Top West Chester, PA Speeding Ticket Lawyers Near You

How long do you have to attend traffic school?

Many traffic school programs that would keep a traffic ticket off of your record are only a few hours. A program like this can pay big dividends in helping you get out from under having a ticket make your auto insurance premiums skyrocket. Your attorney can help you better understand your options.

How long does a traffic ticket stay on your record?

This depends on the state you live in. Many states will remove tickets for speeding, running a red light, failure to signal, or other minor violations from your record after five years. More serious offenses, like reckless driving, can stay on your record for 10 years or more.

What happens to your ticket if you plead not guilty?

By paying your ticket, you are pleading guilty and admitting fault. If you wish to contest your ticket, it will contain a court date on it, where you will be able to appear before a judge and state your case. You can have an attorney represent you. The officer who wrote the ticket may show up in court and give testimony for why you deserve the ticket.

Top Questions to Ask When Hiring an Attorney

• How many years have you been practicing law? How long have you practiced law in the local area?
• How many cases similar to mine have you handled in the past?
• What is the likely outcome for my case?

In legal practice, experience matters. An experienced attorney will likely have handled issues similar to yours many, many times. Therefore, after listening to your situation, the attorney should have a reasonable idea of the time line for a case like yours and the likely resolution.

Tips on Approaching an Initial Attorney Consultation

• Use the consultation as a means of gaining a better understanding of your legal situation.
• Ask the attorney how many cases similar to yours he/she has handled. An attorney’s experience and knowledge can speak to their expertise (or lack of) in addressing your situation.
• Your attorney should be able to articulate roughly how long a case like yours will take to resolve and what sort of procedures to expect.
• Determine how comfortable you are working with the lawyer and/or law firm.

Tips on Hiring an Experienced Lawyer with Speeding Ticket Cases

The more experienced a lawyer is in legal practice, the more likely he/she will be able to bring about a successful resolution to your issue. Since experience matters, lawyers who’ve been practicing law for many years (with a successful track record) tend to be in high demand. You should look for information about a lawyer’s experience and ask questions during the initial meeting. It’s a very good idea to ask the lawyer how many years he/she has been practicing law and the expected outcome of your case.

Common legal terms explained

Personal jurisdiction – Requirement that a particular court have authority over a person, in order to bind that person to the judgment of the court, based on minimum contacts. International Shoe Co v. Washington is a landmark Supreme Court case outlining the scope of a state court’s reach in personal jurisdiction.