Comment on How do I... Do court? I didn't realize my license was expired and got pulled over. Now I have court tomorrow.

FuglyDuck@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

• tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

  Be prepared for the public defender to ask you two questions then shun you the rest of the day while they tend to their other 30 clients that day

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  • Aeao@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

    Do I need a public defender? I didn’t intentionally do anything wrong I just didn’t know my license was expired? I’ve got a clean record it was just a mistake.

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    • algorithmae@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

      Probably not. By the sounds of it, it’s “just” traffic court… You’ll be herded into a courtroom with a couple dozen others, and each of you will be called in turn to speak to the judge. Kinda like a pop quiz. You’ll be told your charge and be asked a few questions. If you’re polite and genuine you’ll likely get off easy, since people LOVE to fight back and dig their hole deeper.

      Back in high school I was in a similar situation, and basically got it completely dismissed because I was young and it was my first ever infraction.

      IANAL

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      • Aeao@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

        Yeah,.even ignoring the joke comments that are funny, alot of people are saying I should fight. I doubt that would be a good idea. It was an honest mistake and I’ve got a clean record. I think being honest is my best bet.

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    • 474D@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

      Dude it’s your first offense. Just go in there dressed nice, when asked, plead guilty with a request for leniency while being completely honest. They will most likely give you a slap on the wrist and make you pay for the court fees. That’s it.

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    • JustZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

      When I used to work in a prosecutor’s office, in a situation like this where the person has a clean record and comes in at an expired license, as long as you renewed the license before your court date, we would just dismiss the charges.

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    • EleventhHour@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

      In most traffic courts, you don’t really need a lawyer unless it’s a serious and/or criminal offense.

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    • HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

      I’ve not known traffic court to use attorneys but your jurisdiction may vary

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    • Spiralvortexisalie@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

      Don’t know where you are from but at least in 🦅 country you have a right to counsel. Thats works out to usually being assigned counsel (public defender) as soon as possible in the interest of justice. For a standard ticket you will probably have this settled within two court dates, your fees and other associated charges may not be so nice.

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      • Maggoty@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

        You only have that right when it’s a charge with a certain amount of weight, like prison time or a felony.

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    • SzethFriendOfNimi@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

      I’d still take one. A lawyer isn’t just somebody to defend you. They’re the ones best suited to guide you through the legal process.

      You want the court to know it was a mistake? Ok, here’s how we argue that in such a way that it’s not admitting fault for some other legal aspect you need to be mindful of. And here’s a point we can make to see if they’ll change it to this other violation that has less of a penalty or doesn’t result in large premium increases with your insurance.

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      • Aeao@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

        That’s something to consider. I just don’t want to seem like I’m being difficult to the judge.

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