Traffic Ticket Lawyer Clinton Township MI

Skilled Traffic Ticket Lawyer in Clinton Township Michigan

There are two basic types of traffic tickets that are issued in Clinton Township: civil infractions and misdemeanors. For Clinton Township civil infractions and misdemeanor traffic offenses, the cases are resolved at the 41B District Court which is located at 22380 Starks Drive in Clinton Township, Michigan 48036.

Civil infractions are essentially tickets issued by police officers for alleged violations of traffic laws such as making an Improper Turn, Speeding, Disobeying a Traffic Control Device (running a red light), 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 simply paying the fine before the deadline is that points are usually assessed for the traffic violation (depending upon the nature of the ticket), and the violation in most cases becomes permanently affixed to your driving record even though the points go away with time. Having traffic violations placed on your driving history can lead to higher insurance rates, losing driving privileges altogether for a period of time (if you obtain too many points), potential employment related issues (if your job requires driving), and the reduction of the possibility that a police officer will give you a break in the future for traffic stops.

Traffic misdemeanors are lower level criminal offenses for alleged conduct such as Open Intoxicants in a Motor Vehicle, Reckless Driving, Drinking and Driving (OUI, DUI, Super Drunk), Driving While License Suspended (DWLS), 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 long lasting impactful consequences such as a potential jail sentence, probation with strict conditions, driver’s license sanctions (for some offenses), damage to your reputation, and having a permanent criminal record that in many cases cannot ever be expunged.

There are several felony related traffic matters for offenses such as OUIL 3rd Offense, OUIL Causing Serious Injury or Death, Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle, Fleeing and Eluding Police, Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle, Unlawfully Driving Away an Automobile (UDAA), 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 a issuing a traffic ticket. Traffic felonies can result in many negative impactful consequences such as potentially serving a jail or prison sentence, probation with severe conditions, driver’s license sanctions, damage to your reputation, and having a conviction that cannot be expunged in the future. Needless to say that a felony traffic accusation requires thorough representation from a zealous, diligent, and aggressive felony traffic defense attorney. Felony related traffic charges that allegedly occur in Clinton Township are initially scheduled at the 41B District Court, and are transferred (“bound over”) to the 16th Circuit Court in Mt. Clemens if a probable cause determination is made at a preliminary examination or a waiver or the same.

You Have the Right to Fight Your Clinton Township Traffic Matter at the 41B District Court and Have an Experienced Retained Attorney to Help You

If you receive any type of traffic violation (civil infraction, misdemeanor, or felony) you have the absolute Constitutional right to hire the lawyer of your choice to contest it. If you make a timely demand for your civil infraction, you have the right to a contested hearing in Court to challenge whether or not it was established by the prosecution/township attorney/police by a preponderance of the evidence that the alleged civil infraction occurred. The hearing scheduled is either an “informal hearing” (which does not involve lawyers – only yourself, the police officer, and the Court magistrate) or a “formal hearing” (where lawyers are involved to either negotiate or litigate the ticket in Court, and in many cases a better result can be reached through that legal representation).

For all misdemeanor and felony accusations, you have certain important Constitutional rights such as the right to a trial by jury or by Judge (if the prosecution and Judge agree to a bench trial)., where the prosecution has the sole burden of proving his or her case beyond a reasonable doubt. An extremely bad choice when it comes to any misdemeanor or felony traffic criminal offense is to make the decision to have no legal counsel at all and to represent yourself. Someone who chooses not to have the assistance of a lawyer is at a complete disadvantage because the Court will hold them to the same standards as a lawyer, and they are opposed by a prosecutor or city attorney who has many years of training and vast experience in the Michigan rules of evidence, Michigan criminal procedure, Michigan case and statutory law, direct and cross examination of witnesses, and the ways of conducting a trial. You can request from your Judge representation from a court appointed lawyer if you are too indigent to retain your own lawyer, and hope that the public defender is zealous and dedicated enough to fight for the right result, or choose 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 Clinton Township Michigan charge, the recommended retained lawyer is Daniel Hilf, because he has the necessary experience practicing before the three Judges and magistrates of the 41B District Court. Attorney Daniel Hilf is from the locally known and highly respected law firm of Hilf & Hilf, PLC, who you can contact to discuss your legal situation today.