Ticket - Lawyers help?
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In CA if you are on the attorney docket the DA will be with the officer and the DA's are usually brand new and cutting their teeth, so you have a good chance unless you have a veteran officer who has been in court more than they can remember.
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You are assumed "innocent until proven guilty". The ticket alleges that you committed an offence and when it hits the court, it becomes a public record and at that point the lawyers pick it up. Insurance companies cannot act on that information as you are still not found guilty.
When the case is settled, the results are entered and that's the point that insurance companies step in regarding your record. The lawyers that helped me, actually looked at all this information and determined a way forward.
Do you need one, no, should you a good lawyer, in my opinion yes. I was done once I paid them as they represented in me court and I just had to pay my Amex bill.
When the case is settled, the results are entered and that's the point that insurance companies step in regarding your record. The lawyers that helped me, actually looked at all this information and determined a way forward.
Do you need one, no, should you a good lawyer, in my opinion yes. I was done once I paid them as they represented in me court and I just had to pay my Amex bill.
Sorry but insurance companies and court of public opinion don't have to follow the "innocent until proven guilty", only the courts.
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I have lived all over our country, but in NJ since I was in my 20s until 3 years ago and I have had tickets all over the country. I get one about every 3 years. I had never received a letter in the past, but I have found that this is normal now for lawyers to drum up business. I lived in CA for 7 years and everything is very different. Regarding the legal system, it is the way it works. It's all about relationships. My father was a retired policeman of 26 years.
Or you just pay the fine in the state and nothing is sent to your home (different) state?
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mike
in new jersey you don't even need a lawyer to represent you to be able to speak to the prosecutor and just tell them you would like to plead to a 0 point offense called
"unsafe operation" its a like get out of jail free card here in nj and is common downgrade in all municipalities
should round about $300-400 with fines and surcharge and can be used 2 times before it becomes a point offense
lawerence@undercover
in new jersey you don't even need a lawyer to represent you to be able to speak to the prosecutor and just tell them you would like to plead to a 0 point offense called
"unsafe operation" its a like get out of jail free card here in nj and is common downgrade in all municipalities
should round about $300-400 with fines and surcharge and can be used 2 times before it becomes a point offense
lawerence@undercover
For a simple 2pts or 4pts tickets on a clean driving record, Lawrence got it nailed...show up to court, talk to the prosecutor, plead guilty to a reduced 0 points violation, pay fine + court costs and be on your way.
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As far as insurance companies go, it will not hit their systems until a "guilty" verdict is entered into the court system. In certain cases the best option you have is to try and postpone the court date for 38 months (the time limit for insurance companies) and then you go to court and see if you are found guilty or not as at that point the ticket will not hit the insurance (this is for certain insurance companie that look back 38 months of records). I know quite a few people in NJ who have gone down this path, but all of them used an attorney.
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This is where research or a lawyer comes in handy. I believe in 2005 George Bush changed the law so that your driving record is reported to all states. Whether the state or local government wants to do anything about it is a different story. NJ, NY and CT always had reciprocals. However, if your license is from NY CITY, you are good to go as they don't check for points anywhere. As another example, Ohio never used to check for tickets outside of Ohio but since the changing of the law in 2005 they do.
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This is where research or a lawyer comes in handy with reciprocity. I believe in 2005 George Bush changed the law so that your driving record is reported to all states. Whether the state or local government wants to do anything about it is a different story. NJ, NY and CT always had reciprocals. However, if your license is from NY CITY, you are good to go as they don't check for points anywhere. As another example, Ohio never used to check for tickets outside of Ohio but since the changing of the law in 2005 they do.
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^^+1 You only need a lawyer if one of two things are true (1) you have a spotty driving record (and additional points could jeopardize your license) or (2) you have multiple violations arising from one traffic stop (e.g., speeding, reckless driving, suspended licence etc.)
For a simple 2pts or 4pts tickets on a clean driving record, Lawrence got it nailed...show up to court, talk to the prosecutor, plead guilty to a reduced 0 points violation, pay fine + court costs and be on your way.
For a simple 2pts or 4pts tickets on a clean driving record, Lawrence got it nailed...show up to court, talk to the prosecutor, plead guilty to a reduced 0 points violation, pay fine + court costs and be on your way.
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I went to court today in central NJ. I plead not guilty to court clerk when my name was called and then met with the prosecutor and he said you have 3 choices. 1. Guilty to the original offense and pay fine. 2. Trial 3. Plead Guilty to a 0 point offense called unsafe operation of a motor vehicle. You get 2 of these 0 point tickets every 5 years according to the prosecutor. I chose door number 3, went in front of the judge and said guilty to it and paid $430 total fines and court fees. Thank you guys for the help. Took 3 hours of waiting to get this done, but this is how slowly government workers tend to move, which we all know.
Last edited by michaeldantep; May 1, 2014 at 04:10 PM.
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Yumaverick is right, Nevada is great. Got a ticket for a rolling stop in Searchlight, NV. Went to the Court house the next morning to sign up for traffic School---lady said no need to. I said I live in CA, and believe me, a ticket matters here. Was told if I paid the fine, would count as a parking ticket. Never went on my CA MVR.
As far as your insurance company knowing you got a ticket, just because a laywer sends you a letter when you get a ticket, they don't know about it in CA. Only if you pay the fine, does it go on your MVR
As far as your insurance company knowing you got a ticket, just because a laywer sends you a letter when you get a ticket, they don't know about it in CA. Only if you pay the fine, does it go on your MVR
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I went to court today in central NJ. I plead not guilty to court clerk when my name was called and then met with the prosecutor and he said you have 3 choices. 1. Guilty to the original offense and pay fine. 2. Trial 3. Plead Guilty to a 0 point offense called unsafe operation of a motor vehicle. You get 2 of these 0 point tickets every 5 years according to the prosecutor. I chose door number 3, went in front of the judge and said guilty to it and paid $430 total fines and court fees. Thank you guys for the help. Took 3 hours of waiting to get this done, but this is how slowly government workers tend to move, which we all know.
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I have a great system as well, but this guy caught me because I wasn't paying attention. I was messing with my new WAZE application on my smartphone like a fool. All the systems in the world don't take the place of your eyes and awareness. He caught me without radar or laser. I merely passed him as he tucked into traffic in the middle lane in an unmarked car.
Last edited by michaeldantep; May 2, 2014 at 09:20 AM.