Whether you were responsible for a car accident, or you received a traffic ticket for any other type of moving violation, traffic citations are more than just a fine and an inconvenience. Implications from a traffic ticket can carry over to your insurance and driving history. A traffic lawyer can often help get tickets dismissed or the ticked reduced to a charge that will not show up on your driving history. By understanding traffic law and the specific metro Atlanta area traffic courts, Atlanta traffic attorney Jason McLendon has helped clients negotiate multi-point violations into a basic rules violation – which do not show up on your driving history nor impact insurance rates. He has also assisted clients in getting traffic tickets dismissed entirely in some cases. Understanding which plea to enter to your traffic ticket and what items to negotiate is the key to success in traffic court, and can generally only be determined with the help of a traffic ticket lawyer.

One benefit to hiring a traffic lawyer is that an experienced traffic lawyer can provide you with the peace of mind knowing that you have an advocate who can lead you through this confusing and stressful situation. Whether you were responsible for a car accident, or you received a traffic ticket for any other type of moving violation, traffic citations are more than just a fine and an inconvenience. Implications are more severe than many people believe. A traffic ticket can increase your insurance rates and leave a stain on your driving history. A Georgia traffic lawyer can often help get tickets dismissed or the ticked reduced to a charge that will not show up on your driving history. By understanding traffic law and the specific metro Atlanta area traffic courts, Atlanta traffic attorney Jason McLendon has helped clients negotiate multi-point violations down to a violation that does not show up on their driving history nor impact their insurance rates. He has also assisted clients in getting traffic tickets dismissed entirely in some cases. Understanding which plea to enter to your traffic ticket and what items to negotiate is the key to success in traffic court, and can generally only be determined with the help of a traffic ticket lawyer.

Additionally, traffic lawyer is able to save you time.  Typically, if you were to attend traffic court without the assistance of a traffic lawyer, you can plan to be there for many hours.  However, due to the fact that lawyers often have business in other Courts, individuals who’s cases are being handled by a traffic lawyer are handled before the unrepresented cases.  Therefore, another benefit to hiring a traffic lawyer is avoiding waisting hours where you could otherwise be working or spending time with your family.

If you are charged with DUI, you need representation from an experienced DUI defense lawyer. A Georgia DUI lawyer can help you navigate this complicated, stressful situation and give you piece of mind that you will receive the best defense possible to your pending DUI charge. It is important that you contact an Atlanta DUI lawyer right after your arrest as there are important deadlines that we must meet in order to save your driver’s license from being administratively suspended. Without quick action from a DUI lawyer, your license will likely be suspended just because you have been accused of DUI.

A Georgia DUI lawyer is also able to receive a copy of any videos of you DUI arrest and police reports concerning this DUI charge.   A careful, meticulous examination of this evidence is required to give you the best chance of a reduction or dismissal of your DUI charge. An Atlanta DUI lawyer can use this evidence to determine if you have potential Defenses to your DUI charge including: (i) Did law enforcement have a lawful reason to stop your vehicle; (ii) did the police exceed the scope of your otherwise legal traffic stop, (iii) did law enforcement have sufficient reason to conduct a DUI investigation, (iv) did the police properly conduct any field sobriety tests that you performed, (v) was there probable cause for your arrest for DUI, (vi) Do you have any medical conditions that may have contributed to your arrest for DUI, and/or (viii) is there a lawful grounds to prohibit the use of the result of the breathalyzer in your DUI case.

These are only some of the ways that I may be able to successfully defend against your DUI charge. Every possible defense must be explored as a DUI charge carries severe penalties in Georgia including a heavy fine, numerous hours of community service, DUI school, a Drug and Alcohol evaluation and even jail time.

As an Atlanta DUI lawyer, I will zealously and vigorously defend you on your DUI charge. I will give your DUI case the personal attention that you need and deserve. I will not treat your DUI case as if there is a cookie-cutter solution. I will personally take the time to create a comprehensive DUI defense that is personally tailored to the facts and circumstances surrounding your DUI charge. I know that a DUI arrest is one of the most stressful and difficult situations that you can face. I have offices conveniently located in Marietta and Atlanta where I can meet you to begin developing our defense to your DUI case. I also offer evening and weekend appointments where we can discuss the specifics of your DUI case while disrupting your life as little as possible.

Don’t trust just any DUI lawyer with your future. Trust an experienced and motivated DUI lawyer who will partner with you to give you the best defense allowed under the law for your DUI charge. I have successfully defended individuals unfortunately charged with DUI all over the metro Atlanta area. I would be honored to represent you on your pending DUI. Call me directly at 678-988-1199 to discuss scheduling a free consultation where we can discuss the specifics of your pending DUI arrest and to discuss how I can help.

Implications from a traffic ticket can carry over to your insurance and driving history. Therefore, deciding on a traffic ticket lawyer is an important decision.  By having a substantial knowledge of Georgia traffic laws and the metro Atlanta area traffic courts, traffic ticket attorney Jason McLendon has successfully helped clients negotiate more serious traffic offenses down to a traffic offense that will not show up on clients’ driving histories nor affect insurance rates.  Having your traffic ticket reduced to a basic rules violation is important as a traffic citation for basic rules does not show up on your driving history nor impact your insurance rates. Traffic Lawyer Jason McLendon has also assisted clients in getting traffic tickets dismissed entirely in some situations. Having a proven traffic ticket attorney with you in traffic court who understands how a plea to your traffic ticket will affect you and how to negotiate a successful resolution to your citation in traffic court is invaluable. Call traffic attorney Jason McLendon today for a free consultation where you can discuss the specifics of your traffic ticket.

