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Glendale Traffic Violation Lawyer

At Orent Law Offices, our Glendale traffic violation attorneys understand that dealing with a traffic violation can be stressful, especially if you have never had a brush of any kind with the law and are unfamiliar with legal procedures. We represent both Arizona and out-of-state drivers, both commercial and non-commercial, who have been stopped and ticketed or arrested for traffic violations.

We will carefully review your options and explain everything you need to know to decide on the best strategy for dealing with the problem. We can often have the civil or criminal charges dismissed or reduced, and may be able to obtain an acquittal on criminal charges at trial.

You may make a heroic effort to drive carefully and obey the rules, but in spite of your best efforts, chances are that sooner or later you will inadvertently (or not) violate some traffic regulation. If you are lucky, the violation will go unobserved; if you’re not, you may end up with a ticket, and that means a lot of aggravation.

If it is a minor violation and didn’t cause an accident, you can accept it and pay the fine, but you might end up with points on your license and much higher insurance rates. On the other hand, you can fight it by hiring a Glendale traffic violations attorney, keep your good driving record, and keep your low insurance rates intact. Having a traffic violation attorney handle it for you can save both your driving record and insurance rates.

Do You Need an Attorney for Traffic Court?

Traffic court might not seem as intimidating as a criminal court, but it can still result in serious penalties and consequences. Even the smallest traffic infraction could snowball into a major expense, points on your driver’s license, and increased insurance premiums. It’s important to protect yourself by hiring a traffic court lawyer in Arizona in most cases. An attorney can make a big difference in the severity of the charges against you and the penalties you face – not to mention the peace of mind a lawyer can give you regarding your court date.

Instead of dealing with your case on your own, hire a lawyer to help you. A traffic court attorney can assess your case, identify flaws in the prosecution’s evidence against you, or create a strategy to lessen your penalties. Instead of facing a felony traffic violation, for example, a lawyer may be able to convince the courts to charge you with a misdemeanor. Traffic attorneys specialize in laws relating to driving and roadway rules. They have the experience you need for a strong defense.

Whether you’re going to traffic court for a minor violation such as a speeding ticket or a more serious crime, like driving under the influence, a lawyer can improve your all-around legal experience. A lawyer can make sure you fulfill court requirements, show up on time, say the right things, and take whatever steps possible to minimize the penalties against you. From reducing ticket prices to negotiating alternative sentences, your lawyer can act in your best interests and improve your case.

How Much Does a Traffic Attorney Cost?

If hiring a traffic attorney sounds like something that will benefit your case, your next question may be about the price. The cost of hiring a lawyer might not be worth it if you’re only facing a small fine. You don’t want to pay more for your lawyer than you would have paid for the original infraction. During your initial case review with a prospective traffic attorney, ask about how much the fees will be. Then, ask if the lawyer believes hiring representation is worth the price tag.

Don’t only look at the price of your traffic ticket to decide whether you need a lawyer. Keep in mind the value of non-financial penalties of a traffic violation, such as points on your driver’s license. Accumulating enough points could lead to license suspension or permanent revocation of your driving privileges. Can you afford more points on your license, or your car insurance rates increasing? If the answer is no, it may be a better option to spend money on one-time legal fees than a lifetime of consequences.

How Much Does Orent Law Offices Charge?

When you come to Orent Law Offices for a free consultation, we’ll be upfront and honest with you about whether you should hire a traffic attorney. We’ll assess your case, estimate what we believe the penalties for your infraction will be, and recommend hiring a lawyer or representing yourself based on the facts. We do all these tasks for free during your initial consultation, giving you the liberty to consider your options before making a choice.

We’ll also charge our services based on a fee setup that will save you the most money. We may charge a flat rate or an hourly cost depending on what’s right for your individual case. Rates vary based on the complexity of your case. We also operate on contingency, meaning our fees are contingent upon us winning your case. We won’t charge you anything for our services if we can’t successfully fight your case and at least lessen the penalties against you. Contact us for more information about your specific traffic court case in Arizona.

Penalties for Serious Traffic Violations in Arizona

The State of Arizona takes traffic infractions seriously in an effort to discourage bad driving behaviors. What seems like a simple traffic ticket – even if it’s your first one – could result in long-term ramifications on your life. There are moving and non-moving traffic violations. A moving violation involves a vehicle in motion, while a non-moving one involves a parked or broken-down vehicle. The most common consequences of violating Arizona’s traffic laws include:

  • Mandatory community service
  • Points on your driver’s license
  • License suspension or revocation
  • Required court date
  • Higher car insurance premiums
  • Mandatory driver education/safety course
  • Thousands of dollars in fines
  • Imprisonment

A traffic violation can add two to eight points to your license depending on the severity. The more points your driving record accumulates, the more trouble you can get into. Once you accumulate enough points, you can lose your license – temporarily or permanently.

