1. I received a traffic ticket from another state. What do I do?
DO NOT JUST PAY THE CITATION. Paying the citation can cause you to receive points on your license, possible license suspension, and probably insurance increases for up to 3 years. Call Yelen Law Offices to discuss your options, and how each option will affect your Florida driver’s license and insurance.
2. How can you help me?
If your main concern is to avoid points and insurance increases, in many cases, I can help negotiate a resolution to keep the citation off of your record. Every citation is different. Every court in every state is different, but in a high majority of situations, we can work out a resolution that benefits more than just paying the citation.
3. In what states do you handle traffic tickets?
I handle traffic tickets in every state in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. I do not handle tickets in Florida, but I do have local high quality traffic attorneys that I work with to provide excellent representation throughout the entire state of Florida.
4. Are you licensed in all of these other states?
No. I am only licensed to practice law in Florida. However, I get special permission from the courts and local district attorneys to negotiate or appear Pro Hac Vice, on the client’s behalf. In many situations, I also work closely with local attorneys throughout the country to ensure that I am not improperly praticing law in another state.
5. Why should I hire you for my out of state traffic ticket instead of hirig a local attorney?
There are numerous reasons why you have an advantage using my firm to assist with your citation.
First, we typically charge much less than the local attorneys charge. In many areas of the country, a $500 fee to handle your citation is considered low. we can typically hanlde it for much less. Traffic tickets work a lot different than they do here in Florida. In most places, hiring an attorney to handle a traffic ticket for under $100.00 is not realistic. Many local attorneys that handle the traffic matters charge at least $300.00. This is not the case in all situations, but in a high majority.
Second, most of the local attorneys try to resolve your citation as if you were licensed in that state. They do not always realize how the result will affect you in Florida. For example, a citation for speeding 74/60 in Georgia does not issue points for a GA license. So a GA attorney may resolve the ticket in that manner. However, he may not realize that with a FL license, you will still get 3 points on your record if it gets reported. We have an advantage since we know how each resolution will affect your FL license, and we resolve it based on this knowledge.
Third, in order to find a local attorney, you would have to spend countless hours researching and locating an attorney. Furthermore, you would have little knowledge as to how good this attorney is. Using our firm saves you significant amount of time, since you do not need to find local attorneys. If a local attorney is needed, we have the connections to excellent attorneys throughout the country. We work with these attorneys, so you still deal with us to help ensure that everything is handled properly and in your best interest.
Fourth, we stay on top of things and keep you informed at all times. We do not finalize our case until we confirm that everything has been finalized with the court. We keep in contact with you so that you do not forget about deadlines and court dates. We give you regular updates and give you the peace of mind that you are being well taken care of. We take the worry away from you so that you can spend your time doing more important things.
6. Can you handle tickets in other states from a driver licensed in a state outside of Florida?
YES! We work with qualified attorneys throughout the country to resolve your citation in a manner that is best for you. We communicate with attorneys from your home state to find out how the results would affect your license in your home state.
7. Can you give me some examples of unique traffic laws in other states that I should be aware of if I am traveling in that state?
* Virginia – If you are ticketed for speeding over 80 mph, or 20 miles over the limit, it is considered a reckless driving charge. This charge, in Virginia, is considered a criminal misdemeanor, and if convicted, it will show on your criminal record. This can potentially affect you years later for jobs, licenses, and other things. If handled properly, this can potentially be avoided.
* Georgia – If you are convicted of speeding 75 mph or higher on any two lane road – or, 85 mph or higher anywhere in Georgia, in addition to paying the fine with the local court, you will also receive a letter from the State of Georgia. This letter informs you that under their Super Speeder law, you have to pay an additional $200.00 to the State of Georgia.
* Additionally, if you are cited for a suspended, revoked, or cancelled tag or license, your driving privleges can be suspended automatically for up to one year. This can affect you even in Florida.
* All States – Construction Zones are taken very seriously, and if ticketed for speeding in these zones, the fines can be extremely high. It also limits how we can resolve your case in some courts. Be extra careful.
* Always be nice and courteous to the officer who is issuing you a citation. In many states, negotiation with the officer is key to resolving your citation favorably. If you were not nice with the officer, the officer will be unlikely to be willing to discuss any changes to the citation. They may mark your citation with a “secret” notation that they can refer to later to remind them not to negotiate.
* Do not assume that going to traffic school in Florida will eliminate points on a ticket from out of state. It does not. Once a conviction is reported to Florida from another state, doing traffic school will not help.
* Do not assume that a ticket from another state will not be reported to Florida. Most, if not all states, report citations to Florida. Those that may not still report it to the National Driver’s Registry. If you are on this list, you will not be able to renew or get a FL license. Always take care of your citations by calling us first.