What are the Benefits to Hiring a Houston or Dallas
Attorney in Traffic Court?
After getting over the initial inconvenience (and perhaps injustice) of being
pulled over and given a
traffic citation, you then have to
decide how you are going to handle your ticket.
For those who do not have the time to go to court or research
Texas traffic law, it is an easy
choice: hand the ticket over to an attorney who specializes in violations in
traffic court. Others, however, may
feel that they can handle the traffic citation on their own. Besides, they may wonder, it’s only a
minor traffic offense. How difficult
and complicated could it be?
If your only concern is taking care of the ticket, then you can hand over your
hard-earned money to the cities of Houston and Dallas.
They will be happy to take your money from you any day of the week. You can mail in a payment and the
ticket will be resolved with points going against your driving record.
However, if you are not eager to give up
your money to the city, care about your driving record, and want to get the best
deal possible, it’s always a good idea to hire an attorney. Here are some of the top reasons why
you should hire a Sullo and Sullo attorney to handle your
traffic ticket.
- Your attorney keeps you informed. One of the
biggest benefits of having a
Sullo and Sullo attorney with you in traffic court is that your
attorney will keep you informed. For the
ordinary law abiding/breaking citizen, traffic court often appears to be a
mysterious milieu: attorneys are walking around the courtroom talking to
different players; various defendants are approaching the bench at different
times to speak to the judge; police officers are walking in and out of the
courtroom signing mysterious sheets of paper; and bailiffs are yelling at
everyone to lower their voices and follow courtroom rules. With an attorney by
your side, you can remain confident that you know the rules of the court, how
your case is being handled, and how the day will unravel. You will look around and see many
frustrated faces, and some dazed and confused faces. But you can sit back and relax, knowing
that your attorney has just informed you of all the ins and outs of courtroom
procedure and protocol.
- Your attorney knows what gets a traffic case dismissed
in court. Many people have the
misperception that
traffic cases are only dismissed when
an officer does not show up to court.
However, there are many different angles through which a traffic case can be
dismissed pre-trial. When you hire Sullo
and Sullo to handle your case, you can be confident knowing that your attorney
has exhausted every possible means of dismissal.
From finding legal and factual mistakes on the drafted complaint to
talking to the prosecutor and officer about any possible mitigating factors,
your attorney will work every angle of the case with the goal of pre-trial
dismissal.
- Your attorney knows the rules of evidence and traffic
laws. If your case does end up going
to trial, you will be heavily disadvantaged if you do not have an attorney
advocating on your behalf. Probably one
of the most important reasons to have an attorney with you in traffic court is
the attorney’s knowledge of the rules of evidence and the convoluted
traffic laws of the state of Texas. While this
knowledge is helpful in pre-trial matters, it is critical during the trial
stage. Even the most highly-educated,
well-meaning defendants fail miserably when going up against a seasoned attorney
in trial. Pro se defendants often do not
know how to conduct an efficient voir dire, when and how to deliver certain
portions of their case at large, and how to conduct a debilitating cross
examination. Also, many defendants arrive
to court very well prepared armed with graphs, pictures and other evidence. They are often perplexed and stunned when
the judge prevents them from showing any of the evidence to the jury because
none of the items have been properly introduced in accordance with the rules of
evidence. Don’t let yourself become one
of these unfortunate people who are left wondering, “Why didn’t I just hire an
attorney?” You wouldn’t operate on
yourself if you discovered you needed gastric bypass surgery. Instead, you would seek the services of a
skilled professional in that area. So,
without the legal background and education of an attorney, why would you
litigate a case on your own?
- Your attorney knows the court system.
Every Sullo attorney knows the game and
how it’s played in traffic court. Our
attorneys who specialize in
traffic tickets are in the traffic
trenches every day of the week. They are
a part of the everyday routine and see the inner workings of the court system. Your attorney will know which prosecutors
are the best to work deals with and which prosecutors are the best to try cases
against. Your attorney will also know the
nuances of each judge and tailor his/her trial tactics accordingly. Do not underestimate the value of your
attorney’s everyday interaction with and exposure to all the courtroom players. Your attorney will take this vault of
information and guide you through the strategy for your specific case. You will quickly know what will get you in
trouble with the bailiffs in certain courts, and what you should say and what
you should not say. Having an attorney
with this wealth of knowledge by your side is an invaluable asset.
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