Hire an attorney (ticket fighting company) or defend the ticket yourself?

[Crinkle_cut]

So I went to court today, and there were 3 attorneys representing a variety of clients. They represented approximately 6 tickets.

There were 7 police officers whose tickets were assigned our time slot. 6 of the 7 officers showed up, and the officer who didn't show up was represented by one of the attorneys. He recognized this and pleaded not guilty, charges were withdrawn and thrown out.

The remaining 5 tickets represented by these attorneys all pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. They had the points reduced as well as the fine reduced.

I had the option of also hiring someone for my seatbelt violation, since I was fined 2 demerit points and a $110 fine/ I asked 3 companies how much would it cost to represent me, and the price ranged from $240-350. They each said they couldn't guarantee I'd have the charges withdrawn, but they might be able to get them withdrawn, but at the very least will get the points reduced, and possibly the fine reduced.

I asked if I was assigned a fine still, if that would be covered in my $240 fee? They said no, so essentially hiring them could cost me $350 ($240 + 110).

After thinking about it, I could guarantee the exact same result as them. If officer doesn't show up, I get my case thrown out. If they do show up, I plead guiulty to a lesser charge and fine.

So I showed up and the officer did as well. I was like DAMN, can't plead not guilty now since I ordered the Disclosure and the details were pretty descriptive. Then I pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. I had my 2 points removed completely, and my fine reduced to the minimum of $60.

In the end, I saved myself a ton of money by not hiring an attorney.

People don't realize they can do the exact same thing as the attorney. Because the only time a case gets withdrawn is if the details in the disclosure are incorrect, then the officer loses credibility; or if the officer doesn't show up.

Was it worth it to save $220 ($240 lowest cost for attorney + 30 tax - $50 savings in ticket fine) by doing it myself? That's debatable. I had to take a vacation day from work, and I make more than $220 a day in salary. So it really depends on the individual. I guess since I had excess vacation days, I didn't mind.

But it is good to see how the court process works in person.

Anyone else's thoughts or experiences in hiring someone or representing themselves?

[V A N Q U I S H]

I'm looking to do the same thing and your story has reinforced my decision. In addition to that however, I'm going to try a first attendance meeting with the prosecutor so that I can see what they have to offer.

[jandumm]

Hey I was in court today too :)...what a coincidence :P

Anyway I agree with your post.

Anyway I've also noticed in the last two traffic court dates I've attended in the last few weeks (not for myself) that none of the ticket fighters tried to contest the charges. They always took the lesser charges -> and I always think that the people paying them kinda got jacked, cuz showing up in person, they'd get pretty much the same thing.

The only time I'd think of hiring someone was if the charges were of a serious nature, e.g. careless/reckless driving, stunt racing etc.

[Whitedart]

Anyway I've also noticed in the last two traffic court dates I've attended in the last few weeks (not for myself) that none of the ticket fighters tried to contest the charges. They always took the lesser charges -> and I always think that the people paying them kinda got jacked, cuz showing up in person, they'd get pretty much the same thing.

The only time I'd think of hiring someone was if the charges were of a serious nature, e.g. careless/reckless driving, stunt racing etc.

No the people paying didn't get jacked. Those ticket fighters have talked to and arranged a lessor charge plea with the prosecutor before court even started. The arrangement may have been made a day, a week or even longer before the trial date. No different than what many lawyers do before court trials.

In many instances, they will get a better offer from the prosecutor that you would receive alone, as they have to work together on many cases.

[phht]

So I went to court today, and there were 3 attorneys representing a variety of clients. They represented approximately 6 tickets.

There were 7 police officers whose tickets were assigned our time slot. 6 of the 7 officers showed up, and the officer who didn't show up was represented by one of the attorneys. He recognized this and pleaded not guilty, charges were withdrawn and thrown out.

The remaining 5 tickets represented by these attorneys all pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. They had the points reduced as well as the fine reduced.

I had the option of also hiring someone for my seatbelt violation, since I was fined 2 demerit points and a $110 fine/ I asked 3 companies how much would it cost to represent me, and the price ranged from $240-350. They each said they couldn't guarantee I'd have the charges withdrawn, but they might be able to get them withdrawn, but at the very least will get the points reduced, and possibly the fine reduced.

I asked if I was assigned a fine still, if that would be covered in my $240 fee? They said no, so essentially hiring them could cost me $350 ($240 + 110).

After thinking about it, I could guarantee the exact same result as them. If officer doesn't show up, I get my case thrown out. If they do show up, I plead guiulty to a lesser charge and fine.

So I showed up and the officer did as well. I was like DAMN, can't plead not guilty now since I ordered the Disclosure and the details were pretty descriptive. Then I pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. I had my 2 points removed completely, and my fine reduced to the minimum of $60.

In the end, I saved myself a ton of money by not hiring an attorney.

People don't realize they can do the exact same thing as the attorney. Because the only time a case gets withdrawn is if the details in the disclosure are incorrect, then the officer loses credibility; or if the officer doesn't show up.

