Good Traffic Lawyer??

[KnuckleBallz]

Hey everyone- new member & relatively new rider. Almost made it through my first season without incident, but two weeks ago I had a minor accident on Comm Ave on my way to work. Long story short, the cop ended up giving me a speeding ticket for doing 50 in a 30. Not only was I not speeding, but this is nearly impossible to do while crossing the BU bridge during the morning rush hour.

I've already requested my hearing, and am now looking for representation. Can anyone recommend a good lawyer for this? I figure it's better to spend the money there than on insurance.

Also, some out of state ppl in other forums have said that they have gotten tickets dismissed by taking defensive driving courses. Anyone had any success with that in MA?

Thanks a lot,

Sam

[tsorfas]

Altman & Altman from Boston! THE BEST.. the shit that they saved me from are unreal

[KnuckleBallz]

Thanks a lot man- I appreciate it. Fingers crossed now...

[tsorfas]

good luck man, my favorite guy there is Steven Goldwin. He knows mad people in MA and hes fun to work with too

[Petorius]

The same thing happened to me, goin 50 on commave. I decided to appeal it, got heavy resistance from the magistrate and settled for a $100 reduction. I wish I had appealed to a judge and hired a lawyer, I think I had the upper hand but I pussed out.

[Degsy]

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Did the cop see you riding before the accident or see the accident?

[KnuckleBallz]

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Did the cop see you riding before the accident or see the accident?

He saw the whole thing- was directing traffic @ the intersection where it happened.

I know he'll be pissed if he has to come into court, and I'm sure he could've gotten some other charge to stick, like "failure to maintain control of vehicle" or possibly even reckless, but the fact is I wasn't going anywhere near that speed.

IDK, I'm just really not trying to deal with the points on my license. It was a rookie mistake, and I learned my lesson going down. (I think...still not 100% sure the cause, but going to ride a lot more cautious in light rain).

[KnuckleBallz]

The same thing happened to me, goin 50 on commave. I decided to appeal it, got heavy resistance from the magistrate and settled for a $100 reduction. I wish I had appealed to a judge and hired a lawyer, I think I had the upper hand but I pussed out.

What'd that end up doing to your insurance? Less points on the license?

[KnuckleBallz]

Damn, just got off the phone with the guy...$900 to handle the case. That blows, but then I called Progressive & they said my rate would go up $389/yr.

[tsorfas]

Ya they ain't cheap but they get things done

[KnuckleBallz]

This other dude Steven Topazio said he'd do it for $500, but I don't know his rep. The money makes sense, but Altman seems more legit. I've got Goldwin's cell.

http://www.topaziolaw.com/criminal-p...fic-violations

[ThisBitch]

Why not just do it yourself? Ask the cop how he estimated your speed and how often people do 50 in a 30 during rush hour on the bridge?

[Evadd]

no harm in going to the magistrate first by yourself. if you lose, appeal the case and go before a judge. bring the lawyer to that hearing. last time i had a ticket in Mass, there was one cop who represented all of them at the magistrate hearing. in the actual court hearing with the judge, the specific cop has to show up. if he doesn't, it gets tossed (which is what happened to me). this was about 15 years ago, so i'm assuming the process is the same.

[KnuckleBallz]

Yeah, I'm weighing my options...I'd really rather not get to the appeal stage though. This cop was not very pleasant to deal with at all, and most certainly would show up. He was a Harley guy, who's first words to me were "you fucking asshole", so I'm pretty sure he'd be pretty serious in a court room.

I'd like to think I'd be able to pull off defending myself, but I'd hate to say the wrong thing in a hearing and have it used against me in the appeal.

[ThisBitch]

Yeah, I'm weighing my options...I'd really rather not get to the appeal stage though. This cop was not very pleasant to deal with at all, and most certainly would show up. He was a Harley guy, who's first words to me were "you fucking asshole", so I'm pretty sure he'd be pretty serious in a court room.

I'd like to think I'd be able to pull off defending myself, but I'd hate to say the wrong thing in a hearing and have it used against me in the appeal.

There are a bunch of threads on NESR regarding defending yourself and the cop being a dick actually might make it easier to prove your point in court. Magistrates aren't stupid. I'd ask him what his first words to you were when he's testifying

[Degsy]

There are a bunch of threads on NESR regarding defending yourself and the cop being a dick actually might make it easier to prove your point in court. Magistrates aren't stupid. I'd ask him what his first words to you were when he's testifying

I went to traffic court in Boston once. This is REALLY how it went down. I was amazed.

Every chick who stood up and giggled and said "I didn't mean to" or "I didn't know" whether it was left turn from go straight lane, speeding, whatever. every one of them got the ticket dismissed. All the guys who got up and made a case (even a couple with a lawyer) got at best a fine reduction. It got to the stage where the court recorder (girl of about 22 years old) was doing the "Jim Halpert" stare at the gallery every time yet another chick got a not responsible. It was quite amazing to see. I'm sure the judge didnt realise what he was doing. There had to be 15 chicks who got off and 25 guys who didnt.

[scubasteveRR]

man you're screwed... the laywer is expensive but if you get off it's worth it in my eye's.

also tits are way more expensive and you need to buy two of them!

[KnuckleBallz]

Hahaha, you guys are alright.

Thanks for the advice though, seriously. I'll let you know how it turns out.

For now, I'm going to request a copy of the police report so I can see what I'm up against. If it's pretty tame, I'll probably take a crack at round 1 myself and go from there.

[tsorfas]

from personal experience and been to wayyyy to many courts.. (more than you would believe) I can tell you for sure that the lawyer is worth every cent

[Garandman]

I went to traffic court in Boston once. This is REALLY how it went down. I was amazed.

Every chick who stood up and giggled and said "I didn't mean to" or "I didn't know" whether it was left turn from go straight lane, speeding, whatever. every one of them got the ticket dismissed. All the guys who got up and made a case (even a couple with a lawyer) got at best a fine reduction. It got to the stage where the court recorder (girl of about 22 years old) was doing the "Jim Halpert" stare at the gallery every time yet another chick got a not responsible. It was quite amazing to see. I'm sure the judge didnt realise what he was doing. There had to be 15 chicks who got off and 25 guys who didnt.

Guess I should be glad the Magistrate was a woman when I went, then!