The short answer is – YES.
There are ways to navigate your way to a new trial date.
Serious Traffic Violations: Serious citations include charges like Driving on a Suspended License, Driving Without Insurance or DUI. These types of tickets are commonly referred to as “must appears.”
If you received a must appear ticket and did not show up for your court date, you may have a bench warrant. If you do have a bench warrant, then you would have 2 options for resolving it:
- Turn yourself in to law enforcement: Turing yourself in is a fairly simple, cheap, but uncomfortable process. You will have to walk into a police station and tell the officer at the window you have a warrant. He will politely ask you to have a seat and wait. It may be a stressful wait. At some point a door will open and an officer will come out and take you inside. You will then be processed and taken before a commissioner to determine your bonding options. If the commissioner does not release you, then you will be scheduled to go before a judge.
- File a motion to recall and quash the warrant: Another option would be to file a motion to recall the warrant. This is where a skilled lawyer may be able to help you. An attorney will know what questions to ask you in order to get a favorable result on a motion to quash. People sometimes just miss their court dates. If you are honest with the court and show that you are now acting in good faith and vow to appear at all future court dates, you may get a good result. Sometimes, just having private counsel will demonstrate that you are taking your case seriously.
Payable traffic violations: If you didn’t show up for court, or failed to pay, a regular payable ticket, there are steps to take for a new court date.
- File a Written Request: Contact the court and submit a written request for a new trial or waiver hearing. The staff in the filing office are usually very professional and polite. However, keep in mind that they are not allowed to assist you with any legal questions.
- You may be required to post a collateral payment: Depending on your specific circumstances, you may be required to post the fine amount as security before they give you a new trial date.
Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer
- Having a legal professional who knows the correct steps to take.
- Getting your matter resolved quickly.
- Avoid turning yourself into law enforcement if you have a warrant.
- Getting a fast new court date.
- Turing your problem over to a skilled attorney so that you can focus on other things.