How To Choose the Right Traffic Lawyer in Tampa

Do you need to find a traffic lawyer in Tampa? Read about some essential techniques for finding the best options for your case.

About 1.3 million people die each year due to road traffic crashes. Due to the high number of fatalities, the United Nations General Assembly is on a mission to half the number of injuries and deaths by 2030.

When it comes to appealing a traffic penalty, many drivers will choose to represent themselves in court.

Sadly, this might have disastrous repercussions for a motorist in some situations. For example, the motorist may be missing essential data regarding the legislation or may have forgotten the moments leading up to the ticket. This could jeopardize their case's outcome.

While hiring a traffic lawyer to assist you fight a traffic ticket is not required, a lawyer is familiar with the law and thus will be aware of the arguments to make. This will improve your chances of getting a traffic ticket fine lowered or fully canceled.

If a traffic ticket is cancelled, your auto insurance prices will remain unchanged, and you will not incur any additional points on your driver's license.

Keep reading to know how to choose a professional traffic lawyer in Tampa.

Types of Traffic Tickets and their Fines

Traffic violations are either criminal or civil offenses. Civil offenses are often punishable by fines, and there can be points on your license.

But, criminal offenses are severe and may result in higher fines, probation, or even serving a jail term. The traffic law designates traffic tickets as moving or non-moving violations.

Moving violations happen as a vehicle is in motion, like speeding. Non-moving violations occur when a car is stationary, like illegal parking.

The types of civil traffic violations are:

•  Running a red light
•  Speeding
•  Broken head or taillight
•  Driving without a seatbelt
•  Failure to yield
•  Careless driving
•  Insufficient child safety restraints
•  Driving with an expired license

The types of criminal traffic violations are:

•  Driving under the influence (DUI)
•  Driving on a suspended license
•  Driving with no registration
•  Reckless driving
•  Hit and run
•  Driving on a revoked license
•  Speeding more than 30 mph over the set limit
•  Refusal to obey orders from the police or fire officials

There are minimum fines set for moving and non-moving traffic violations. But, Florida allows its counties and cities to set their fine schedule.

For instance, in Tampa, moving violations fines are often higher than the set minimum by Florida state law. Note that the fines will increase if you’re speeding in a school or construction zone.

Remember, you’ve only got about a month to pay what you owe from the date you got the ticket. Failing to pay may result in a suspended license.

Also, when a lot of time passes, there might be an arrest warrant for delinquency. Once you receive a traffic ticket, it’s best to settle it fast.

But, you can hire a traffic ticket lawyer to assist you with your court case.

Here are some tips on how to choose a Tampa traffic lawyer:

Don’t Choose the First Traffic Lawyer You Come Across

Most people will often Google “the best traffic lawyer near me” and choose the first option that pops up. True, you want to get over the ordeal fast, but never rush the process of choosing a qualified traffic ticket lawyer Tampa.

We suggest you take some time to review a few lawyers in your area. Compare their experience and fees to ensure you’re making a good decision.

Do thorough online research to find a lawyer that fits your needs. Try choosing a genuine lawyer since there are too many frauds all over the internet.

Fraudulent lawyers will attempt to cheat you since they search for quick bucks. Often, frauds make exaggerated promises, so keep away from such people.

There are many traffic lawyers across different law firms. Choosing one without the correct information can be challenging.

Use law sites to gather essential information that will aid you in finding a reliable traffic lawyer.

Ask for Referrals

After deciding you need the service of a traffic ticket lawyer, ask for family and close friends’ referrals. Take time to know what your friends say about their experience working with specific traffic attorneys.

If any of your friends have a traffic ticket, they likely worked with a professional lawyer. After they refer you to a specific traffic attorney, do your investigation to make an ideal choice.

If the traffic lawyer offers quality services, go ahead and work with them.

Check Their Experience

Whether you want to hire a house repair expert or a traffic violation lawyer, experience is key. Ensure you hire a more experienced lawyer if you have a serious traffic offense.

Take time to know the years the lawyer has been practicing before making your decision. Working with a traffic lawyer with more than five years of experience will help you win your case.

Check on the Specialization

Check on the traffic lawyer’s area of specialization. Understand that there are many categories one can specialize in when studying law.

Before making your final decision, ensure the lawyer specializes in traffic. You will get quality and professional services to make you win your case.

Lawyer Track Record

True, experience is one thing, but excellence in their profession is another. There is no point in hiring a traffic lawyer with five years’ experience with only a 10% win rate in their cases.

Avoid working with a traffic violation lawyer with many malpractice accusations. You can use the state bar association to know about a lawyer's conduct.

Ensure you do thorough research on the lawyer’s track record before hiring them. In addition to the bar association information, social media information will be helpful.

Tour the Office

Before hiring a Tampa traffic lawyer, pay a brief visit to their office to assess their professionalism. If, for instance, you find a chaotic, disorderly, and disorganized space, that is not the best choice of a traffic lawyer.

