Printable View
I got a speeding ticket last Thursday in Dallas Cty. I've gotten at least 6 letters from various lawyers saying they'll take care of it for $39 to $50.
Do these ambulance chasers really make money doing this all the time? Only one says money back guarantee. Are they just fishing to get more money out of you? Just curious how the whole thing works. Thanks.
I'm not a lawyer, just a lousy unemployed paralegal. but the only advantage I can see here is that the guys who do lots of traffic tickets seem to know all the judges and have relationships with them so they can get deals that you can't get by representing yourself, so you are paying these guys because of who they know. Yeah, I know. The system sucks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharpie
One of the Corporate Lawyers I worked for really got nailed in traffic court last year so just being a member of the bar won't always help you out. Another lawyer I know got off of a 90 mph+ ticket by exploiting a loophole and requesting documents that the officer couldn't produce in court. I have the funny feeling that officer is going to be looking for her car and next time he may have all his paperwork in order. She used to burn rubber every day going out of the parking lot.
Not knowing which department/agency issued the ticket, it's hard to say how the situation would play out.
That said, having worked in a Dallas County JP Court for 4 years, I can tell you what would most likely happen based on what I did on a daily basis.
Once you pay the lawyer his fee, he'll most likely fire off what we called a "27.14 letter" - A letter to the court entering a plea of no contest, and filing a Notice of Appeal under section 27.14(b) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The case gets kicked up to the appellate court, and since their docket is crammed with cases from the lower courts all the time, most of them get dismissed outright. Problem solved.
The ones that don't get dismissed usually get a reduced fine or deferred adjudication for 90 days.
As always though, IANAL, and YMMV. I haven't been in the court for about 2 years, so things may have changed slightly.
Sharpie can't you just request deferred adjudication yourself?? That's what I did on my last ticket (Fort Worth PD), no lawyer required.
+1. I used to use a lawyer all the time until I realized I was basically paying him $40 to call the court and ask for deferred adjudication for me. Out of a dozen or so tickets I took to him over several years, I think only one ended up getting dismissed.Quote:
Originally Posted by POS Racing
Thanks. I was really more curious about these guys making a living out of sending letters to people who get speeding tickets.
I plan to call and see what my options are. I had no intention of hiring these guys.
I got it from a Dallas County Sherriff.
I would like to know how they get the names and addresses of people who get tickets so fast. I'm sure it's public information.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharpie