Question about hiring a lawyer for a traffic ticket in Texas

I got a speeding ticket near Austin going 15 over and debated between just paying it or hiring a traffic lawyer. My buddy said pay it and move on but I figured $200 for a lawyer was worth it to keep points off my license. The lawyer got it reduced to a non-moving violation in about 3 weeks with no court visit from me. Has anyone else found that hiring a lawyer for smaller tickets actually pays off in the long run?

2 comments

2 Comments

emeryfox29d ago

Whoa, I gotta disagree with you there... paying a lawyer for a 15 over ticket feels like overkill to me. I've gotten a couple of those in the past and just took the defensive driving course and paid the fine, ended up being way cheaper than $200 and kept my record clean.

olivers2828d ago

Not to nitpick (I know, I know, I'm an accountant, details are my thing), but defensive driving doesn't actually keep your record completely clean in a lot of states. It masks the points, sure, but the ticket itself still shows up on your driving record for insurance companies to see for a few years. A lawyer can sometimes get it knocked down to something like an non-moving violation that doesn't show at all, which is a big difference if your insurance is already expensive. Plus if you get a second one soon after, that first one still counts against you with the court, even if the points are hidden. It's worth checking what actually stays on your record in your state before writing off a lawyer completely.