As an Atlanta Traffic Lawyer, I frequently see unrepresented individuals enter a plea of NOLO when I am in traffic court. Many times, pleading Nolo is not in your best interest. The Judge knows it. The prosecutor knows it. But, they are not allowed to give legal advice. So, everyday countless people inappropriately use a Nolo Plea.

What is a Nolo Contendere Plea?

Nolo Contendere or No Contest is plea where you do not admit guilt. However, you are also not contesting the allegations against you. You may plead No Contest once every five years and it is within the Judge’s discretion as to whether to accept a No Contest plea in your case. So, it is important to ensure that using your Nolo plea has a tangible benefit for your traffic citation.

How do I know if I should use Nolo?

This is a question that is very fact specific. You should not rely on this without also consulting a criminal defense attorney that handles traffic citations. But, in a general setting the following factors should be considered when determining if you should plead Nolo to a traffic offense:

First, are you about to lose your license due to an accumulation of points?  Second, were you cited as being a responsible party in a collision? Third, will pleading guilty to this traffic ticket suspend my Georgia Driver’s license?

If the answer these questions is “No”, then you likely should not plead No Contest to your traffic charge.

Benefits to Pleading Nolo in Traffic Citations:

There are three main benefits to a No Contest plea on a traffic ticket: (i) It does not assess points against your Georgia Driver’s License, (ii) it is not an admission of liability that can (and will) be used against you in the event that you are sued due to your involvement in a traffic accident and (iii) in some situations, pleading Nolo will save your license from suspension.

I don’t want any points on my driver’s license, so I should plead Nolo, right?

This is where people most frequently misuse use a Nolo Plea. In theory, you do not get points on your license if you plead no contest to a traffic offense. However, your goal isn’t to avoid the points. You want to ensure that your insurance rate is not increased due to your citation. Under this situation, Nolo is NOT what you want to do. Why? Because a citation for a moving violation will still reflect on your Georgia Driving History despite your No Contest plea. Your insurance provider will still be able to see that you received this citation and will potentially raise your insurance rates even though you plead No Contest and received zero points.

How should I handle my traffic citation?

I highly recommend that you hire a traffic lawyer who can represent you on your traffic ticket. You should save your Nolo plea for a situation that actually benefits you. A traffic lawyer who handles traffic citations will be able to determine if a No Contest plea will save your license or benefit you in another manner. Alternatively, your lawyer may be able to negotiate a reduction to your traffic ticket that will not report to your driving history or your insurance.

I am a traffic lawyer and I would be honored to discuss your traffic ticket with you and explain how I would be able to assist in your case.   Call me directly at 678-988-1199.

The City of Atlanta Municipal Court has a unique method to resolve certain traffic tickets called PTIT (Pre-Trial Intervention – Traffic) program. PTIT is an alternative to a typical plea of guilty, not guilty or Nolo to a traffic ticket that is exclusive to the City of Atlanta Municipal Court. The City of Atlanta Municipal Court PTIT program can be used one every twelve months allows an individual to have their case dismissed after completing the terms of the program. The terms of the PTIT program typically consists only of a “participation fee” (fine). However, in more serious traffic infractions, the PTIT terms may also include defensive driving. An additional benefit to the PTIT program is the fact that the “participation fee” is generally lower than the fine would have been had you plead guilty to your traffic ticket.

When individuals who are not represented by a traffic lawyer hear of these benefits, they typically enroll in the program. However, depending on your traffic offense, it may not be in your best interest to enroll in the PTIT program. The main reason that you would not want to enroll in the PTIT program is if your traffic ticket is not a moving violation. Non-moving violations do not show up on your driving history. Therefore, because you can only use the City of Atlanta PTIT program once every year, you would not want to use PTIT to have a citation dismissed that will not appear on your driving history if your plead guilty to the original traffic ticket.

One exception to the above is individuals who receive a traffic ticket on an out of state driver’s license. Typically, when an out of state driver receives a citation in the State of Georgia, Georgia reports the end result of the traffic ticket back to the issuing state – regardless if that traffic ticket would have reported in the State of Georgia. Therefore, a ticket that would not report to your driving history if your have a Georgia license will likely report to your out of state license.

I recommend before entering the City of Atlanta Municipal Court PTIT that you contact a traffic lawyer to discuss the specifics of your situation and your traffic ticket. You can call me, an Atlanta traffic lawyer, directly for a free consultation at 678-988-1199.

If you are not a citizen of the United States, certain traffic offenses can have an adverse impact your immigration status. If you receive a traffic citation, it is important to remember the details of the situation and call a traffic attorney as soon as possible. Traffic ticket lawyers are able to intervene on your behalf, understand how to argue your case in traffic court, and and speak directly with solicitors or city prosecutors – who often agree to a reduction to your traffic ticket before your traffic ticket proceeds to a trial. Because Atlanta area Traffic Courts differ, it’s important to hire a traffic ticket attorney who understands the procedures in each metro Atlanta traffic court. At the McLendon Law Firm, we understand that potential threats to your immigration status can be intimidating, so we take the time necessary to create a strategic plan for your case and review it with you before making any plea to any traffic ticket.

If you plead guilty to a traffic citation without the assistance of a Georgia Traffic Lawyer, your plea likely resulted in points being assessed against your license.

In accordance with O.C.G.A §40-5-86, licensed Georgia residents may request that the Department of Driver Services reduce the number of points assessed against their Georgia driver’s license.  You are permitted to reduce up to 7 points once every 5 years.

In order to receive this reduction in points from your prior traffic ticket, you must successfully complete a certified defensive driving course and present the original certificate of completion to the DDS by mail or in person at one the Department of Driver Services Customer Service Centers.

You are also permitted to request a reduction to the points previously assessed on your Georgia Driver’s license by mail. In order to do this, you must mail an original defensive driving certificate of completion to the Georgia Department of Driver Services at P. O. Box 80447, Conyers, Georgia 30013.