Help with Virginia Uniform Summons
A Virginia Uniform Summons is a ticket. In Virginia, when you’re given a traffic ticket, and even some misdemeanor charges, the officer writes out the charge on a document called a Virginia Uniform Summons. This document is basically saying that you are summoned to appear in court on the indicated date to answer for the indicated charge or charges. A uniform summons means go to court.
How do you read a Virginia Uniform Summons?
First of all, the most important thing to understand is that when the officer gives you a Virginia Uniform Summons and he has you sign it, you are promising, by your signature, to appear in court on the indicated day and time and place.
The most important thing is to note down the day and time of that you’re supposed to be in court and which court to go to. You’d be surprised how many people accidentally mess that up. Some people get the court wrong, some people get the time wrong, some people put the date wrong on their calendar. Whatever reason, it’s up to you to make sure that you are in the right court, the right time, on the right day.
For my clients in the Fredericksburg area, it can be a little bit confusing because we have several different jurisdictions that intersect in different ways, and some people can be confused about which exact court they’re supposed to be in for their case. For example, my office address actually says Fredericksburg; however, I’m located in Spotsylvania County. So if someone got a ticket out in front of our office, they would have to go to Spotsylvania County General District Court to answer for the charge.
The other thing to be aware of is which court in the county you’re supposed to go to. Let’s say you’re supposed to appear in Stafford County. You need to be sure that you know which court in Stafford County to appear in, since there are several. Most traffic cases for adults would be going to the General District Court. However, if you’re a juvenile, or if the case is relating to a family-type concern, then you would probably have to go to the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
Should I hire a lawyer for my Virginia Uniform Summons?
That question is going to be best answered after calling my office to talk about the details of your case.
Since there are literally hundreds of charges that could be written on a Virginia Uniform Summons, it’s impossible to say in the abstract, whether or not you need to hire a lawyer for your specific charge.
However, you should understand that a summons is a ticket, which means that you’re accused of breaking some law. To really understand what law you’re accused of breaking and what the possible consequences are, you should talk with me.
I provide free consultations for traffic and misdemeanor charges in the Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania and King George area, and I can tell you better what you’re facing.
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