I must admit, I am a Seattle traffic attorney, so for a living I work to fight for people to beat their Seattle traffic tickets. And I've got a bunch of tricks up my sleeve in the way of information and skill I've learned over the years in how to deal with traffic tickets. Although I must admit I don't get every traffic ticket reduced or dismissed that I see, I do take care of a lot of them.
But today I'm here for a different reason. I'm here to help you fight your own traffic ticket by letting you in on one of the aces up my sleeve, if you will. These "aces" are called jurisdiction and venue. Before I get into how they can help you with your traffic citation, let me explain what they are. Jurisdiction is the power of a court to make a decision in your case. Without jurisdiction a court would not be able to make a ruling or decide your case. Venue is like jurisdiction in some ways, but is even less complicated than that. Venue is simply the place where your case must be heard. If the jurisdiction and venue are improper, the case must be dismissed, as it can't be resolved in the court you are in. Let me caution, before you read this, that you should consult an attorney before you fight your own case. There are exceptions to every rule and you don't want to go in guns a blazing relying on this information and lose because you didn't know something (also a good reason to hire a traffic attorney to help you).
An example would probably help you give you an idea when this defense might come in handy. And it most often works in metropolitan areas, though it may work in rural areas under the right circumstances. Let's say you are driving around in Seattle, Washington. You think you are minding the traffic laws, but are surprised when a state trooper pulls you over and cites you for speeding. If you don't know, Seattle is a big city surrounded by a bunch of smaller cities. Cities with names like Bellevue, Kirkland, Edmonds, Federal Way, and on and on. Let's say, for this example, that you were on your way to Bellevue when you were pulled over, and you were almost there. In fact, you think when the trooper saw you speeding you were actually in Seattle but when he pulled you over and ticketed you you were in Bellevue. And what's more, because he's a state trooper he cited you with a state traffic violation instead of a city one, and he sent you to Bellevue city court for the citation.
In this case, you may have two valid defenses: one for improper venue and one for improper jurisdiction. The venue defense is based on the fact that the violation occurred in Seattle but is being resolved in Bellevue - the wrong venue. The jurisdiction defense is based on the rule that city judges, usually can't hear state citations (it is important to check with an attorney on this because there are exceptions). And voila, you may have just beaten your Seattle traffic ticket through improper venue and improper jurisdiction. But again, before you try this, consult a traffic ticket attorney. They'll usually take the time to tell you if you are right or not, saving you some time, and possibly, embarrassment.
If you are in the area and need a Seattle traffic attorney or Bellevue traffic attorney, please call CMS Law Firm LLC today. We can help you fight your Seattle area traffic citations.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Small
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