If you have received a traffic ticket in North Carolina, there is an excellent chance that you may also be facing a lawsuit. Receiving a traffic ticket in North Carolina could lead to expensive fines, increased insurance rates, more points on your license, and a possible suspended or revoked license. However, when you pay a traffic ticket the cost to you may not always be the expense of the ticket. Sometimes paying a fine results in a lower fine. And in some instances you might even lose points from your license. Therefore, it is important to retain an attorney who has experience handling traffic ticket cases.
How can traffic ticket attorneys help you? In many instances, a police officer making an arrest is guilty of civil wrongs.
These include arresting you without probable cause and without ever having obtained a warrant. This is usually illegal and if it happened in your jurisdiction you may have grounds for a lawsuit. Hiring a criminal defense attorney could mean the difference between a guilty verdict and a case dismissed.
In addition, many times ticketed drivers receive a letter from their circuit judge stating that their case has been dismissed for lack of probable cause.
At this point they are typically required to pay legal fees and lose any points on their license. If you have paid your legal fees but are still found a judge has dismissed your case then you may be able to restore your license by paying a few additional legal fees. These additional legal fees will often reduce the cost of your traffic ticket.
You also may want to contact traffic ticket attorneys if you receive an official letter from your circuit court judge stating that your traffic citation is being dismissed due to lack of probable cause.
While these cases are almost always dismissed, it is possible you will still need representation. Many people think this option is not available to them and end up paying an exorbitant amount of money for representation. You need to take action if you do not want to spend money for representation that will only get you more tickets.
If you need to go to court for your traffic offense, it is important to find a knowledgeable traffic ticket attorneys to represent you in the best possible way.
If you received a citation from a law enforcement officer you may be eligible for a bench warrant or criminal arrest. Your citation may also be referred to as a complaint which means that you could face jail time if you fail to appear at your first court date. There are several ways that you can get involved with this type of situation.
First, you can choose to fight your ticket by challenging its legality.
You should know that violating traffic laws such as overspeed, running red lights, failure to yield, or changing lanes for too long can lead to serious consequences. If you are found guilty of any of these violations, you will have to pay your fines in addition to serving jail time. If you have a good defense attorney, this can be an effective way to reduce the penalties that you face from this type of violation.
Another option you have is to accept a guilty plea in exchange for the penalties that you face from the citation.
By doing so you will not need to fight your ticket but instead will pay your fines and attend the hearing in the hopes of resolving the issue between yourself and the state. However, a guilty plea can negatively impact your driver’s license. You can avoid this problem by choosing an experienced attorney to represent you who has knowledge in this area of law.
A warrant for your arrest can be issued if you fail to appear at your first court date for any of the above violation.
A warrant can be valid for 90 days or until you clear your court date for the violation. The warrant can be carried around with you while you are in school or work. It is possible to get out of jail once the warrant has been lifted but it is important to understand that a warrant does not make you free while in jail. If you ignore a traffic violation and later find yourself in jail you must hire an experienced attorney to fight your case.