A well-organized and welcoming office with welcoming staff is a good sign you’re engaging with a professional. The lawyer’s office should be easily accessible to you or close to where you live or work.

Clear Communication

A lawyer may seem okay on paper but might not be right for you. That’s the reason you should look beyond their hourly rate and experience.

At your first consultation, the lawyer should answer all your questions effectively. They also have to keep you informed with clear communication on every step they take during your representation.

Avoid Too Good to Be True Deals

You will often find lawyers that offer legal representation at too good to be true prices – that’s a major red flag. Since lawyers' hourly rates can be even several hundred dollars, never trust anyone charging fifty dollars per hour.

In particular, stay away from such lawyers if you have a serious traffic violation case.

Schedule an Initial Consultation

At one point, you will have to schedule an initial consultation with a couple of Tampa lawyers. Most law firms will offer you a free consultation and case evaluation.

Take advantage and use that as an opportunity to meet up with the lawyer in person. Before meeting up with a traffic lawyer, ensure you have all your records and questions in advance.

After about three meetings, you will have enough information to compare each traffic lawyer. The evaluations will be great for knowing your case’s worth and your needs.

The Financial Factor

Lawyer charges differ from one case to another and from one law firm to another. The cost for a personal injury legal representation will differ from a traffic violation.

True, it would help if you had a traffic lawyer offering high-quality services at an affordable rate. But, legal counsel is expensive. So, there is no need to consider a traffic lawyer if you will not afford their fee.

Take time and discuss with the lawyer the fee structure. Also, ensure you check on the success ratio of the traffic lawyer before agreeing to work with them.

Check on the Depth of the Traffic Lawyer’s Support Network and Resources

The nature of your traffic case will dictate the size of the law firm you want on your case. A large firm might have more capacity to aid in handling complex cases – they can have many offices to handle cases in different areas.

Large firms can also have more depth of experience and resources to assist you than smaller firms. For instance, a larger law firm is likely to have an information retrieval system; it saves you money on research and writing projects.

Larger firms also have other valuable add-ons.

Know the Questions to Ask

You will have concerns and questions when interviewing potential Tampa lawyers. You’re there to have conclusive answers to all your questions.

Here are some questions you can ask the traffic accident lawyer:

•  Are previous clients’ references available?
•  How long will the traffic ticket case take?
•  Can they provide you with close attention even with high workloads?
•  Who will be handling your case?
•  Can you contact them after hours?
•  Do they have malpractice insurance?
•  Do they have any special certifications or skills?

It’s probably your first time dealing with a traffic accident case. So, there’s a lot you don’t know about such cases.

Due to their experience in traffic accident cases, the lawyer will notice the things you’re not asking about right away. 

It’s also an excellent time to weed out unqualified lawyers. If you ask the traffic lawyer, “What questions did I skip?” and they say, “you’ve covered all,” consider seeking another lawyer.

Avoid Falling for a Salesman

Determining if a lawyer knows what they are talking about is easy during an interview. When you ask questions and receive a direct answer, that’s a good sign.

If the lawyer can’t inform you of the amount of trouble you’re in, the elements of crime, and the potential punishment, avoid such people. Another step is talking about the people involved in the case.

The lawyer should know the type of prosecutor and judge in your case. Again, these are things that will help you in telling whether the lawyer is giving factual information or not.

You don’t want to hire a traffic lawyer in Tampa that can’t tell you how the judge sees your case. The lawyer should not hold back any unpleasant information from you.

A salesperson is a lawyer who tells you everything is okay and does not give any pushback on your questions. The salesperson will want to get you to sign a contract fast.

A salesperson traffic lawyer often wants to get your money and do a little work on your case to finish it fast. But, a competent traffic lawyer wants to give you the best results.

To do that adequately, they will have to give you various pushbacks. The lawyer has to tell you everything, even what you don’t want to hear about your case.

Choose the Lawyer Familiar With Your Region

Whether to use a local or national traffic lawyer will depend on the nature of your traffic case. You might need a national specialist on your federal law case.

But, someone familiar with your region understands the local laws and procedures better. A Tampa, FL traffic lawyer will also know the personalities of the judicial and administrative authorities.

Also, face-to-face communications are often better than email and telephone conferences. So, hiring a Tampa traffic violation lawyer will allow them to visit the problem site quickly.

Hire the Best Tampa Traffic Lawyer

Finding a Tampa traffic lawyer that fits your needs, welfare, and budget will give you peace of mind knowing they will represent your best interests. If you follow the above tips, you will be able to find the best lawyer to defend your case.

Are you looking to hire a traffic lawyer in Tampa and don’t know where to start?

At Pablo G. Martinez Law Firm, we are Florida’s trusted lawyers. We will handle your traffic case and represent you with at most professionalism to ensure success.

Contact us now to handle your traffic ticket case.