Was it worth it to save $220 ($240 lowest cost for attorney + 30 tax - $50 savings in ticket fine) by doing it myself? That's debatable. I had to take a vacation day from work, and I make more than $220 a day in salary. So it really depends on the individual. I guess since I had excess vacation days, I didn't mind.

But it is good to see how the court process works in person.

Anyone else's thoughts or experiences in hiring someone or representing themselves?

Your lesser charge may carry a conviction that would impact the your insurance premium.

[jandumm]

No the people paying didn't get jacked. Those ticket fighters have talked to and arranged a lessor charge plea with the prosecutor before court even started. The arrangement may have been made a day, a week or even longer before the trial date. No different than what many lawyers do before court trials.

In many instances, they will get a better offer from the prosecutor that you would receive alone, as they have to work together on many cases.

Yah but regardless, by pleading guilty to the lesser charge, you're still guilty.

Most people don't care about the fine, points are somewhat a bigger deal for some people but for most they're not concerned -> people are most concerned with insurance premiums, and by pleading to the lesser charge it impacts your insurance anyway.

Again if I was in a situation where I already had a lot of points or a more serious charge, I'd definitely consider hiring an agent. However for offences that are simpler and don't have a lot of room to fight (e.g. speeding), I don't think it's worth it, as there's one of 3 outcomes:

1) Cop doesn't show. <- outcome would be the same whether or not you have an agent
2) Plead guilty to lesser offence <- even if the agent gets a "better" deal, from an insurance perspective, you're still screwed. For insurance, anything under 50 km/h speeding is considered a "minor" conviction, thus the only difference is the fine. And the fee you've paid to the agent.
3) Go to trial -> if you take this option, then an agent will definitely help depending on the specifics. However, I've yet to see it happen for a case where there's radar/lasers.

[Crinkle_cut]

No the people paying didn't get jacked. Those ticket fighters have talked to and arranged a lessor charge plea with the prosecutor before court even started. The arrangement may have been made a day, a week or even longer before the trial date. No different than what many lawyers do before court trials.

In many instances, they will get a better offer from the prosecutor that you would receive alone, as they have to work together on many cases.

Actually they didn't get a better offer from the prosecutor. Reason I know this is because they deal with the ticket fighters first, as they represent the most cases. So they read out the charges, and the fines imposed for everyone to hear.

After the ticket fighters are done, they proceed with the public. And you know what? The public got the EXACT SAME DEALS! Same amount of fine and same amount of points for the exact same infractions.

The only time I saw them strike a deal out of the court room was a year ago, as I sat beside them on a bench outside the court room. The ticket fighter said I'll plead guilty and keep the points and fines as is for this one case, if you can knock off a litle more off this other case. They agreed.

Now the person who he represented that got zero change, really got jacked. As the ticket fighters say if we dont improve your fine, then we serve you for free. So they dont get the $240 the customer paid to represent them, but got the $700 from the 3 other cases he was representing. It's so ridiculous how they operate. Pretty much sacrifice one case for another so they can advertise how well they did.

But yeah, they got the same deals as the public the day that I went in this week. Not $1 different for the same infractions.

[tjthemanto]

Say the cop doesn't show up ...when you go to meet the prosecutor to plead guilty to a lesser charge ( reduced fine/points ) or not guilty does the prosecutor tell you if the cop has showed up or not if you ask him .

I mean how do you know that the cop has come or not..you might not remember what the cop looked like or he might be in some other room .

Suppose the cop hasn't come your case will be thrown out if you plead not guilty but what if you plead guilty to a lesser charge with the prosecutor not knowing whether the cop is there or not...can you now reverse your decision to not guilty since you now find out that the cop hasn't come .

I mean can you point blank ask the prosecutor , " Is the cop who handed me the ticket physically present in court..If yes I will plead guilty to a lesser charge or IF no then I plead not guilty ( as the case will be thrown out ) " .

Is the prosecutor supposed to or obliged to tell you truthfully if the cop is present or not if you ask him that ?..since you are going to base your decision to plead not guilty or guilty to a lesser charge based on the absence or presence of the cop .

[tjthemanto]

So I went to court today, and there were 3 attorneys representing a variety of clients. They represented approximately 6 tickets.

....
I had the option of also hiring someone for my seatbelt violation, since I was fined 2 demerit points and a $110 fine/ I asked 3 companies how much would it cost to represent me, and the price ranged from $240-350. They each said they couldn't guarantee I'd have the charges withdrawn, but they might be able to get them withdrawn, but at the very least will get the points reduced, and possibly the fine reduced.

....
So I showed up and the officer did as well. I was like DAMN, can't plead not guilty now since I ordered the Disclosure and the details were pretty descriptive. Then I pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

I had my 2 points removed completely, and my fine reduced to the minimum of $60.

.....



For Insurance purposes only the court conviction or non-conviction counts...insurance companies don't care about the demerit points /fines etc...they only see if its a minor , major or serious conviction & raise your premiums accordingly ...( unless ofcourse the demerit points are so much that your licence is about to be suspended )

So even if you got the fine/demerit points reduced its still going to go on your insurance record as a minor conviction . & stay on your record for 3 years ...and potentially they can jack up your premium based on that ( depending upon how many previous convictions you have or future convictions you will have )