California Traffic Court

LOS ANGELES TRAFFIC TICKET DEFENSE ATTORNEY
Los Angeles traffic is pretty well known.  Haters from the rest of the country thing that LA is a smoggy parking lot where the ground shakes all day, every day.  And while a trip on the I-405 at rush hour might not always be pleasant, that's not the topic of this post.  Instead, I'll be explaining the traffic court process.

When you are issued a traffic citation, the officer will have you sign it.  This is your promise to appear in court on the date indicated on the citation. 

This first court date is called an arraignment.  You will enter a plea of not guilty, guilty or no contest.  If you enter a guilty plea, you will usually be sentenced to a fine amount that day.  You will have some time to pay, but expect the amount to be hefty.  Courts impose penalties and assessments that multiply the amount you know by about 5 or 6!.  So that $100 fine might end up costing you over $500.  A no contest plea will be treated as a guilty plea, but cannot be used against you in any civil proceedings (e.g. your alleged traffic violation resulted in an accident).

If you enter a not guilty plea, you will be setting the case for trial.  Don't worry, that's not as daunting as it sounds.  Your trial will last about 10 minutes and there won't be a jury.  The good news is: if the citing officer doesn't show up to court on your trial date, the ticket will be dismissed.  An attorney can also help to negotiate a lesser violation; one that doesn't add a point to your driver's license.  To set a case for trial, the judge may require you to post bail.  Again, having an attorney appear for you is a benefit here.  The attorney's appearance on your behalf ensures the court that the attorney will return to court when so ordered by the judge.  As it turns out, hiring a traffic attorney can actually be the cheapest way to handle a ticket.  You don't have to miss work twice and usually get to avoid paying bail to fight the ticket.  It also gives you the best chance of winning your traffic trial.

Older tickets, tickets with failures to appear, tickets that have gone to collections and more serious infractions pose unique challenges, and having an attorney could end up saving you a lot of money and saving your driver's license.  If you have a serious traffic matter, consider hiring an attorney who has experience in LA courts dealing with complex traffic matters.

If you've received a traffic ticket, contact my office for a free consultation and case evaluation.  Having a Los Angeles Traffic Ticket Attorney on your side can help you avoid points, costly fines and increased insurance rates.  Also saves you the hassle of going to court and waiting for hours to be heard.

IMPORTANT LINKS:
Los Angeles Superior Court  
Los Angeles Police Department
Department of Motor Vehicles

Best,

Nicholas M. Loncar, Esq. 
Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney
t: 213-375-3775 | f: 213-375-3099
Mobile: 323-803-4352 
NL@iDefendLosAngeles.com
1200 Wilshire Blvd | Suite 406
Los Angeles, CA | 90017
www.iDefendLosAngeles.com

By Nicholas Loncar

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