How can a traffic ticket lawyer or agent help you?

A traffic ticket lawyer or agent can help more than you might think.

Just because a police officer gave you a ticket doesn't mean you'll be convicted. A traffic ticket lawyer or court agent can help you successfully defend or lessen the consequences of a traffic charge, often without you having to make a court appearance.

Traffic ticket lawyers and agents conduct thousands of traffic cases each year, and they recognize defences to traffic charges that most people are not aware of. Often this results in the outright dismissal of the charges, or negotiating a plea that results in lower fines and fewer or zero demerit points.

The starting point for your lawyer/agent.

A traffic ticket is much like a criminal charge. You are entitled to examine the evidence against you before you go to trial.

After meeting with you to gather some basic information, your lawyer will order a copy of the case against you from the prosecutor. The case will likely be made up of the traffic ticket and any notes the officer made. If you were involved in an accident, or if someone else reported your driving to the police, there may also be witness statements.

Your lawyer will examine the copy of your traffic ticket, the officer's notes and any witness statements to answer these questions:

• Is your file complete or is something missing?
• Were any mistakes made by the officer?
• Were the proper charges laid or were you overcharged?
• Are there any witnesses against you and, if so, what have they said?
• If any technical equipment (like a laser) was used, was it properly calibrated?

You might be surprised at the level of knowledge required to properly prepare a traffic ticket case. Once your lawyer has completed their preparation, they'll meet with you and discuss your options.

What are your options?

You might be advised that the case against you can't be proved and you should plead not guilty. Or you may be told that there appears to be a case against you, but plea negotiations are appropriate.

Plea bargaining.

Plea bargaining happens every day in traffic court. It involves negotiations between the prosecutor and the defence, whereby the parties agree that the charges will be dropped or a guilty plea will be entered to a lesser offence. In the case of a traffic ticket, this usually means a lower fine and/or fewer or zero demerit points. With fewer demerit points, the cost of your insurance is less likely to increase.

Even if you don't have a defence to your traffic ticket, a traffic court agent may be able to negotiate a plea to a lesser offence. It's best to let someone who knows the system do the negotiating for you. With the expert help of a traffic court agent, your likelihood of successful plea negotiations goes up.

The bottom line.

The bottom line is that a traffic ticket lawyer or traffic court agent can often lessen or eliminate the consequences of a traffic ticket without you ever having to make a court appearance.