Out of State & Got a Speeding Ticket. (lawyer, transfer to)

[mysticaltyger]

I was driving through NC going 85 in a 65 zone. I was told I have to go to court since I was more than 15 mph over the limit or I could hire a lawyer to go to court for me (meaning I wouldn'thave to be present).

An acquaintance who used to live in NC told me it's probably worth it to get a lawyer because it's set up in favor of that. Plus, I have the time and expense of driving down to the court from PA.

So my questions are:

1. Is it worth it to get a lawyer or just go to court myself?

2. If the lawyer option is better, how do I find a decent one?

Just Fyi, the officer said I didn't have any other outstanding issues. And yeah, I know, speeding was a really bad thing to do.

Thanks for any help or advice!!!

[Bitey]

What the cop told you is accurate. Court appearance is mandatory -- you can't plead out and pay online or by mail or some such. If you don't have the time or inclination to go back down there for your court date, your only other choice is to hire an attorney to appear on your behalf. Either that or just blow it off and have an NC arrest warrant hanging over your head, plus the consequences could transfer to your PA driving record as well.

[Mr. ENC]

Go lawyer and preferably a local one where you were speeding. A A lot of times local lawyers are buddy-buddy with local judges so most of the time they will either get it reduced or thrown out altogether in my wife's case. You just have to pay the lawyer.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Mr. ENC

Go lawyer and preferably a local one where you were speeding. A A lot of times local lawyers are buddy-buddy with local judges so most of the time they will either get it reduced or thrown out altogether in my wife's case. You just have to pay the lawyer.

Thanks for the advice. That's kind of what my friend advised.

How do I find a lawyer who is reasonable/reputable?

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by Bitey

What the cop told you is accurate. Court appearance is mandatory -- you can't plead out and pay online or by mail or some such. If you don't have the time or inclination to go back down there for your court date, your only other choice is to hire an attorney to appear on your behalf. Either that or just blow it off and have an NC arrest warrant hanging over your head, plus the consequences could transfer to your PA driving record as well.

Thanks for the input.

I'm definitely not going to just blow it off. That sounds like it would be asking for more trouble!

Do you have any idea of how I'd find an attorney?

[Bitey]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Thanks for the input.

I'm definitely not going to just blow it off. That sounds like it would be asking for more trouble!

Do you have any idea of how I'd find an attorney?

A little Google legwork should eventually produce satisfactory results after a bit of sifting through the chaff. To augment MrEMC's suggestion, use keywords that will narrow your search specifically to to traffic attorneys local to the county where the citation was issued.

[getatag]

You have received great advice here.

I'd add please don't trust AVVO ratings for lawyers. They are far from accurate when compared to the lawyers I know in our county.
I would sort through the legal solicitations you will receive in the mail over the next couple of weeks. Look at the lawyer's websites and sort them from there. I also look for misspellings in their solicitation, or identical wording from more than one lawyer. I also notice their addresses. The closer to the courthouse the better. Some lawyers will seek your business, but don't actually live in the county seat where the courthouse is located.
It's not how good the lawyer is, but how good his/her connections are to the DA's office. In our immediate family we have collected several speeding tickets in the past decade or so. Only one of those was recorded as a speeding ticket, one was dismissed, the others were reduced to improper equipment.

[uncchgrad]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

I was driving through NC going 85 in a 65 zone. I was told I have to go to court since I was more than 15 mph over the limit or I could hire a lawyer to go to court for me (meaning I wouldn'thave to be present).

An acquaintance who used to live in NC told me it's probably worth it to get a lawyer because it's set up in favor of that. Plus, I have the time and expense of driving down to the court from PA.

So my questions are:

1. Is it worth it to get a lawyer or just go to court myself?

2. If the lawyer option is better, how do I find a decent one?

Just Fyi, the officer said I didn't have any other outstanding issues. And yeah, I know, speeding was a really bad thing to do.

Thanks for any help or advice!!!

If you haven't already, you should receive tons of letters for lawyers in that area who will offer to represent you without you coming to court. They typically offer the best rates because they aggregate a bunch of these types of cases.

In my experience, i've found those lawyers to be the best. They are usually a part of the local "system", as one poster suggested, and can usually get your ticket reduced to a non moving violation or traffic school to dismiss it altogether.

Never ever just ignore an out of state ticket. It can cause you all kinds of trouble down the road.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Thanks for the advice. That's kind of what my friend advised.
How do I find a lawyer who is reasonable/reputable?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-qK7oVXVRQ

[jmellc]

By now, you have probably received a dozen solicitations from attorneys in the county where you got your ticket. These seem to all be young guys, just starting out. Pick whichever one looks best on paper and/or is closest to the town with the courthouse. Here, that will always be the county seat.

Our daughter lives "next door" to you in NJ. We knew about her ticket before she ever told us, from all the letters we got. She still had an NC license and address. We looked on the map and picked a guy closest to the town. Seemed logical to us and he did a good job for her.