A Brief History of Traffic Ticket Defense in Florida Articles / Info Posted by dpakula on Jun 20, 2005 - 08:45 PM I am not a historian. But allow me to share with you what I know about the interesting history of traffic ticket defense in Florida. Until about ten or fifteen years ago, there was no such thing as a lawyer specializing in traffic ticket defense in Florida. There were criminal defense attorneys who handled traffic tickets, and their fees were rather pricey compared to the fees currently being charged in today's competitive environment. The first few attorneys who specialized in traffic ticket defense discovered that there was a niche market for defending traffic tickets. These lawyers did quite well financially. When other attorneys discovered the success of the early pioneers, the competition and the bidding wars began. As more attorneys entered the field, the fees being charged steadily dropped. In order to stay competitive, attorneys were forced to lower prices. In addition, some attorneys began offering a money-back guarantee for clients who received points or school. While inventive attorneys created variations on the money-back guarantee, most offered it and continue to offer it today in one form or another. (Please note that an attorney cannot ethically guarantee a result, but an attorney can guarantee to return the attorney's fee if the client receives a particular unfavorable result). There were three key factors that made it possible for attorneys to successfully specialize in traffic ticket defense in Florida. The first has to do with marketing. Attorneys discovered that they could obtain mailing lists from the courts of persons who recently received traffic tickets. By directing their marketing to these people, attorneys were able to dramatically increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Today, the internet has added a new dimension to marketing. However, direct mailings are still the centerpiece of any traffic ticket lawyer's successful marketing strategy. The second factor was the availability of "coverage attorneys." In every county courthouse facility in South Florida, there are attorneys who cover traffic infraction hearings for other attorneys. When the system of coverage attorneys developed in South Florida, it became possible for one traffic ticket attorney to handle cases in several different satellite courthouses. The third factor was the development by the courts of new procedures for handling the endless stream of traffic cases in South Florida. The Broward and Miami-Dade County Courts pioneered the two-step system of pretrial hearings and trials for each case and the use of Traffic Magistrates instead of County Court Judges. This system is also being used now in Palm Beach County, which also has a high volume of traffic ticket cases. By allowing many cases to be settled during a pretrial conference, the courts expanded their ability to handle a high volume of cases. And by employing attorneys trained to be hearing officers (Magistrates), the County Judges freed themselves from spending most of their time on traffic infraction cases. Traffic ticket attorneys also benefitted from the new two-step procedure, because it enabled them to handle a higher volume of cases. With the lowering of fees resulting from the bidding wars, it became increasingly important to maintain a high case volume to stay profitable. You may have noticed that there are more traffic ticket attorneys in South Florida than anywhere else in the State of Florida. This is due not only to the higher volume of traffic ticket cases in this area, but also to the two-step hearing system used in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties and the availability of coverage attorneys. I served as a Broward Traffic Magistrate from 2002 through the end of 2004. At first, it seemed to me that the practice of traffic ticket attorneys was more akin to a factory than a real law firm. However, after sitting on the bench for a while I gained respect for the traffic attorneys appearing before me. I realized that clients were receiving a high quality of representation, even though the attorneys were handling a high volume of cases. I observed that clients who hired attorneys not specializing in traffic ticket defense were not receiving the same high quality defense as those using the traffic ticket defense specialists. While I use the same marketing approaches as other traffic ticket defense specialists, I have not tried to maximize the volume of cases that I handle. I limit my traffic ticket practice so that I can pay individual attention to my clients and their cases. My legal assistants handle many phone calls and assist me in several ways. However, I answer the phones, speak with traffic ticket clients every day and even meet with clients in the office. I have on several occasions advised clients to elect traffic school instead of hiring me, if their driving records will expose them to a high risk of getting points. My clients appreciate the fact that I am looking out for their best interests, rather than rushing to sign up every client to the program. People like the personal touch that my office provides. I don't criticize the attorneys who aim for the high-volume approach. I just enjoy the feeling of being in touch with the people I represent, rather than running a factory outlet for traffic tickets. I hope this brief history of Florida traffic ticket defense has been informative, and that it will assist you in choosing the lawyer who is right for you. This article is from Florida Traffic Ticket Defense   http://www.floridatrafficticketdefense.com/ The URL for this story is:   http://www.floridatrafficticketdefense.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=10