Do You Need A Lawyer For Traffic Court?  In Other Words: How Does Having a Traffic Lawyer Benefit You?

Traffic Ticket Attorneys Since 2005, We Have Experience Representing Clients for Traffic Infractions and Criminal Traffic Law Violations.

From that experience we know that the real cost of traffic tickets is not the fine, but because traffic violations can raise your insurance rates and put your driver’s license at risk. 

When you get a traffic ticket in Washington, some, like reckless driving, DUI or driving on a suspended license are criminal charges.  Most are not criminal, violations such as speeding, running a light, not signaling, speed to fast for conditions, etc, are not.  In addition to the fine on the ticket, a committed violation is reported to DOL, and hence to your insurance company.

Even our low fee and the fine added together usually pales compared to possible insurance costs.  An increase of just $20 per month from a ticket adds up to $700 over the three years that it will be reported to an insurance company, and there is no requirement that they reduce your rates even then.  $50 per month adds up to over $1800.   And what if you get a second ticket in that time?

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.  A driver under the age of 18 could lose their hard earned driving privilege for just two committed violations.  For professional drivers one ticket might mean the loss of a job.  If charged with DUI, Reckless Driving or Driving on a Suspended License, there are higher fines, penalties, loss of license, and a criminal record.

The benefits of having an experienced Traffic Lawyer?

Most people just pay their tickets.  Most do so without considering the  effects of a ticket, given the number of calls that we get after a driver’s insurance or employment costs kick in once the violation hits their record with DOL.   In most circumstances it is probably too late, but feel free to call us in case it is not.

For drivers who do challenge their tickets, most try to represent themselves.  After all, it is just a traffic ticket: how hard could it be?  However, a Pro Se defendant (person representing themselves) is held to the same standard as a Lawyer with 3 years of Law School and years of experience.  They are expected to know and follow court procedures and policies.  The are expected to argue defenses with a legal and factual basis.  (A “defense” is an error, omission, or procedural mistake)  We often hear pro se augments made with no legal support.  “I was just driving the same speed as the other cars.”  Not a valid defense; they may have all been speeding but the officer could only stop one at a time.  “I didn’t see the sign.”  Not paying attention is not a valid defense.  “I sped up because I needed to change lanes” Not a valid defense.  “The Constitution does not give you the right to ticket me.”  Really not a valid defense; the US Constitution was written over 100 years before the automobile was invented, but it does give the power to regulate public safety to the States.

But if you hire a Traffic Lawyer?

We know the procedures.  We know legal deadlines.  We know how to file with the court, and we already have the template paperwork for doing so. If charged with any paperwork violations, such as a no proof of insurance, we know what paperwork you need if you actually had insurance so that $550 fine goes away. We know how to obtain the evidence against you, and we know how to read it over for errors that the court finds persuasive.  We know the legal reasons those error, omission, or procedural mistakes are important and can argue them on that basis.  For those errors that give the judge discretion in weighing how important they are, we usually know that judge and how they will rule, because we see them on a regular basis.  If we do not already know the law on an issue, we will do the legal research and find out.  We know other traffic lawyers who we regularly share intel with.  Often we are able to present our case to the prosecutor in a way that they agree with a dismissal before we even see the judge.  If the defenses don’t pan out and we need to negotiate with the prosecutor, we know the standard offers, and what factors in the case-specific facts or defenses may result in a better than standard deal for our clients.  And we go to court for you.  Typically if you hire us right after you receive the ticket and before the response deadline, once you have returned our Fee Agreement contract and paid our fee, you may not need to do anything else until you receive the results of your case.  We take on your case, and deal with everything for you.

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

What we do for our clients.

Our goal for every client we represent is to obtain a result with the least possible impact on our clients. Everything that we do is with that goal in mind.  Lowest fine, but also least possible insurance impact.  For a professional driver, we want to protect your employment.

However, while dismissal of a charge is obviously the very best possible outcome, that result is not always possible. NO ATTORNEY CAN OR SHOULD GUARANTEE A RESULT OR SPECIFIC OUTCOME. Results will depend on the specifics of the incident, the officer’s quality of work, the prosecutor (if any), the judge we draw on the date of hearing, your driving history, witnesses and any admissions by you, among other factors.

If a dismissal does not look likely, there are other options by which may minimize a tickets impact on your license or insurance.

To repeat: “Our goal for every client we represent is to obtain a result with the least possible impact on our clients. Everything that we do is with that goal in mind.”

I focus traffic tickets which are infractions, with an exception for Driving With License Suspended 3rd degree charges, which are suspensions based on traffic violations, Reckless Driving, Racing, and Open Container, or Leaving the Scene charges. This allows me to focus on the areas of law that I have come to know best, and so better represent my clients.

I do not represent clients on any other criminal matters even when associated with a traffic violation. I do not represent clients who have received parking tickets, photo speeding tickets, or photo red light tickets, as those violations are not placed on the persons driving abstract.

My representation on accident cases is limited to a traffic infraction associated with the accident. I do not represent clients on property damage or personal injury claims. I can do a non-injury hit and run

An agreement to provide legal representation is a contract between a client an attorney. This relationship is not created until both parties agree to it. Use of this website or the free consultation offer does not create an attorney-client relationship. We do wish to speak with by phone or email to get the specifics of your case before entering into an agreement, but such communication does not create an agreement of representation.

To establish an attorney-client relationship with our office, first the Fee Agreement we send you must be filed out, signed by the client, returned to our office (Usually by Email or Electronic signing app like Docusign, Helloesign or Verisign), and the fee payment made in full . The attorney-client relationship exists once our office has received the returned documents and received the fee.

I DO NOT GUARANTEE A DISMISSAL OF ANY CHARGES, NOR ANY OTHER OUTCOME.  I CAN ONLY GUARANTEE MY BEST EFFORTS ON YOUR BEHALF.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TIMELY PERFORMANCE OF ANY CONDITIONS AGREED TO WITH THE COURT OR PROSECUTOR, AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY COURT ORDERED FINES OR COSTS.

 

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

You may also fill out the form below and we will call you.

 


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