Traffic Tickets Moving Violations Deferred Adjudication Defensive Driving

Traffic Tickets also known as Traffic Citations

If you are needing assistance with a traffic ticket (citation), usually time is very limited. It would be helpful if you could download and fill out the two traffic forms (links to the right) and send them to us via email, fax, or drop them off, along with a copy of your
ticket(s) and payment. Remember to include payment for the fine and attorney fees for each citation. We must receive the information and payment no later than 10:00am two business days prior to the due date for your citation(s). For example, if they must be acted on by Monday, we must receive the documents and payment by Thursday at 10:00am.

What are my options for dealing with a traffic ticket?

Options include: paying the ticket with a guilty or no contest plea, dismissal of the citation by taking a defensive driving class, asking the judge for a deferred adjudication (which keeps the ticket off your record), dismissal of the ticket prior to trial because of an error made by the officer or prosecution, or a trial either in front of the judge or a jury.

Typically those with a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) or those speeding more than 25mph over the limit are not eligible for anything other than pleading guilty, taking it to trial, or appealing to a higher court. However, some municipal or justice court judges might be willing to work with you.

When you hire us, we attempt to keep the citation off your record by getting you a deferred adjudication or similar plea bargain with the judge or prosecutor. If the judge refuses to grant you a plea bargain, you can then either pay the citation or you can continue the fight and hope the prosecution makes a mistake requiring dismissal of the citation prior to trial or hope you can win at trial. If you wish for us to represent you beyond the original plea bargain attempt you will need to make a separate attorney-client retainer agreement with us because our representation ends upon submission of the plea bargain, whether it is granted or not.

Another attorney in a big city is advertising traffic ticket services different than you, what is the difference?

You are probably referring to the ads often seen in larger cities like Dallas where attorneys advertise a small fee to dismiss your ticket. This is called "stacking" and here is how it works.

The attorney gets several clients at a time. Let us use the example of 10 clients, 9 of which have a speeding ticket with $100 fine and 1 who has a non-moving violation such as "dog off leash" with a $100 fine. The attorney collects $100 from each client, then goes to the prosecutor and pleads guilty on the 1 non-moving violation and pays a $1,000.00 fine on it in exchange for dismissal of the other 9 speeding tickets. It is a win-win situation for everyone. Those who received tickets do not have convictions which will raise their insurance rate, and the municipality receives all the money they would have received in fines without the expense of a trial. Unfortunately the judges here are not willing to consider allowing stacking at this time, so we cannot offer it to you.

Do you offer any other options?

Yes, we do offer a self-help, "do-it-yourself" package. Basically it includes instructions on how to handle your citation the same way we would do it. It includes sample pleadings for you to file with the court, including fill in the blank pages. It also includes some instructions on how to proceed if you take your ticket to trial and also help on avoiding tickets in the future. The packet contains very detailed instructions. If you are interested in purchasing the self-help packet, remember it is valid for only one citation per purchase. Please contact us via phone or email if you want to purchase the self-help packet, currently being offered for a special rate of only $25.

What about appeal?

Sometimes you can appeal to a higher court to get a deal that you cannot get in municipal or justice court (including some who will grant deferred to those with a CDL or speeding over 25mph over the limt), however the costs are higher. Many judges require an appeal bond of twice what the fine is. Attorney fees are more expensive as well because of the additional work required. And just like in justice/municipal court, there are no guarantees.

Remember, whether you do it yourself or have us represent you, there are NO GUARANTEES. The judge in your case may or may not rule in your favor and this is completely out of our control. The success we have had with other clients (including those with CDL's) is no guarantee that we will have success in your case. Every case is different.