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If you have decided to fight your traffic ticket in New York, you may be appearing in court to plead your case or negotiate a plea bargain. If you’ve hired an attorney, you won’t need to appear personally but if you are fighting on your own you’ll need to go to court. If you are attending court you may have some questions regarding how to dress to answer or contest a traffic ticket in NY. You’ll likely want to find a middle ground between jeans and a old t-shirt (that can be construed as disrespectful) and a suit with a pocket square and leather briefcase in tow (if a prosecutor or judge interprets this as some sign of arrogance or confidence or an attempt to play lawyer they may be tempted to try to knock you down a notch).
If you do have a New York traffic ticket lawyer and are still attending with your attorney, you can simply ask them if there’s anything in particular to consider regarding your clothing. Here are some tips in general:
We’ll start with men because, as statistics show, men are more likely to get a traffic ticket than women. Men should consider wearing:
This would be an acceptable outfit for New York traffic court
The balance here is that you do NOT want to show up at one of the extremes. Your dress is unlikely to help your case but unfortunately we feel it could hurt. Stay neat and respectful and what you have to say in court will come with a naturally higher level of credibility.
What to Avoid: Unless you have a religious reason, avoid hats. Avoid dark glasses as well–you’ll want to make good eye contact with whoever you are speaking with. Of course you’ll want to keep your hygiene and appearance as neat and clean as possible overall. Avoid flashy jewelry–this could have the same affect as overdressing might have on certain judges or prosecutors.
For a woman who is planning to attend court to handle a traffic matter:
What to Avoid: Don’t go for heavy makeup or perfumes; foundation, neutral lip gloss and mascara is good for court. Tight clothing or tops with a low cut are certainly on the avoid list. If you only own form-fitting tops, consider a nice sweater or jacket to wear over it. As with the men, unless you have religious reasons, avoid wearing anything on your head. If you wear earrings, they should be small studs. Again, as with the men, avoid any flashy jewelry.
This would be an acceptable outfit for New York traffic court
The best rule of thumb for men and women is: Don’t be distracting. Let the judge make their decision on your case based on the evidence, not on what you’re wearing. Don’t make it harder to get what you want because someone is distracted or even negaitvely swayed by what you are wearing. Simple clothing in neutral colors is the best way to go.
If you decide to fight your traffic ticket, how you approach your case in court will first depend on where you are appearing. Outside NYC, you or your lawyer may meet with the prosecutor to discuss a reduction of your charges or a possible dismissal under certain circumstances. In NYC, every case proceeds to a hearing (typically at the Traffic Violations Bureau that is closest to where you received your ticket) and that hearing is an all or nothing, win or lose proceeding. There are 8 traffic ticket courts throughout NYC:
When you arrive at the NYC Traffic Violations Bureau, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) will call cases one by one. The case will start with the officer who issued the citation explaining what they saw. Always expect the officer to show up. Appearing in court is part of their job description.
After the officer testifies, you or your lawyer will have an opportunity to ask questions. At the conclusion of the hearing the ALJ will let you know his ruling right there on the spot.
If you have been issued a traffic ticket in New York, you have legal options. At Feifer & Greenberg, our lawyers are intimately familiar with traffic violations. We understand the various considerations at play and how to fight for reduced charges or a full dismissal on your behalf.
Contact the attorneys at Feifer & Greenberg online today or call us at (888) 842–5384 for a free consultation and to learn more about fighting your ticket.
We have organized a statewide network of attorneys. In our network are both attorneys who work for Feifer & Greenberg and attorneys who work for other firms that regularly provide of-counsel representation to our clients. This statewide network allows us to match clients in a particular county or court with local attorneys who regularly appear on similar matters in the same county or court. It enables us to help clients anywhere in New York State and in our opinion provide particularly effective and affordable representation for our clients. Local attorneys can draw on their particular local experiences and, with travel time and expense removed from the equation, help us keep our legal fees low.
We recommend fighting almost all tickets. Even if the current NY traffic tickets aren’t particularly harmful, you have an incentive to keep your record clean for the future. Convictions quickly lead to surcharges, insurance increases and other complications. You should strongly consider any decision to pay a ticket without fighting.
Our lawyers are experienced, prepared attorneys who understand the nuances of fighting traffic tickets. Experience, preparation and good decision making help us to help our clients avoid points, surcharges, insurance increases and the other negatives that can easily result from a traffic ticket.
Please note that our website is an Attorney Advertisement. We do not recommend that anyone substitute anything they read or learn on the internet for personal legal advice from competent legal counsel.
Feifer & Greenberg, LLP, 15 Maiden Lane, Suite 601, New York, NY 10038, (888) 842-5384
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