Do I need a traffic ticket lawyer?
While no traffic court will force you to have a lawyer for a typical violation, an attorney can often be quite beneficial. Just an initial consultation with an attorney may alert you to certain potential problems or surcharges that you wouldn’t otherwise have know existed. Once you understand the potential consequences of the ticket, hiring a lawyer would be a decision based on those consequences as well as a number of other factors such as your job, your location relative to the court, your prior driving history, the reputation of the particular court, etc.
The bottom line is hiring an attorney often is a relatively modest investment that will allow you to avoid going to court in most cases, be fully prepared for any potential consequences and give you the best possible chance of a successful outcome on your case. There are a few tickets that you may not need a New York traffic ticket lawyer for (certain minor, no point violations) and any lawyer you consult with should let you know if that’s the case with your ticket.
Can I get a traffic ticket dismissed in NY?
Any attorney can try to get every single ticket completely dismissed but In some cases that might not necessarily be the most prudent decision. In NYC, yes--every case is fought via a small hearing where the outcome is either win or lose, dismiss (not guilty) or guilty. We get many tickets dismissed via these hearings every day and that will always be our goal. However, there are other courts throughout the state where negotiation is encouraged. In these cases we may pursue a plea bargained lesser violation where just a fine is due. This may not be technically a dismissal but may be the more prudent move if your license remains clean and you end up spending less money and taking less risk than you would pursuing a complete dismissal.
All this is discussed during consultation. We review options and share what we think may be the best way for the individual client to proceed.
What are the consequences of ignoring a traffic ticket in NY?
Ignoring your traffic ticket is always going to be the wrong decision to make regarding your summons. If you don’t pay the ticket or show up in court, you could end up suspended in New York (or your home license state), end up with a warrant issued, end up with credit problems, problems renting a car, etc. When you try to eventually fix the situation, it will take longer and be more expensive. It’s just not the right way to deal with a ticket when you get one.
What are the benefits of fighting a New York traffic ticket?
To understand the potential benefits all you have to do is look at the potential consequences of a conviction. Fighting helps avoid points on the license, increased insurance, fines, assessments, potential loss of driving privileges and potential employment issues.
Should I fight my ticket?
We never want to see anyone accept a conviction without fighting back somehow...especially if that person feels the ticket wasn’t fairly issued. Ultimately, the decision to fight comes down to an analysis of the potential penalties one is facing, the chances of avoiding or lessening said penalties and the time and/or monetary cost involved with fighting the ticket.
Do I need to show up in court?
In most cases, if you have an attorney you’ll never need to go to court.
If you are fighting the ticket on your own, you’ll almost always need to be there. While a few courts may give you some option of dealing with the ticket without showing up, those options generally aren’t as effective as appearing in person and confronting the officer or talking to the prosecutor.
If you are just looking to pay a ticket and plead guilty, most courts will allow you to do this by mail or internet. If the court won’t allow this it is probably because you are facing a charge or penalty that is more serious than you anticipated. If you are told to appear in person just to plead guilty to a charge you should seriously consider discussing with an attorney first to make sure you aren’t walking into a difficult situation.
How is Feifer & Greenberg different from other traffic ticket law firms in New York?
We can’t speak for every law firm out there but we can give our opinion on what makes a good vehicle and traffic law firm. We feel it’s necessary to be experienced in this particular type of law. That it’s necessary to have experience in our clients’ particular court. That free consults are offered and are open and honest (meaning if an attorney can’t help or doesn’t think a lawyer is necessary then they say so). That there is full preparation for court, making sure all evidence and explanations and docs are part of the file and all authorizations or other court paperwork are in place. That there is outstanding client service throughout--a responsive administrative staff and contact with clients when needed.
At Feifer & Greenberg, we check off every one of the above boxes. We do feel we give people their best chance of success and that there isn’t a traffic law firm out there that does the overall job better than us
What locations does Feifer & Greenberg service?
While our main offices are in New York City, we service all of New York State. We have a statewide network of in house and of counsel attorneys who can take on your case, whether you’re ticketed in Manhattan or on the border of Canada.
This network has allowed us to compile a database containing information and results and general knowledge on practically every single court in New York. It allows us to give more accurate consults regarding our goals and chances of success and also allows us to keep our low flat fees uniform throughout the state regardless of where a case may be.
Do you guarantee that we’ll win?
Unfortunately, no. It’s impossible to predict the outcome of any case, even the simplest ones. What we can guarantee, however, is that we will always provide the best legal representation we can. We also guarantee to be transparent and keep you informed of our goals, objectives, and steps we plan to take so you’re always in the loop.
Can I fight my traffic ticket if I don’t live in New York?
If you are an out of state licensed driver, there are two primary considerations when deciding what to do with your New York traffic ticket. First is what the penalties are in New York for the ticket. Second is how those points and other consequences of the ticket may affect you in your home state. These considerations will help you determine whether the ticket is worth fighting and whether hiring a lawyer might be the right decision for you.
Whether you’d need to personally appear in court depends a bit on whether you have an attorney or not. With an attorney, you’d almost never need to appear. Without one, you’d likely need to be there. While a small number of courts may make some exception to their appearance rules for an out of state unrepresented driver, for the most part they will require you to be there personally just like they would a New York licensed driver.
