What Are Common Traffic Related Offenses That Your Firm Handles?
Most commonly, people call me when they have been written up for a speeding ticket or a DWI. There are 62 counties in the state of New York and I’ve represented people in virtually every county on some vehicular offense or another. Depending upon how distant the geographic area, I may not personally appear, but can help to defend any traffic ticket matter from start to finish throughout the entire state of New York. The majority of cases that come to me are from Westchester, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Rockland Counties. For these five counties, I typically personally appear. Otherwise, I have very experienced associate counsel appear on my firm’s behalf further up north.
The first step of the legal retaining process is an initial telephone call consultation (free of charge), wherein the client explains what happened and where. Having prosecuted and defended traffic cases for decades, I am very fully familiar with every common scenario (and some, not so common). Some of the information I would gather from the motorist in that initial phone call includes the name of the officer or trooper. This is because sometimes I know them from prior cases, which serves to better understand their adversarial bargaining positions. Moreover, I am acquainted with the judges from each jurisdiction, aware of their typical demeanor and whether they may have certain policies for offenses. I know the prosecutors and whether they have their own policies or preferences; for example, the speed at which they might want to seek enhanced traffic penalties. In the dialogue between myself and the client, I listen and can provide them with a general direction where the case may lead and answer questions to that effect.
After our telephone conversation, they are typically interested enough to follow up and research my background or at least look at my website. It is easy for them to look up my client reviews – all they need to do is enter “Rex Pietrobono attorney” in Google’s search engine and read what comes up. I would rather a prospective customer hear from my former clients than myself but, suffice to say I do have extensive pertinent experience and an excellent record (and am often told “you are the Man!”)
Rex Pietrobono: Providing Dedicated Legal Representation for Traffic Tickets in New York for Over 30 Years. We treat every case with the utmost importance—because it truly is!
Call Now For A Free Initial Case Evaluation - (914) 301-7500
Once the decision is made to retain my services, my firm drafts the retainer agreement for the client to review and sign, at which point, I can begin working on their case. As opposed to hourly rates, I charge flat fees for all criminal and traffic matters. Each client is told the fees up front and, upon final agreement, all paperwork is drafted and typically emailed within 20 minutes from the conclusion of the phone call. The only thing my clients need to do is to print the two necessary documents and sign them where indicated. One is a retainer agreement and the other is an authorization for my firm to appear in on their behalf then they don’t have to personally attend court. This is another great benefit of retaining my services – as in most cases, the motorist client will not have to step foot in the traffic courtroom.
My office will enter a plea of “not guilty” for them along with my notice of appearance. I will fax and mail it in most cases and then wait for the court to schedule a date for my firm to appear. When the date arrives, we’ll go to court with the authorization from the client so they don’t need to go too. Because the courts are often so overwhelmed with tickets – waiting could take hours. In some cases, it could even take all day. However, the courts are courteous enough to squeeze attorneys in where they can because they know we have other courts to go which may be running close or at that exact same time.
In most instances, we will be able to resolve your case with a successful negotiation. If not, we can decline their offer, as we often do, in which case we will either have to go back and try the case or they’ll settle it at trial with a better offer than before. My office will deal with the court for the client either way. Whatever that outcome is, I will notify the client once it’s done. When I step foot in court, I know the case better than anyone since I get to hear all sides, i.e., the client, police, prosecutor, and the judge.
As far as cost for traffic cases is concerned, everything is included in one reasonable fee. In criminal cases, an agreed upon flat fee will be set forth in the retainer wherein an additional separate fee is stipulated only if the client elects to go to hearings or a trial – no surprises. Otherwise, the only additional monetary cost to the motorist would be fines payable to the court when concluded, in which case, those fines are payable by money order or online within a few weeks after my final appearance. Alternatively, the motorist may make these court fine payments by regular mail to the Court Clerk or in person during the Court Clerk’s Office’s regular hours frequently Monday through Friday about 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
For more information on Common Traffic Related Offenses In New York, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (914) 301-7500 today.
Rex Pietrobono: Providing Dedicated Legal Representation for Traffic Tickets in New York for Over 30 Years. We treat every case with the utmost importance—because it truly is!
Call Now For A Free Initial Case Evaluation - (914) 301-7500