Do you need a lawyer to handle your traffic ticket? You may need one depending on the circumstances of your case. Don't assume that a traffic ticket isn't a serious case and handle it alone. Here are three instances in which it pays to have legal representation.

You Don't Have Time to Go to Court

In many cases, you don't have to appear in court alongside your legal representative. This is good news if you have a busy schedule on the appointed court date. For example, if you have planned to attend a business conference, you don't have to cancel it just because you have a date in traffic court. Just talk to a lawyer and, with his or her blessing, attend the conference as he or she handles your traffic case.

Your Violation Is Serious

A traffic ticket can be issued for felonies, which are punished by incarceration time of not less than a year. Depending on your state's laws, serious traffic violations may be labeled aggravated or gross misdemeanors and receive the same level of punishment as a felony. Do you want to spend a year in jail? Whether or not you are guilty of the traffic offense you have been charged with, the only way to buttress your defense is to hire a traffic lawyer.

You Have a Chequered Driving History

The first time you receive a traffic ticket, you may get off with a minor sentence such as a small monetary fine. Of course, this may only be the case if your offense is classified as an infraction, a crime that is less serious than a misdemeanor. However, you may not get off so easy if you have been charged and convicted of multiple traffic offenses in the past. In such a case, your current charge may be elevated to a

In such a case, the consequences of losing the case are dire. For example, it may raise (significantly) your auto insurance or even result in you jail time. Therefore, it makes sense to hire a traffic attorney to defend you if you have multiple convictions in the past.

Experienced traffic lawyers know which cases they can get dismissed. They also know when the prosecution has a watertight case. A lawyer can still help you in the latter case, for example, by plea bargaining to reduce the seriousness of your charge sheet and sentence. Therefore, talk to a lawyer before deciding whether you need legal representation or not.