Whether you miss your traffic court date because you forgot or because there is an emergency that arises that is beyond your control, you need to notify your attorney or (if you do not have an attorney) someone who works in the court. You can then try to have the case continued so that you can go to court at a later date. However, if you make no contact with anyone and miss court, there are a few consequences that could arise.
If the ticketed offense carries the possibility of jail time, then the judge could issue a bench warrant for your arrest. This would aggravate an already stressful situation. Hiring and contacting the traffic ticket defense lawyer at Rudolphi Law could spare you this additional difficulty. Your lawyer can, at very least, try to explain to the prosecutor and judge why you were not present and try to have your case continued to another date.
If you have not yet hired a lawyer for your ticket and missed your traffic court date, the judge may have you tried in absence. As soon as you realize that you’ve missed traffic court and have been found guilty in absence, you should contact our traffic ticket defense lawyer in Fairfax VA at Rudolphi Law. An attorney can guide you through the options you have to still challenge or negotiate your ticket. Specifically, there are two options for this when you have been tried in absence.
One is to have your traffic ticket defense lawyer ask the court to reopen the case. This must happen within 60 days of the trial in absence and you will need to fill your lawyer in on why the court date was missed so they can best argue why the case should be reopened. The second option for a missed traffic court date and being found guilty in absence is to note an appeal to Circuit Court. This option must be exercised within 10 calendar days of the conviction. The traffic ticket defense lawyer at Rudolphi Law can navigate either of these options for you in the event you have the misfortune of missing your court date.
Traffic tickets are stressful and the court date for them is one more thing to add to your already busy life. Likewise, people sometimes make the mistake of missing their court date. Whether hired before or after that happens, the attorney at Rudolphi Law, traffic ticket defense lawyer in Fairfax VA, is always in your corner.
Rudolphi Law is conveniently located in Fairfax County Virginia and provides legal services to the following surrounding counties:
Arlington County, Alexandria City, Falls Church City, Loudoun County, and Prince William County. Let us help you today.
