Normally, people who have been charged with traffic violations tend to represent themselves in court and while this may work for some minor offenses, several traffic offenses can amount to criminal charges and in such a scenario, it is always a good thing to have a learned legal counsel by your side to argue on your behalf in the court with proper legal arguments and find loopholes in the law to reduce the charges one is facing or best-case scenario, completely get the charges dismissed. In this article, we will find out the average cost of a lawyer for a speeding ticket.
Lawyers spend a major portion of their day in courts and are familiar with the tricks of the trade. Traffic violation tickets can be for a nominal amount but in reality, these violations may lead you to pay a larger sum of money in the future. It can be said that a charge does not completely disappear once it’s paid. The most common reason for not hiring traffic ticket attorneys is to save the lawyer fees but from a factual point of view, the lawyer fees are usually a lower charge than what you’ll eventually have to pay once the violation incurs demerit points associated with your driving license. The average cost of a lawyer for speeding ticket will be discussed below in detail, along with its benefits as follow.
Cost Of Hiring A Lawyer For Speeding Ticket
Lawyers charge a range of fees, depending upon how experienced a lawyer is, how serious is the offense, and how many visits to the courtroom would it take to fight the case. Usually, lawyers charge consultation fees first which range between $50-$150. If the offense is minor, this consultation fee would be all you need to pay if you choose to represent yourself in court afterward. However, if the offense in question is major which may attract criminal liability, the lawyers would advise you to represent you in court and fees would be charged for that representation. On average, the representation fees range between $1000-$2000.
Minor And Major Offences
Minor offenses are the ones that can be easily fought off with reasonable explanation and usually, the ticket amount is nominal. Some examples of common minor offenses are:
Driving over the speed limit
Running a stop sign
Traffic light violations
On the other hand, serious offenses require professional legal representation to avoid any further charges, such as criminal liability. Some common major offenses include:
Driving Under Influence (Drunk Driving)
Reckless Driving
How a Lawyer is Cheaper?
Once a traffic ticket is charged to your vehicle, it will show up in the DMV records leading to demerit points on your license. If this happens, there is a high chance that your insurance premium would go up and you will eventually pay much more money than you would have paid a lawyer to get the said charges dismissed or at least the demerit points being negotiated. For example, if you face a ticket for $200, your insurance premium would increase to around $400 per annum. On the other hand, a lawyer would have taken a one-time charge between $1000-2000. In light of these facts, it is better to hire a lawyer than to pay a higher premium on your car insurance.
Escaping Traffic Tickets
Deliberately ignoring traffic tickets and not paying them on time is not a smart move. Drivers who have a lot of tickets that are pending are likely to face strict court hearings and the chances of getting their driving license suspended also increase significantly. Traffic violations, minor or major, are to be taken seriously and the best course of action is to hire an attorney and gain knowledge of all possible routes available to you to prevent your license from being suspended.
Conclusion
Traffic violations are common and in the majority of cases, the violations are minor and can be fought off easily by an attorney. In any case, the best course of action is to hire an attorney to prevent oneself from facing criminal charges, paying higher insurance premiums, or in cases of serious offenses, even jail. The benefits of having an attorney by your side outweigh the costs and for serious offenses, such as DUI, it is highly recommended not to go to court without professional recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I Hire An Attorney?
Usually, almost all attorneys would have legal knowledge of laws regarding traffic but it is better to hire an attorney who deals only with traffic violations since they would have more experience in traffic violation courtrooms.
- Can I Pay Traffic Tickets In Installments?
Some judges are generous, whereas some judges are strict. It is up to the court to decide on such matters but an experienced lawyer may be able to get you a payment plan from the courts.
- How Much Are Speeding Tickets?
On average, speeding tickets cost between $100-$200. However, the costs depend on how much you have exceeded the speed limit.
