the Price of a Lawyer for a Traffic Ticket

I obtained legal services for my defense of a traffic ticket I received for speeding, 10/mph over posted speed limit. The price of $300.00 included one half-hour of preparation time by the attorney and one court appearance. I was told that if additional court appearances were needed, I would be billed at the standard rate of $200.00 per court appearance (lasting one hour or less, including wait time), $200.00 per hour of any additional services that the attorney performed, and $75.00 per hour for services received from his paralegal. The lawyer made no guarantee of any outcome but he did inform me that with legal representation, I would have a better chance at having the charges reduced or possibly dismissed completely.

Like I said, I was given no guarantee of any outcome and that can be a bit scary. The prosecutor pushed to have me pay the ticket and take a state approved continuing drivers education class. Taking the class would have removed the points from my Kentucky license that the ticket would generate, as increased points will lead to suspension. However, the payment of the ticket, with or without the class, did not alter my insurance company's policy and the ticket would remain to count against my driving record with them. This was not an acceptable outcome for me. The attorney argued in my defense and was able to have the ticket reduced to improper equipment. This resulted in a reduced fine as well as it being a non-pointable offense to the state and to my insurance company. I was very pleased with the outcome.

My advice is to call several attorneys. Successful lawyers in the courtroom are not ones who sit at their desk waiting for the phone to ring. Leave a detailed message when you call, especially if you speak with a voice mail system. Speak directly to the attorney before making your decision to hire him or her. Ask for opinions of the possible outcomes in your case. Trust no attorney who who does not explain both the positive outcome and the negative outcome. And trust no lawyers who offers you a guarantee. There are no guarantees in negotiations in the courtroom.