There are two different kinds of traffic tickets for which obtaining respected and able legal counsel is highly recommended: civil infractions and misdemeanors. For West Bloomfield civil infractions and misdemeanor traffic offenses, the tickets are resolved by plea, hearing (for civil offenses), trial (for misdemeanors) at the 48th District Court which is located at 4280 Telegraph Road in the city of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48302.
Civil infractions are essentially police issued tickets for alleged driving offenses such as Disobeying a Traffic Control Device, Speeding, Careless Driving, Improper Turn, etc., which are non-criminal in nature and you have the option of resolving by making a timely payment of the scheduled fine. The problem with just paying traffic ticket is that points are usually assessed (depending upon the nature of the ticket which you received), and the violation in most cases becomes permanently affixed to your driving record even though the points go away with time. Having traffic violations attached to your driving history can lead to significantly higher insurance rates, losing driving privileges altogether for a period of time (if you acquire too many points), employment related issues (if your job requires driving), and the reduction of the chances of a police officer cutting you a break for traffic stops that occur in the future.
Traffic misdemeanors are low criminal offenses for alleged conduct such as Open Intoxicants in a Motor Vehicle, Drunk Driving (OUI, DUI, Super Drunk), Driving While License Suspended (DWLS), Reckless Driving, Failure to Stop at a Property Damage Accident, etc., which require an appearance in Court before a Judge to address the allegation. Traffic misdemeanors can result in both negative and long lasting penalties such as having a criminal record, possible jail time, probation with strict conditions, driver’s license sanctions (for some offenses), and damage to your reputation.
There are several felony related traffic matters for offenses such as Fleeing and Eluding Police, OUIL 3rd Offense, OUIL Causing Serious Injury or Death, Unlawful Driving Away an Automobile (UDAA), Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle, etc., which are charged in most cases with 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 simply issuing a ticket. Traffic felony offenses can result in many negative consequences such as having a criminal conviction record, a possible jail or prison sentence, probation with tough conditions, driver’s license sanctions, and damage to your reputation. Definitely, a felony traffic offense requires effective representation from a respected, diligent, and experienced felony traffic defense attorney. Felony related traffic charges that are said to occur in Bloomfield Hills are initially heard at the 48th District Court in Bloomfield Hills, and are transferred (“bound over”) to the 6th Circuit Court in Pontiac if a probable cause determination is made by a Judge at a preliminary examination or a waiver or the same.
With any traffic violation – civil infraction, misdemeanor, or felony – you have the Constitutional right to engage the services of the lawyer of your choice to challenge it. For civil infractions you have the absolute right (if you make a timely demand) to a contested hearing to challenge whether or not it was established by a preponderance of the evidence that the alleged civil infraction actually occurred. The hearing scheduled is either an “informal hearing” (which takes place in front of a Court magistrate, and does not involve attorneys) or a “formal hearing” (where attorneys are involved in the process to either negotiate or litigate the ticket, and in many cases a better result can be reached through your legal representation).
For all misdemeanor and felony charges, you have important Constitutional rights, protections, and guarantees 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 (actually the worst choice), when it comes to any misdemeanor or felony traffic criminal charge, is to choose to have no legal counsel at all and to choose to represent yourself. Someone who self represents is at an unbelievable disadvantage because the Judge will hold the person to the same standards as a lawyer, and the person is opposed by a prosecutor or city attorney who has many years of training and vast experience in criminal procedure, Michigan law, the Michigan rules of evidence, direct and cross examination of witnesses, and conducting a trial. You can ask for a court appointed lawyer for all criminal cases if you are too indigent to retain your own lawyer, and hope that the lawyer you receive is zealous and dedicated enough to fight for the right result, or choose instead to hire a highly rated lawyer, like attorney Daniel Hilf, who truly has your best interests at heart.
For any civil infraction, misdemeanor, or felony traffic offense for a West Bloomfield charge, a highly recommended traffic defense lawyer is Daniel Hilf, because he has many years of experience practicing before the three Judges and magistrates of the 48th District Court. Attorney Daniel Hilf is from the respected Troy Michigan law firm of Hilf & Hilf, PLC which is located at 3155 W Big Beaver Rd #123 in the city of Troy, Michigan 48084 (between Crooks Road and Coolidge Highway, approximately a quarter mile east of Somerset Mall), who you can contact to discuss the circumstances of your ticket and seek legal representation.