28 over in school zone. aahh! please help

[JD7Z33]

What is the name of your state? Georgia

What happened: I was following my coworker(John) to a sales presentation and we got pulled after speeding(63 in 35) through a school zone. Neither of us realized it was a school zone considering the lights on the school zone sign were not flashing and there was no school activity (It was 8:20 and the school zone speed limit ended at 8:30). The police officer led me to believe he was going to let me off because I was just following, but still gave me a ticket for 28 over. I asked to see the radar gun reading and he let me, but when i tried to ask other questions he said he did not have to give any explanation. I wanted to ask him if he had two seperate radar readings for both of us or if he was just using the one.

John hired a lawyer and referred me to the same law office which was in the town we were ticketed in. I talked to them and they said they would defend me for $750 and probably get the speed dropped to 14 over(not reported insurance and less points) but i would still probably have to pay the 530$ ticket or I could try to plead nolo which he said means insurance should not be able to use it against me. I just lost my job and it would be really tough for me to pay for the lawyerand the ticket. I am a safe driver and have a decent driving record with only one speeding ticket and one accident(im 22) but im afraid that this will really hurt me insurance wise and possibly cause me to have to sell my sportscar.

Questions:
Should I still hire the lawyer?
Do I have any argument against this in court?

any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[FarmerJ]

Sounds like you know the answer allready, sell the car get the legal assistance you need to try to get this reduced and get something else to drive with way less guts so you dont attract attention to your self. Life is full of consequences for ones actions. I know thats likely what you didnt want to hear! but hey, if you have a decent amount of money left over after you sell you wont be so broke while looking for work.

[JD7Z33]

Well I guess thats one way of looking at it! Thanks for the reply Farmerj. My car is my pride and joy and to sell it may be the most practical thing to do, but I really dont think i could do it because of how hard Ive worked for it and how much happiness it adds to my life. I usually try to drive like a granny on the road and I take my car to the track to fool around. I really hope this ticket doesn't ruin it for me. I can deal with the fine and the 6 points on my license but I just can't afford a huge insurance hike. I have heard that a NOLO plea will keep this from raising my insurance. Anyone know if this is true in Ga? Like I said before any response is appreciated! Just remember you cant convince me to sell my baby!

[Robbie0723]

Speeding through a school zone is pretty serious in most areas -- especially at close to 2X the limit.

Don't even think about going after the officer on your own in court.

A lawyer will more than save you money in insurance increases in the long run.

Are you sure a nolo will not increase you insurance???

Ask you insurance provider to know for sure on both accounts.

[lwpat]

Are you sure a nolo will not increase you insurance???

Robbie, this is the way it works in GA. It is not like a PFJ in NC. All a Nolo plea does is keep the points off your license. The ticket is still posted to your record for insurance points. A lot of GA prosecutors talk people into a Nolo when it really is a bad move in most situations.

[JD7Z33]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Yes i have since found out that indeed pleading nolo is not going to keep my insurance company from finding out. That means I should hire the lawyer right?? Well hes the one that misinformed me about this in the first place! He told me I would get the points on my license but my insurance wouldnt be affected. What an idiot! I had a bad feeling with this guy from the minute we first started talking. He didnt want to answer any questions until i signed the contract to hire him and he just treated me like i was way below his big-shot barely removed from law school ass. But he did say he thought he could talk to the police officer and get this reduced to 14 over instead of 28 so i dont know what to do. For $750 i think that might be worth it. I wonder if I would be screwing myself if I tried to get one of the older, more veteran lawyers in the firm to represent me or just stick with this guy and hope im not throwing money out the window and end up with the same verdict.. Man this really stinks. I really need to make a decision early tomorrow so any last minute advice/opinions would be great!

[JD7Z33]

Also anyone have a good excuse for another court date continuance. When i got the frist one the woman told me that I was allowed only one so i need a good excuse. Anyone think they would make an exception so I could have some more time to work this out?

[lwpat]

A contagious disease is always a good excuse. Tell them you have the bird flu.

[JD7Z33]

ha bird flu.. good one.. I thought about claiming some kind of illness but then I thought about the possibility of the court requiring a doctors note.. my friend told me I should say I have to go to a funeral for my aunt on mon(court date). Can't seem to get my creative juices flowing here. Anyone used an excuse that worked?

[sukharev]

Originally Posted by JD7Z33

Also anyone have a good excuse for another court date continuance. When i got the frist one the woman told me that I was allowed only one so i need a good excuse. Anyone think they would make an exception so I could have some more time to work this out?

Well, you could try to do a discovery request, that always takes time. Your excuse would be that you have not received documents yet necessary for your defense. May work, but who knows...

[speed899]

I would seriously go alone to court and tell the judge you are guilty as charged but you want no points on your license. The judge in many cases will drop the points and add fines. Now if the judge fries you for doing it then hire an attorney for round two. I have found that many states only want your money and an attorney is really not needed unless DUI is involved.

[sukharev]

Originally Posted by speed899

I would seriously go alone to court and tell the judge you are guilty as charged but you want no points on your license. The judge in many cases will drop the points and add fines. Now if the judge fries you for doing it then hire an attorney for round two. I have found that many states only want your money and an attorney is really not needed unless DUI is involved.

Round 2? Are you saying 1 isn't enough?

[JD7Z33]

I thought I would post a quick update on what happened with my speeding ticket case. I went into court planning on pleading nolo which would just keep 6 points off of my license but I was still going to have to pay the 530 dollar fine and my insurance would go up. I decided to talk to the solicitor for advice and after I explained my story he made an offer to me that was better than I could have dreamed of. He said he would make a recomendation to the judge and as long as I dont get another ticket in the town in the next 6 months that they wouldnt report the citation to the state thus keeping points off my license and keeping my insurance out of it. And he also recommended that my ticket be reduced to 250 dollars! Wow what a break I got! The judge went along with it and just said that he wanted a 1500 word essay in the next 30 days. I am so glad I didnt pay 750 for the lawyer! Thanks for the advice I got on here.. Its really great that some of you guys volunteer your time to help people out like this. Until next time thanks!

[You Are Guilty]

ROFL

Did you just say the judge wants a 1500 word essay? On what??

[Happy Trails]

Originally Posted by You Are Guilty

ROFL

Did you just say the judge wants a 1500 word essay? On what??

I will not speed in a school zone for the next six months. I will not speed on the highway or any other street for the next six months. I will be a safe and cautious driver all the days of my life. I will not speed in a school zone for the next six months. I will not speed on the highway or any other street for the next six months. I will be a safe and cautious driver all the days of my life. I will not speed in a school zone for the next six months. I will not speed on the highway or any other street for the next six months. I will be a safe and cautious driver all the days of my life. I will not speed in a school zone for the next six months. I will not speed on the highway or any other street for the next six months. I will be a safe and cautious driver all the days of my life. I will not speed in a school zone for the next six months. I will not speed on the highway or any other street for the next six months. I will be a safe and cautious driver all the days of my life......