How Much Does a Virginia Reckless Driving Lawyer Cost?
The cost of hiring a Virginia reckless driving lawyer is less than the potential cost of not hiring one.
If you received a reckless driving ticket, you are probably wondering what to do about it and how much does it even cost to hire a VA reckless driving lawyer?
Many of my clients have never needed a lawyer before, so it’s not unusual to be concerned about the costs involved.
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Penalties for a Reckless Driving Charge
Unlike some states, a reckless driving charge in Virginia represents more than a traffic ticket. Virginia considers reckless driving a Class 1 misdemeanor.
A Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia carries the possibility of up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
Additionally, a reckless driving conviction carries six demerit points. Demerit points remain on your Virginia driving record for a period of two years.
If you receive 12 or more demerit points within the two-year period, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) can mandate participation in a driver improvement class.
If you get 18 points in one year, your license gets suspended. Therefore, three reckless driving convictions can mean the loss of your driver’s license.
How to Get Out of Reckless Driving Ticket
Ignore the Reckless Driving Charge
It’s a choice, but it’s not a good one.
If you just ignore the reckless driving charge, you’re facing the full range of consequences and could possibly make the situation even worse.
The one benefit you gain by ignoring the charge is short-term.
You don’t have to worry about it right now, and if you’re super awesome lucky (about as likely as winning the lottery jackpot, in my opinion), the officer might not file the ticket, or he might not show up for court.
But in most cases, ignoring the ticket means you will at least be found guilty of misdemeanor reckless driving.
If you’re lucky, at that point, the court will simply send you a bill for a fine.
Of course, if you don’t pay it on time, Virginia DMV will suspend your license for non-payment.
In a worse scenario, depending upon the facts of your case, the judge might issue a capias warrant since you didn’t appear. That’s a warrant for your arrest, and it means you will typically be arrested by a deputy in the near future.
If the judge goes that far, he most likely won’t be happy when you eventually appear in front of him.
Send a Letter
The next approach you might take to handling your case is to send a letter to the court. Some people who can’t personally make it to court send a letter to the judge.
This technique has advantages because you do get a chance to hopefully say something to the judge in the form of a letter. And of course, you would not have to come to court.
However, there are disadvantages as well. You’re still risking the possibility of the judge being upset that you’re not in court if he really wanted you there.
If the judge really wants to give you jail time, he is going to want to see you in his court.
The next disadvantage is that the judges react to these letters differently. I practice in a handful of counties, and judges around here handle letters differently.
I’ve seen judges pick up a letter and say, “if you want to plead not guilty you need to show up.”
I’ve seen other judges say, “please put that on my desk”; I assume they review the letter and consider an alternate outcome. It really does depend on the judge.
Thus, the biggest disadvantage, if you don’t have in-person representation, is that there’s no way you can properly argue for your case.
Sending a letter is no substitute for having a live person in court to advocate on your behalf.
Appear by Yourself
Of course, you can appear by yourself for your reckless driving charge. This is sort of the default response to a reckless driving ticket because the law says you’re supposed to appear in court.
The advantage here is that you don’t have the expense of hiring a lawyer. You just appear in court and hope for the best.
However, that’s also a major disadvantage. This is sort of like crossing your fingers and hoping things go well.
It certainly is NOT taking every possible step to get the best possible result in your case.
For example, do you know how the judge responds to a driving record like yours? Do you know if a driving school or community service is a possibility to earn a break on your charge?
Are you familiar with the possible defects on a calibration certificate that could get your charge dismissed? Those are just a few of the issues that I review with a typical client who is charged with reckless driving.
When you need a tooth extracted, you normally don’t just grab pliers and yank it out yourself.
While pulling a tooth isn’t brain surgery, it is a fairly complex operation, and having the proper experience, tools, and anesthesia make it relatively painless and easily successful.
The same could be said about the law. I never tell people that you must hire a lawyer in every case.
I always say that you need to at least talk with a lawyer to find out what may happen, what the lawyer can do for you, and what it would cost.
Another disadvantage of appearing yourself is that you’ll have to take off work and travel to court.
Depending upon your work situation and how far away you are located from the court, this could be a substantial hassle and expense.
In some cases, your reckless driving charge may be similar to tooth extraction. Having an experienced professional to guide you through it can help lead to the best possible result.
However, sometimes the facts of the case might be more similar to a routine cold: handling it yourself without a professional might make sense.
Hire a Lawyer to Fight the Reckless Driving Charge
Instead of handling a reckless driving ticket yourself or just crossing your fingers, you can hire a lawyer.
The only real disadvantage to hiring a lawyer is the cost of the attorney. However, in my opinion, the many advantages outweigh the minor cost.
The most significant advantage to hiring an experienced, local, traffic defense lawyer for your case is that he knows how to navigate the court to get the best possible result in your case.
A top-notch traffic lawyer should know the officer, the judge, the prosecutor, and the clerks.
Simply having a thorough knowledge of the players involved helps give you a tactical advantage over someone who is handling their case alone.
Don’t sport coaches review footage of the opposing team before a big game? They’re not just doing that for fun; they’re learning about the opposition and developing strategies to win.
The same principle applies to court and makes it worthwhile to have an experienced lawyer at your side.
In addition to knowing the people involved, your lawyer should know the subtleties of defending a reckless driving charge.
For example, in a speed-related case, there are many complicated issues that can arise solely based on the officer’s calibration certificates. I’ve seen too many attorneys miss critical arguments that could have their client’s case dismissed.
Recent Case Result: Misdemeanor Reckless Driving Ticket Dismissed Due to Improper Calibration!
