You might think that you don’t need a lawyer for a Reckless Driving by Speed ticket in Virginia. We would tell you that reckless driving by speed is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia, and a conviction can have long-term negative repercussions on your life and the lives of your families and loved ones. No two cases are exactly alike. You will need experienced, aggressive representation to beat or minimize the impact of a reckless driving by speed conviction on your criminal record!
Depending on how fast you were going, which county or other jurisdiction you were charged in, and other factors will determine what financial impact a Reckless Driving by Speed ticket will have on your life.
One way to simplify your task is to decide how much you can pay for your legal fees, fines, and other costs. Then select the lawyer whose fee structure matches what you have decided to pay. We would recommend that you NOT use this method unless you are experiencing severe financial restrictions. When it comes to lawyers, you tend to get what you pay for. The only problem with that approach is you will likely get a very inexperienced attorney with a spotty record for keeping his or her clients out of jail.
Researching the price for a reckless driving by speed lawyer can be a daunting task. There are so many variables that go into the final cost of legal representation, and a large number of the websites that promote and sell legal representation are not always clear when it comes to the final costs. We always provide a clear price for legal fees based on the criteria that impact costs and ultimately determine the final price.
How Much Are the Cheapest Reckless Driving Lawyers?
The least expensive way to get legal representation for a reckless driving ticket is to ask a close friend or family member who is a lawyer to represent you for free or at a significant “friends and family” discount. However, this may place them in a difficult position if they must choose between helping you and serving a paying client. So to answer the question, the cheapest legal representation could be anywhere from $0 to $100 dollars, depending on the lawyer and their relationship with you.
How Much do More Expensive Reckless Driving Attorneys Cost?
If you cannot hire a lawyer who is a close friend or family member, ask people you trust whether they have worked with an attorney who handles criminal traffic cases. A lower-cost lawyer recommended by someone you trust may be a good choice. However, that lawyer may have less experience or may not regularly represent defendants charged with reckless driving by speed. Attorneys with more experience in these cases may charge between $500 and $1,000 to defend you in court.
How Much do the Most Expensive Reckless Driving Lawyers Cost?
There are people in this world who have so much money that the cost of hiring an attorney is immaterial to the financial decision. We have heard stories of lawyers who charge $5000 to $10,000 or even more to represent defendants in a reckless driving by speed case. Sometimes the money is worth it to not have a pesky criminal charge in your records. Generally speaking, you should expect to pay between $1000 and $2500 for a typical Reckless Driving by Speed defense.
What Factors Drive Up the Cost of Reckless Driving by Speed Cases?
Basic attorney costs aside, here are some additional factors involved in driving up the costs of a Reckless Driving by Speeding Case.
Complexity of the case: If your case involves crimes such as DUI, stolen vehicle, accident, robbery, or manslaughter, be prepared for your attorney to charge you much more than he or she would charge for a simple Reckless Driving by Speed Charge.
Harm to Others: If your Reckless Driving by Speed Charge also involves injury or death of another party, you can expect the legal fees required to defend you will be much more expensive.
Poor driving record: Nothing predicts a future outcome like past results. If you have a driving record that requires a notebook to hold it all, don’t be surprised to pay a lot more for your Reckless Driving legal defense fees.
Reputation: If you are someone with an extensive criminal record who has a high profile in the community, be prepared to pay a LOT more for your Reckless Driving by Speed defense.
What Factors Drive Down the Cost of a Reckless Driving by Speed Charge?
Specialization
An attorney or law firm that specializes in Traffic Law would be a good place to start. These lawyers and law practices focus on legal issues pertaining to crimes and violations that take place while driving a vehicle. These firms have developed extremely efficient work processes that allow them to offer flat fees for the most common charges.
Efficiency
As mentioned above, even a smaller firm that specializes in Reckless Driving by Speeding cases will have handled over a thousand of these cases each year. This allows these law firms to know exactly what documentation and mitigation will be needed, and they assist their clients in how to obtain the appropriate mitigation documentation to support their Reckless Driving by Speed defense cases.
Advance Planning
This is one of the factors that is mostly in the hands of the potential client. Many people who receive a ticket for Reckless Driving by Speed will put off or delay their response to a ticket. This is a big mistake. If you don’t show up in court, you will be tried in absentia and most likely found guilty and have a warrant for your arrest issued against you.
Don’t wait until a few days before your court date to retain legal representation. Your attorney will need time to prepare a quality defense strategy. The best time to contact an attorney is right after your case shows up on the Court’s docket or trial schedule. This often means that you should contact an attorney within 3-5 days of the violation date.
Clean Driving Record
A clean driving record will go a long way towards a successful defense of reckless driving by speed charges. The best way to demonstrate your clean driving record is to request an official copy from DMV to give to your lawyer in advance of your court date. Other potentially helpful actions that can mitigate your legal risk are a speedometer calibration and the completion of a driver’s education class. Again, it is almost always better to walk into court with these mitigation activities already completed. Another mitigation strategy is to have at least 20 hours of community service volunteer time with a local non-profit. Once you retain an attorney, your case manager can help you set up and schedule these activities.
Why are Some Reckless Driving by Speed Law Firms More Expensive?
In a nutshell, some law firms are more expensive because they are larger, they have nicer offices, or they have more attorneys and/or office support staff. In other words, they are not efficient when it comes to reckless driving by speed cases. Or the firm is more focused on other types of legal work and defending clients against traffic law violations is not “In their wheelhouse”. With this type of law firm, you can almost always expect a price that is high, simply because they want to discourage you from hiring them.
Why are Some Reckless Driving Law Firms Less Expensive?
Some reckless driving law firms are so good at what they do, they are able to offer their services for a price that is less than their competitors.
We previously mentioned efficiency as one of the factors that drives the cost of representation down. An efficient firm has the ability to provide best-in-class legal services at a reasonable cost that is within the financial reach of most defendants.
Be sure to do your research and learn as much as possible about the firm and how they perform. Check review sites like Google or the Better Business Bureau for more detailed evaluations from people who were defended by the Reckless Driving by Speed law firm. Don’t spend your money on a firm that doesn’t have an A+ BBB rating or a 4.9+ point average or higher Google rating. (https://www.bbb.org/us/va/lexington/profile/lawyers/charles-v-hardenbergh-pc-0613-90005842)
Which Reckless Driving by Speed Law Firm is Best for Me?
The best kind of Reckless Driving Law Firm is one that has many years (20+) of experience and has a great reputation for positive results and happy customers. Look for a Law Firm that stands behind its work. Some firms offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Be sure to ask about our guarantee when you call.
Call us today at (804) 521-7587!
