If you're searching for an attorney who can help you beat a traffic ticket in court and help keep it off your record, you have to present the attorney with specific information. Not only will he or she need to know what you were ticketed for, of course, but you'll also need to provide details about locations, and what you've been ticketed for before. Having all of this information ready when you go in to meet with the attorney can make that meeting go a lot more smoothly.
Where the Ticket Was Issued
The place where you got your ticket can influence your case quite a bit. The location determines where you have to go to court, and depending on how busy the court is, that location may or may not give you a better chance of having the ticket dismissed. Bankrate notes that one Houston attorney said he's learned to choose his cases bases on where the court hearing will be, with the crowded city municipal court a favorite because of its crowded schedule—he finds it easier to succeed there, rather than in a slower-paced court. That might be different for the attorney you see, but now you know why your court location can be so important.
What Your Prior Record Is
If you have a relatively clean record, your case is going to look a lot more positive. Someone with many, many tickets and violations, even if all paid up, is not going to garner much support from the court. Someone who has not been as unlucky on the road could be seen as someone who has learned their lesson even without having the ticket attached to their driving record. Remember that your record is already a part of the state's computer systems, so don't try to hide your past tickets.
What Extenuating Circumstances Existed
If there were any extenuating circumstances, you need to tell the lawyer. These might not be brought up in court, but it can help if, say, you were ticketed for speeding because you were on the way to the hospital to see a relative who was admitted in an emergency. There are never any guarantees that this information will help you, but leave that to the attorney to decide.
It is possible to keep a traffic ticket off your record and to work out deals in which you don't face as many negative repercussions. But you need a good traffic ticket or driving offenses attorney like Sam Baxter Bardwell, P.A. to help you out.
