Legal Question in Traffic Law in Wisconsin

court process

My husband got a ticket for speeding in a school zone. He wanted to go to court to fight the ticket. The first time he went to his court date he got there and there was a little desk there with the officer that gave him the ticket sitting there. He asked him if he was going to payhis ticket. My husband said he wanted to go to court on it. Mind you he missed a couple hours of work for this. So he left and was told he would get a court date in the mail. It came, he missed work again and this time same thing different officer. Well needless to say he just pleaded to the ticket so he wouldn't have to take off work again. I know we live in a small town, but is this pratice legal?? I mean if he wanted to plead guilty he would have just mailed the money in. The fact that the first officer was the ine that gave him the ticket might be a little intimidating to some people. Just wondering. Thank you for your time.


Asked on 8/31/06, 6:31 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

JAY Nixon nixon law offices

Traffic Court Process

What you describe is a typical traffic court intake process. Like plumbing, carpentry or any other trade, "do it yourselfers" will waste a lot of time learning the necessary skills through trial and error before they become skilled. The "do it yourself" approach has its costs, and those costs could well end up exceeding what a professional would charge you to do it right the first time. Those with experience make their living by offering to you for your convenience for a fee. A good traffic attorney could generally have spared your husband from ever having to appear in court or take time off work. Charges for representation in a minor traffic matter currently run from one to three hundred dollars, depending upon the level of court congestion in any given county. The multiple court appearances are not intended to frustrate or intimidate anyone--only to allocate public law enforcement and court resources in the most efficient manner by separating the truly contested cases from the ones which can be resolved through negotiation. The scarcity of public resources unfortunately requires the �processing� of minor cases to bear a slight resemblance to an assembly line, but the end result is generally still a fair one in the vast majority of cases.

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Answered on 9/01/06, 7:00 am


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