution.

Anyhow, I've never been to Mr. Mezzetti's office but I satisfied myself using google that he was very close to the court house.

Same in Sedalia, MO. Lee's Summit, MO. Dalhart, TX. I used attorneys all located almost on top of the courthouse.

The one near Sweetwater TX I argued on the side of the road with the citing officer, the citation was so egregious. Same as I had done many years earlier on I-80 just inside Wyoming between Evanston and Rock Springs. Actually in this case it was not so much an argument but I pleaded with the officer and finally got him to give me a warning. I didn't tell him I had just received a ticket the day before outside of Elko NV.

There was the ticket a sheriff gave me on I-40 east of Amarillo TX but I do not recall to whom I turned this over too... oh wait, I remember now, I handled it by phone. I called and spoke to someone in the court and received delayed adjudication or was it probation before adjudication? Learned this from the attorney who helped me with the Dalhart TX citation a few years earlier. Probation before adjudication: God I love Texas.

Papa Fittig

Macster,
What's the point of attorney being close to the court I wonder? (S)he needs to be able to go there, but .5 or 50 miles difference, why does it matter?

Macster

I just note where the ticket will be tried or the case heard and google an attorney that has an office near by who specializes in traffic citations (though almost always this is listed down a few lines below more serious offenses).

What I have found is these attorneys have assistants who spend their time working the traffic court beat and manage very well. The attorney probably doesn't get involved any more deeply other than just signing the paycheck of his assistant.

These assistants are pretty amazing. I have spoken with a few assistants and they are pretty darn savvy and laid back about this ticket process and to the extent they share info with me have this down pat. They know the court, the officers, the routine, etc.

I just ask what the law office can do for me regarding the ticket, could it get reduced to a non-moving violation with the idea of not so much lowering the fine -- though that is nice -- but reducing the points assigned, ideally no points (no points makes it easier to successfully contest a ticket), and save me the time and trouble of having to even show up for a court date.

Traffic school I leave in reserve if I have to use it. So far I have not.

Macster

Well, there is the matter of time. The closer the office to the courthouse the less time the law office employee spends going back and forth. She is more efficient, more productive and the cost is probably less. If she has to travel 50 miles...

Also you want someone who is in at the courthouse in the courthouse every day, who knows every judge, PA, officer, etc.

Macster

Didn't get the ride but I got the message from not one but two of AZ's finest who pulled me over in the Boxster about 50 miles east of Flagstaff. I tried protesting the ticket a bit -- not much -- and when this didn't go over to well started talking to the officer to build my case. He was tired (admitted he had been on duty 13 hours), did not know how to estimate a vehicle's speed (why do I need to know that he replied when I asked him) and so on.

At some point it was mentioned that if the officer wanted to he could handcuff me, sit me down in the snow next to the car, and call a drug dog from about 100 miles away to come check out the car (I had already let both officers look through as much of the car and its contents as they wanted to without any protest) and then he could arrest me for reckless driving, impound the car and I could spend some time at the local jail until I could make bail.

I shut up and bided my time. Months later one ticket was dismissed the other was a $100 fine and 1 point which was gone in no time.

Papa Fittig

Yep, connections could be advantageous, distance matters less

trcox57

Wifey got caught in her E350 in Va last year going 87 in a 65 mph zone(IIRC)...she got a ticket for reckless driving in Harrisonburg. I have Hyatt Legal Services through work...called them up and got assigned an attorney in Harrisonburg who advised her throughout the whole process.
She's got a bit of a lead foot, but hasn't had a ticket in 12 years and was in a pack. He got her on laser..picked her out of a crowd.
At the attorney's advice she wrote a very polite letter admitting she was with the crowd, not really paying attention, submitted a copy of her record and got court costs and $165 fine. I'd been paying for this Hyatt service for years and never used it..actually forgot I had it until this..but it was worth every penny this time :-)

CORSASCHNELL

20+ mph over posted limit is around $380 but varies slightly depending on your city and county. I would look into getting an attorney since you may not able to do traffic school with major damage to your driving record.

Tom 97 C2-S, So. Cal.

You may want to look at the following website (no affiliation etc) for us in California. I have never used them.

http://www.ticketassassin.com/

Best of luck

jerdeg

Based on this website (a quick Google search) it looks like the fine for going 30 over in a 65mph zone is $480 and one point.

http://www.2fixyourtrafficticket.com...ket-fines.html

(I'm not affiliated in any way with the sponsor of that website...)

Arctic Wolf

What do you mean by major damage? My driving record is clean before this one.