WAYS LAWYERS CAN HELP
T
here are three basic ways a lawyer can help when you are charged with a traffic violation.
1 CONSULT AND ADVISE
T
he lawyer can listen to the details of your situation, analyze your legal position, and give you the pros and cons of several alternate courses of action. Ideally, the lawyer won’t just give you conclusions, but enough good information to allow you to make your own informed choices. This kind of coaching is the least expensive, because it involves only an office call—or sometimes even a phone call. Depending on where you live. Find out the fee before you go in.
2
NEGOTIATE
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or more serious charges you may be able to use the lawyer’s skill and experience to help you negotiate with the prosecuting agency. Often a lawyer’s previous relationships with the prosecution and experience with plea bargaining can be helpful in limiting the price you might have to pay in terms of jail and penalties.
3 REPRESENT YOU IN COURT
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f you face driving-under-the-influence charges or even an ordinary ticket that could result in your license being suspended, a lawyer may be able to present a more effective defense in court than you could muster on your own. Similarly, an experienced lawyer may help you put on a more effective presentation at a motor vehicles bureau license-suspension hearing. Inexperienced defendants are often (1) disorganized, with the result that their version of the facts is rarely clearly presented, and (2) they often focus the court’s attention on reams of insignificant details, forgetting to concentrate on the one or two key points that can influence the decision
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