Got a ticket in Wake Co (46 in a 35). Can't be there on the court date to see if I can get it reduced or a PFJ (this is only my second ticket, and the first was way back in 1988). I don't normally speed, but I had a lot on my mind that day and was distracted. Anyway - out of the jillion letters I received form lawyers, any suggestion son how to pick one? The only dealing I've ever had w/ a lawyer in my life was closing on my house, and I just used the one the realtor recommended. Do I just pick the one w/ the best price? Do I need to call and talk to them? Please no judgements; I have lots of crap going on right now, and I really can't afford increased insurance right now. Thanks!
You don't need to "pick a lawyer". When you go to court, talk to the ADA who will be there talking with all the others. In most cases you'll walk out just having to pay court costs. If you lawyer up, you'll still have to pay court costs plus you'll have to pay the lawyer.
You missed the part where he said he can't go to court on that day. Hence the need for a lawyer. OP, any of them could probably handle it, but you might google them first for reviews or pick your own from the yellow pages instead of one who solicited you.
Yes, I will be out of town caring for my mother that day (recovering from cancer surgery), so I can't go. Several of the solicitations I received are for a flat $245 including all fines, court costs, etc. If I went myself, my cost is $218 ($30 fine and $188 court costs). So, basicllly, I pay the lawyer $27. BTW, I'm a she .
Most of them will do the same job, but there is always a chance one will screw up. You might want to google one or two of your first choices to make sure there are no surprises. The $27.00 is well worth it for the time you would spend going to the court house.
You could call the DA's office, explain the circumstances, and ask for a continuance. Then you could plead your own case as Palisade suggested, and possibly avoid the fines and insurance points.
Well, with my mother's cancer, I never know from one day to the next if I will be in town or not (she lives 80 miles away from me, and she is on the downhill slide now). I'd hate to reschedule and then have to miss it again. Better to go ahead and get it taken care of.
Well, I'm working two jobs and hardly see my family, but we are surviving better than we were before. Right now we all have come down with something that makes it harder to enjoy whatever little time we do have together. But the it will get better. Sucks that I have to go to work on Christmas day evening (be there for midnight til 8 on the 26th ) so I will spend much of my Christmas sleeping.