(Cases depend upon unique facts. Past cases do not guarantee future outcomes.)
THE STORY: A client hired me for her reckless driving ticket. This is a class one misdemeanor that carries the possibility of jail and license suspension, not to mention the long-term ramifications of the criminal conviction.
On the morning of court, I arrived early to speak with the ticketing officer and investigate his calibration paperwork. I never ask for the calibrations in advance, since that provides the officer an opportunity to correct defects.
In this case, the officer’s radar tuning fork calibration was done AFTER my client was ticket. I explained to him that the law requires the calibration to be performed BEFORE the ticket was written, but no more than six months before that. The officer was confident that the calibration could be done either six months before OR after the ticket date.
I plead not guilty for the client and argued this point to the judge. The judge read the statute (46.2-882) and agreed with my interpretation, rendering the tuning fork calibration inadmissible. Without the calibration, the officer could not prove his case!
CASE OUTCOME: Ticket dismissed! The client avoided the misdemeanor conviction and any punishments since the officer’s evidence wasn’t valid.
What’s the Cost For a VA Reckless Driving Lawyer?
When you interview lawyers about your case, you’ll hear a variety of legal fees quoted to you. Each lawyer sets his / her own fee depending upon their availability, experience, the local market, and other factors.
Depending upon all those factors, legal fees could vary from around $500 to $1,500 and even up to $2,500 in some areas. I definitely don’t charge anywhere near the high end of that. 🙂
I set my flat rate for each individual client when we have our confidential case strategy session together. I work hard to provide top-notch reckless driving defense at an affordable rate.
While exact fees will vary based on the unique case, you should expect:
To know the exact fee during your first meeting with a potential lawyer
To be able to pay the fee with any major credit card (or cash or checks, of course)
To pay the legal fee before the case comes to trial
The Most Important Question
There’s a more important question than “what does a lawyer cost” that you need to be asking:
What’s at stake for you? Some reckless tickets are more serious than others. And some clients have more at stake depending upon the outcome. What’s on the line for you?
These are the types of questions you need to be asking lawyers when you interview us:
What punishments are you looking at?
What outcomes may be possible when working with an experienced reckless driving lawyer like myself?
Is jail time a serious risk or not?
This gives you a framework to understand what’s on the line for you if the case goes well and if it goes South.
You can also better understand the long-term consequences of a reckless driving conviction and how much value you personally get from hiring a defense lawyer.
Keep in mind that you probably don’t want the cheapest lawyer you can find.
While the most expensive lawyer may be overpriced, the cheap lawyer may be charging a low rate for a reason.
What Sets Attorney Andrew Flusche Apart From Any Other Reckless Driving Criminal Defense Lawyer?
Many people do not know what type of lawyer to get for reckless driving charges.
I, Andrew Flusche, have defended thousands of reckless driving cases, giving me extensive experience handling all sorts of different cases. But you do not have to take my word for it.
Check out some of Andrew’s reviews from previous clients:
“Andrew made the whole process of reducing a reckless driving ticket as easy as it could be! I highly recommend him as his price was very reasonable, and he got the results I needed!”—Charlie S.
“I highly recommend Andrew and his staff, for anyone, if traffic violations require a court appearance. Andrew was able to have a reckless driving charge against me dismissed without my having to appear in court. We were able to conduct all business by phone or mail, which is a valuable time saver. In a situation that is very nerve-racking, Andrew and his staff are totally professional, helpful in every way, and made the process, for me, very easy.”— Lawrence
“Andrew was exceptionally prepared and answered every question I had. I was charged with reckless driving, and since the police officer had no evidence, Andrew took swift action to get it dismissed. I highly recommend hiring him for the future.”— Ryan
“Truly a great attorney. I was charged with reckless driving, and Andrew was able to mediate between . . . the officer and myself to get my charge successfully dismissed with driving school. He was quick to return my calls and emails and reassure my concerns. Don’t go to court alone regardless [of] your situation. Have Andrew represent you, and you won’t regret it.”— Chris
I have forged solid relationships with judges, officers, and prosecutors in the area.
These relationships give me the knowledge needed to help secure the best possible outcome for my clients.
Contact a Virginia Reckless Driving Lawyer Today
If you are looking for a VA reckless driving lawyer, please contact me today for a free case strategy session.
We’ll review the facts of your case, discuss potential outcomes, and I’ll quote the precise fee for your case.
My name is Andrew Flusche. I am a traffic and misdemeanor defense lawyer in Virginia. I limit my practice to traffic tickets and misdemeanor defense, so I know the ins and outs of these offenses. I literally wrote the book on reckless driving in Virginia which you can get on Amazon here or download for free here. I opened my practice in 2008 after earning my Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Since then, I have earned over 600 5-star reviews from happy clients on Google, Yelp, and Facebook. If you’ve been charged with a misdemeanor offense in Virginia, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Your initial consultation is always free, and you'll talk directly with me about the details of your case.
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Andrew wrote the book on reckless driving. It’s the most-reviewed Virginia reckless driving resource on Amazon.com.
I recommend Andrew without any reservations. It was evident during our initial consultation over the phone, that I was dealing with a great lawyer. I think one of his biggest strengths is his mediation skills...—Ev
Everything involved with my case was handled in a professional and timely matter, I couldn’t be happier with the entire process and its outcome.—Dominic
I was so satisfied by the clarity Attorney Flusche explained my case before the court that I have listed him as the first call my organization will make if any of my drivers are ever pulled over again in Virginia.—Rev. Nelson E. Copeland, Jr.
