What Do Traffic Ticket Lawyers Cost?  Are Traffic Lawyers Worth It?

 

“Are traffic ticket lawyers worth the cost?”

A Washington State Traffic & Speeding Ticket Lawyer since 2005, Antone Weber has personally appeared on over 7000 traffic ticket cases. Our clients come from a wide variety of situations as drivers, from professional Commercial Drivers, drivers of company cars, commuters and other folks who just drive during their normal lfe, to teenagers with a few months of experience driving. Drivers who regularly receive traffic tickets to persons with their first ticket after 30 years of driving.  Each wants to know the answer to the questions above: What effect on me will this ticket have, and is it worth the cost to hire an attorney?  We have also spoken with hundreds of drivers who did not think that a ticket would effect them, or forgot about it.  In a few circumstances we may still be able to help, but in the majority of cases the driver has to live with the results, however unforeseen.  The courts offer a driver their day in court when the ticket is issued.  If not taken advantage of then, judges are very reluctant to reopen a matter absent a very good reason for doing so,

People often focus on their ticket fine when considering the value of hiring a traffic lawyer.  However, the real cost of a traffic ticket are not the ticket fine, but that traffic violations can raise your insurance rates and can put your driver’s license at risk.  The violation will be on your insurance record for 3 or more years, so a mere $20 per month increase in your rates is over seven hundred dollars..  A $50 increase nearly two thousand dollars.

Just three committed Moving Violations Can Cause a License Suspension

Due to a new state law that went into effect in 2023, three committed moving violations within a year of the first, or four within two years and DOL will suspend your  license for 60 days.  You will have to take a required driving class to be reinstated and obtain post suspension mandatory SR22 insurance. You will be on probation as well, and another violation will result in another 30-day suspension.

For a new driver under the age of 18, they could lose their hard earned driving privilege for just two committed traffic tickets. For professional drivers one ticket is even more critical; one traffic ticket might mean the loss of a job.  Commercial driving insurers have been becoming more and more restrictive.  If charged with criminal traffic violations like Reckless Driving or Driving on a Suspended License, there are added fines and penalties, and a criminal record to consider. Once a violation is found committed, it will normally be too late to do anything about your ticket if you find the costs are greater than you expected.  Give us a call: an initial consultation is free; We will review your case and give you an estimate of the cost of fighting your ticket.  Call us at: 206-816-9110.

The Antone Weber Law Office charges between $225 to $275 for a single basic infraction in the King, Snohomish  and Pierce District & Municipal courts, depending on court and charge. There is an additional $25 to $50 for each additional charge on the same ticket.   We will take care of all the paperwork, and appear in court for you.  You seldom will need to be there. Compare that with possible insurance or employment costs

We charge $250 to $300 for Skagit and Thurston County and city courts, and for Kitsap and Whatcom County courts, also with an additional $25 – $50 for additional charges.   If you do not see your court listed here, please contact us for a free evaluation and quote at 206-816-9110, or fill out the form below.

 

 “Do I need a lawyer for a speeding ticket?”

Most tickets are either dismissed outright or a change to a non-moving violation is negotiated; with few found committed as written.  The advantage to having a experienced  traffic lawyer on your side is they know how and when to fight, and how and when to deal in order to get the best possible outcome for our client.

If you represent yourself, do you know what errors will be sufficient under the law, to a judge, for a dismissal? A lawyer knows how to find errors that not many people will notice, and if there is an error or mistake on your ticket, can argue their legal importance. These errors will likely be missed by most people fighting by themselves to have their traffic ticket dismissed due to simple inexperience, so you can benefit greatly from having a lawyer that knows what technicalities they can use to help you get your ticket dismissed.

Sometimes, though, no mistakes are on your traffic ticket, and it turns out that it is unlikely for you to get out of your traffic ticket. A defense is either present or it isn’t. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to pay the entire fine, or that the violation has to go to DOL. Your lawyer will likely be able to negotiate a lower fine, or have the charge reduced, or both which can make a huge difference in how much you pay in insurance.  They will know any standard offers that a prosecutor might make, and what will bring things in more favorably.  They may be able to use your good driving record as a reason for why your ticket should be reduced, or they might find other reasons that convinces the judge that reducing your ticket is a good idea. This is something you likely won’t be able to do as well on your own.

We have been traffic ticket lawyers  since 2005 with a focus on representing clients for traffic infractions and criminal traffic law violations in Washington District and Municipal traffic courts. We know the judges.  The prosecutors.  The rules.  We know them in ways that some who is not in traffic court day in and day out simply is not going to be able to.

For more on how we might be able to help you, please call us a 206-816-9110 or fill out the form at the bottom of the page for a callback to receive your free case evaluation callback and quote.

 

How Do I Find The Best Traffic Ticket Lawyer Near Me?”

Some people simply search for the “best traffic lawyer near me,”  but the best lawyer for traffic tickets in your court might not be the one physically closest to you, or even to your traffic court.  Nor is price alone the best indicator of who is the best traffic lawyer.  Finding the best traffic ticket lawyer by price is not the same as buying the best toaster by price.  A toaster of the same make and model may be $5 cheaper at one store over another, but they are the same toaster.

