If you got a traffic ticket in New Jersey, is it worth hiring a lawyer to represent you? While hiring a lawyer might seem expensive and more trouble than it’s worth, the reality is that it can be far more costly to move forward without an experienced New Jersey traffic court lawyer on your side. Here’s why:
Reason #1: Simply Paying Your Fine Will Result in a Conviction
Many people assume that when they receive a traffic ticket in New Jersey, their best option is to “simply pay the fine” and move on. But this is not the case.
Why? Because you aren’t “simply” paying the fine. Instead, you are pleading guilty to the traffic violation with which you have been charged. This results in a conviction on your driving record, and this can have a variety of consequences.
These consequences include points on your driving record and increased insurance premiums (as we discuss below). Additionally, if your job involves driving, you may be required to report your conviction to your employer. Not only that but if you apply for a different job in the future, having a conviction on your driving record could play a role in determining whether you are able to land the job.
Reason #2: Your Insurance Premiums Will Go Up if You Get Convicted
As we just mentioned, if you plead guilty to your traffic violation, this will add points to your driving record, and this, in turn, will increase your insurance premiums. Depending on the number of points you receive, your premiums could go up by anywhere from several hundred dollars to more than a thousand dollars per year.
You will have to pay these increased insurance premiums for several years—and this alone could far exceed the cost of hiring a New Jersey traffic court lawyer to represent you. As a result, even though this is not a consequence you will face in court, this is still among the most important reasons to hire an experienced New Jersey traffic court lawyer to represent you.
Reason #3: You May Be Required to Appear in Court
While “simply paying the fine” is an option in some cases (though not an option we recommend), sometimes getting a traffic ticket means you need to go to court. If the box next to “Court Appearance Required” on your traffic ticket is checked, then you need to go to court regardless of whether you want to fight your traffic ticket or not.
What happens if you don’t? If you don’t show up on your court date, you can be charged with failure to appear. Even if you have grounds to fight your traffic ticket, if you fail to appear for your court date, you can lose your driver’s license—and the judge can even issue a warrant for your arrest.
Reason #4: If You Need to Go to Court, You Need a Lawyer on Your Side
Whether you choose to go to court or you are required to do so, you will need an experienced New Jersey traffic court lawyer on your side. While you are allowed to represent yourself, this is not your best option. If you don’t know what you need to do to protect yourself, you can easily make very costly mistakes, and you can find yourself facing consequences that you could—and should—have avoided.
Reason #5: You May Have a Variety of Defenses Available
Another reason to talk to a New Jersey traffic court lawyer is that you may have a variety of defenses available. Just because the police pulled you over, this does not necessarily mean that you deserve to be convicted. Even if you violated the law (i.e., if you were speeding or ran a red light), an experienced lawyer may still be able to assert defenses that entitle you to a “not guilty” verdict at trial.
In this regard, it is important to remember that the prosecution has the burden of proof. If the prosecutor’s office does not have the evidence it needs to convict you—or if the prosecution’s evidence is inadmissible in court for constitutional or procedural reasons—then you are entitled to a “not guilty” verdict regardless of the facts of your case. But, even in this scenario, it is still up to you to convince the judge that a conviction is unwarranted.
Reason #6: You May Be Able to Negotiate a Plea Bargain that Reduces Your Fine and Insurance Premiums
Let’s say you broke the law, and prosecutors have the evidence they need to prove it. Can a New Jersey traffic court lawyer still help you?
While there are no guarantees, a New Jersey traffic court lawyer may be able to help you in this scenario as well. If fighting your traffic ticket in court is not a viable option, your lawyer may be able to negotiate a plea bargain that reduces the charge against you. This can also reduce your fine and the increase to your insurance premiums—and this can be well worth it.
Reason #7: Having Points Added to Your Driving Record Will Increase the Risks of Getting Pulled Over in the Future
Finally, if you get convicted and have points added to your driving record, this will increase the risk of getting pulled over in the future. If you accumulate too many points, this can lead to a driver’s license suspension—in addition to even further increasing your monthly payments to your insurance company.
Schedule a Confidential Consultation with a New Jersey Traffic Court Lawyer Today
Did you get a traffic ticket in New Jersey? If so, we strongly encourage you to contact us to discuss what we can do to help. To schedule a confidential consultation with a New Jersey traffic court lawyer at Helmer, Conley & Kasselman, P.A. as soon as possible, call us at 877-435-6371 or tell us how we can reach you online today.
