There are two kinds of tickets that police officers issue for which obtaining an experienced attorney is strongly recommended: civil infractions and misdemeanors. For Troy Michigan ticketed civil infractions and misdemeanor traffic offenses, the cases are filed and resolved at the 52-4th District Court which is located at 520 W Big Beaver Road in the city of Troy, Michigan 48084.
Civil infractions are tickets issued by police officers for allegedly observed driving violations such as an Improper Turn, Speeding, Limited Access Speed, Disobeying a Traffic Control Device, etc., which are non-criminal in nature and you have the option of resolving by making a timely payment of the scheduled fine at the courthouse. The problem with simply paying a traffic ticket is that points are usually assessed (depending upon the type of ticket you receive), and the traffic violation in most cases becomes permanently abstracted (added) to your driving history even though the points go away with time. Having traffic violations abstracted to your driving record can cause you to incur much higher insurance rates, the loss driving privileges (if you acquire too many points), potential employment related issues (if your job requires driving, your boss may not want to keep you), and the reduction of the chance that a police officer will cut you a break in the future if he reviews your abstracted driving record at the scene of your traffic stop.
Traffic misdemeanors are lower tier criminal offenses for alleged conduct such as Drunk Driving (OUI, DUI, OWI, DWI, Super Drunk, OUI 2nd Offense), Driving While License Suspended (DWLS), Failure to Stop at a Property Damage Accident, Reckless Driving, etc., which requires an appearance in Court before a Judge to address the charge. Traffic misdemeanors can result in lingering bad consequences such as having a non-expungable criminal record, a potential jail sentence, probation with strict supervisory conditions, driver’s license sanctions (for some offenses), and damage to your personal reputation.
There are a number of felony traffic charges for offenses such as Fleeing and Eluding Police, Unlawful Driving Away of an Automobile (UDAA), OUIL 3rd Offense, OUIL Causing Serious Injury or Death, Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle, Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle, etc., which are charged by the filing of a complaint by the prosecutor’s office with jurisdiction over the case (after a swear to occurs before a Judge) and not by a issuing a ticket. Traffic misdemeanor convictions can result in several negative consequences such as having a non-expungable criminal record, a potential jail or prison sentence, probation with strict supervisory conditions, driver’s license sanctions, and damage to your personal reputation. For these reasons a felony traffic accusation requires professional representation from an diligent, respected, and experienced felony traffic defense lawyer. Felony related traffic charges that allegedly occur in Troy Michigan are initially scheduled at the 52-4th District Court in Troy, and are “bound over” (transferred) to the 6th Circuit Court in Pontiac if a probable cause determination is made at a preliminary examination or a waiver of the same occurs.
With all traffic violations – civil infractions, misdemeanors, or felonies – you have the absolute right to obtain the services of the lawyer of your choice to fight it in court. For civil infractions you have the absolute right (if you make a timely demand) to a contested hearing in Court to challenge whether or not it was proven by the prosecution/police officer by a preponderance of the evidence that the alleged civil infraction actually occurred. The hearing scheduled in Court for a civil infraction is either an “informal hearing” (which takes place in front of a Court magistrate or Judge, and does not involve lawyers) or a “formal hearing” (where lawyers are involved to either negotiate or litigate the ticket in front of the assigned Judge. With proper lawyering, in many cases a better result can be reached.
For any and all misdemeanor and felony criminal accusations, you have due process rights and protections such as the right to a trial by jury or by Judge (if the prosecution and Judge agree to a bench trial). A bad choice, when it comes to any misdemeanor or felony traffic criminal offense, is to exercise your right to be your own lawyer. Any person who represents himself or herself in Court is at an extreme and unfair disadvantage because the Court will hold the person to the same standards as a lawyer. Furthermore, the person is opposed by a prosecutor or city attorney who has long term training and daily experience in the rules of evidence, criminal procedure, Michigan statutory and case law, direct and cross examination of witnesses, and conducting a trial. You can ask for court appointed representation for any and all charged criminal offenses if you are too indigent to retain your own lawyer, and hope that your court appointed lawyer is zealous and dedicated enough to fight for the right result. You can also choose to hire a highly rated lawyer, like attorney Daniel Hilf, who truly has your best interests at heart and who will fight for your best outcome.
For any civil infraction, misdemeanor, or felony traffic offense for a Troy Michigan case, the traffic lawyer who comes highly recommended, preferred, and referred is Daniel Hilf, because he has extensive experience practicing before the two Judges and magistrates of the 52-4th District Court. Attorney Daniel Hilf is from the respected law firm of Hilf & Hilf, PLC with a conveniently located office at 3155 W Big Beaver Rd #123 in the city of Troy, Michigan 48084 (between Crooks Road and Coolidge Highway, approximately a half a mile west of the 52-4th District Court), who you can contact to handle your traffic defense.