You have a right to a speedy trial. However, your all traffic offense attorney may suggest postponing your court appearance for your benefit. The charges could be dropped if delayed long enough, or, at the very least, the prosecution may be open to more lenient charges to get the case over with.
- Time to Prepare Your Case
With any case, from a DUI traffic ticket fix to fighting a red light camera ticket, your lawyer needs to prepare. Your attorney can delay your case by months to gather evidence and find witnesses.
- Witness Availability
There may be a key witness in your case who is suddenly unavailable. Perhaps the person has an emergency situation or comes down with an illness. The court may delay just enough until the witness can physically be present.
- Attorney Schedule Conflicts
Your lawyer probably has many more cases to handle besides yours. The court has to be reasonably accommodating to all of your lawyer’s cases.
- Personal Reasons
You can request a continuance if you know you cannot attend the specified court date. Judges can be strict, but they may be open to some leniency depending on your reason. You just need to make sure to file the proper motion several weeks in advance.
- Marriage
Some courts will allow you to postpone for big life events. For example, the court may reschedule your court date if you plan on getting married in the near future. Similarly, a death in the family may necessitate your presence elsewhere.
Postponing your court appearance is a legal strategy that can be effective. However, you must keep in mind that you probably will not have as much success with postponement if your DUI resulted in bodily injury, excessive property damage, or death. You can find all kinds of traffic-related attorneys, including an unpaid suspended license ticket lawyer, with Ticket Clinic. Simply give us a call at 1-800-248-2846 to get started.
