Legal Representation Services

Do you have pending or unresolved speeding or other traffic tickets/citation from Halifax or another county? I can help - especially if you live some distance from the courthouse. I regularly assist local and out-of-state clients with North Carolina traffic tickets. But regardless of where you reside, if you hire me, you will get my best effort in trying to achieve a resolution of your traffic case which results in the least negative consequences in terms if license points, insurance points, driving privilege, driving record, and record of convictions.

All but a very small number of states exchange information concerning traffic violations via the Driver License Compact. So even if you are not licensed in North Carolina, if you ignore your North Carolina traffic ticket, you will be running a very high risk of future consequences.

If you don't come to court or hire an attorney to appear on your behalf when your case is called, your case will likely be marked with a failure to appear (FTA), and there may also be an order for arrest (OFA) issued. Typically, when the FTA is reported to the North Carolina DMV, your North Carolina driving privilege is likely to be suspended.

This status is then reported to your home state, which in turn is likely to suspend your home state driving privilege. When this happens, at a minimum you almost certainly will not be able to renew your driver's license at the appropriate time until you dispose of the pending North Carolina charge. If you find yourself facing a situation such as this, please consider contacting me to discuss your case.

Typically, the best outcome for a speeding or traffic ticket will be to have the charge(s) dismissed. This is an outcome that can be achieved on occasion depending on the circumstances of the traffic stop and the nature of the charge. When you have multiple charges, your attorney may be able to negotiate a plea with a district attorney resulting in guilty/responsible for one (or some) of the charges in exchange for a dismissal of one or some of the other charge(s).

Typically, the next preferred outcome after a dismissal is a reduction in the traffic charge(s). Your attorney can typically negotiate a reduction in your charge(s) with a district attorney in exchange for entering a plea of guilty/responsible for the reduced charge. When this happens, a non-moving violation is usually preferred, as it is not likely to result in any license or insurance points.

Whether a reduction to a non-moving violation is an option typically depends on the nature of your charge(s). If a non-moving violation cannot be agreed to by a district attorney, then the next best is a reduction and plea to a charge which carries the least negative consequences as described above. Often with a speeding ticket, this means that your attorney enters a plea of guilty to a speed violation which is a lesser violation than that with which you were actually charged.