To choose the best traffic attorney for you, first consider their experience and focus.  Not just how long they have been in practice, but how much of their practice is focused on traffic tickets.  A look at a firm website may show that their primary focus is on other areas of law, such as criminal law, DUIs or personal injury, and they do some traffic tickets on the side.  At the Antone Weber Law Office our focus is on traffic infractions and criminal traffic matters.  We did traffic hearings  throughout Washington for a large firm starting in 2005, and then in our own practice since 2016.

Similarly to most firms, we have a “practice area” region where we regularly go to court. These “local court”s include county and municipal courts in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Skagit and Thurston Counties, all within an hour or so drive of our door.  We also cover Whatcom and Kitsap counties regularly, although they are a bit farther away.  Most courts do not hold traffic hearings daily, and some smaller towns may only have monthly hearings.  Because of our lengthy experience, we often know the judges, the prosecutors, the court rules,the courts idiosyncrasies.

 

The Traffic Court Lawyer Fees for most Traffic Tickets are based on a set fixed fee rather than an hourly fee rate.

Why a Fixed Fee?

With an hourly fee rate a client may have an estimate but no assurance of what their final traffic ticket attorney cost will be. A fixed fee, which includes all the attorney’s costs, provides a client with this certainty, allowing them to assess if it makes financial sense to hire a traffic attorney. The defendant does remain responsible any fines or other costs due the court, however.

So How Much Does a Traffic Lawyer Cost?  A Few Typical Traffic Court Lawyer Fees:

Our traffic ticket fee includes all of our costs: Time, Mailing, Legal Research, Document Drafting, Hearing Preparation, Travel and Court Appearances, etc.

Our fees for courts are based on the projected time and costs, including mailing and other costs, for your case and court.  We take into account your charge or charges, the specific court, your driving history and other circumstances.  For example, for someone who drives a company vehicle we may have to approach the ticket differently even though they were in their private vehicle when cited, as opposed to someone who is only concerned about their private car insurance.

 The Antone Weber Law Office charges approximately $225 to $275 for a single basic infraction in the King, Snohomish  and Pierce District & Municipal courts, depending on court and charge. There is an additional $25 to $50 for each additional charge on the same ticket. We charge $250 to $300 for Skagit and Thurston County courts, and for Kitsap and Whatcom County courts, also with an additional $25 – $50 for additional charges.   If you do not see your court listed here, please contact us for a free evaluation and quote at 206-816-9110, or fill out the form below.

Auto Accident Infraction, Negligent Driving 2 and Other More Serious Traffic Tickets

For cases when you got a ticket because you were in a Traffic Accident, for Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle, or for a charge of Negligent Driving 2, we charge $250 – $325 for the three core county area courts.  $275 – $350 for Thurston, Skagit and Whatcom area. This is due to the increased complexity of these types of cases and the increased probability of multiple hearings being necessary.

Please keep in mind that in a accident case, we are only representing you for any traffic infraction that grows out of the accident.  We do not do claims or defense for injury or damage.

Retaining our services (hiring us) requires the agreement of both yourself and our law office.  We always want to discuss your matter first, to get your circumstances so that we fully understand your situation before taking on your case and so you will have reasonable expectations.  We feel it best discuss the particulars, the court for your case and your history which might effect the eventual result, what we might be able to do to help you.  This case evaluation is free of charge.  If you wish to hire us, we will send a Fee Agreement (usually by email), a contract outlining what our representation covers and, most importantly, authorizing our representation.  We can not represent you without your explicit written authorization.   For payment of our fee, we usually email a link to Lawpay, our secure online credit card processor. They can take payment by credit & debit cards, or e-check.  Once we have your Fee Agreement returned and the fee paid, we are your lawyers and we will handle it from there.

In most instances, once we have been hired we will take care of most paperwork (If charged with No Proof of Insurance or Registration issues, you will need to obtain documents for us to submit.  we will tell you well in advance what we need and how to get it.). With exceptions possibly for Negligent Driving 2 and infractions for Auto Accident cases, you will not need to come to court.

DWLS3, Reckless Driving, Hit and Run, etc…

Driving With License Suspended 3rd or Reckless Driving charges typically also require several court appearances, and because they are criminal charges  your appearance is mandatory even if you have an attorney, unless the court waives it. We do charge a flat fee for these types of violations, but the fee will be based on circumstances and is substantially higher due to the multiple court appearances usually required. Please call for a free consultation.

We will do Open Container violations.  We do DUIs.

 

If you would like to know more about your Washington Traffic Ticket and what we might be able to do for you, please call us at 206-916-9110.  A Consultation is free.

You may also contact us for a free consultation callback regarding how we may be able to help using the following form:

You should receive a call within a few hours, as we may be in court.

After business hours submissions will be returned the following day.

 

Callback Request Form


    Please attach copy of your ticket if possible. pdf|jpg|jpeg|png|txt or other image. limit:2mb

     

    Use of this Submission Form or the Consultation are confidential, but does not create an attorney-client relationship.