Taking special courses may help you remove some points, but fighting the violation could be your only chance for a better record. Some infractions result in immediate loss of driving privileges, such as DUIs, reckless driving, hit-and-run, and vehicular assault.  A DUI infraction would result in the loss of your license and thousands of dollars in fines unless they are fought by hiring a DUI attorney in Glendale.

How to Fight Your Ticket

You have the right to fight a traffic ticket in Arizona. You can do so by pleading “not guilty” to the charges and defending your case in court. Fighting a traffic ticket is easier than most people think – especially when you work with an experienced defense firm.

Fighting the ticket often serves a driver’s best interests. It can completely erase the citation in many cases or at least result in a lesser charge. For example, an attorney might be able to turn a felony traffic violation into a misdemeanor. Here are the steps involved:

  1. Plead not guilty. You will need to contact the court in the city in which you received the traffic ticket and plead not guilty to the charges. This will take requesting a hearing, on or before the arranged court date listed on your ticket. You might be able to send your request by mail depending on the courthouse.
  2. Attend your hearing. You will have to defend your case and provide evidence that supports your not-guilty plea at your court date. While you can represent yourself, using Orent Law Offices can give you a much better chance of being successful. Hiring one of our lawyer can also give you much-needed peace of mind before and during your case. Note that Arizona does not offer public defenders for traffic infraction cases.
  3. Argue your case. During your hearing, the courts will expect you to argue the law you allegedly broke, call witnesses to the stand, question a representative of the police force, and present other evidence to prove you are innocent of the alleged charges. Our attorney can help you with all of these steps.

At the conclusion of your hearing, the judge presiding over your case will decide whether to find you guilty or not guilty. If found not guilty, the courts will dismiss the ticket and you won’t have to face the penalties or pay the fines. If found guilty, your lawyer may still be able to negotiate lesser charges and penalties depending on the situation. If it’s your first offense, it’s often easy to plead for a reduced conviction and/or lighter consequences.

Serious and Criminal Traffic Violations

If, however, the violation was a more serious one, you are going to have to appear in court. In Arizona, criminal traffic violations include the following:

  • Speeding
  • Excessive speeding (25 plus miles per hour over the posted limit or over 85 mph)
  • Speeding in a construction zone
  • Speeding in a school zone
  • Aggressive driving
  • Reckless driving
  • Racing on the highway
  • Leaving the scene of an accident (hit and run)
  • Vehicular homicide
  • Any moving violation that results in injury or death
  • Driving on when your license has been suspended, revoked, or restricted
  • Drug DUI
  • Aggravated DUI
  • Truck weight violations
  • Truck logbook violations
  • Attempting to elude a police officer
  • Driving without insurance

Arizona’s Strict Traffic Laws

Arizona is known for its strict traffic laws and harsh penalties for violations. If you are convicted on any of these charges, you could end up with a criminal record that will follow you for the remainder of your life. A conviction could cause you to lose your commercial driving job and may affect your employment options in other ways. You can lose your driving privileges, spend time in jail and on probation, be forced to pay large fines or perform community service.

A DUI has its own set of serious penalties. In the worst cases of criminal traffic violation charges, such as aggravated DUI, you could end up living out your life as a convicted felon. Therefore, if you have been charged with one of the above violations, it is especially important to hire an attorney to represent you to protect your driving privileges and your driving record and to obtain an outcome with the least amount of harm to your life, your freedom, and your finances.

Call Orent Law Today

When you need top-quality proven legal representation in the Glendale, Arizona, area, the defense lawyers at Orent Law Offices is there to help. Craig Orent has been chosen as being among the nation’s top one percent of attorneys by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, so you can be confident that the legal advocacy you are receiving is as good as it gets. Call today for an appointment to learn how we can help.

Only a consultation with a lawyer can give you advice and details about your specific traffic violation case in Phoenix. Orent Law Offices is here to listen to your story and provide professional recommendations on how to move forward. Call today. We can help you fight traffic tickets, defend your rights, and achieve the best outcome possible for your case.

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