Grapevine Ticket Attorney

Nobody enjoys having a ticket issued by a Grapevine police officer.  However, when a ticket is issued in Grapevine, Texas you want to make sure you take steps to protect your permanent record.  This page is dedicated to helping those that have been issued a ticket that is now pending in Grapevine Municipal Court.  If you would like to discuss your case with our Grapevine ticket attorneys after reading this page, call 214-321-4105.

Avoiding Warrants For Tickets In Grapevine Municipal Court

Whenever a ticket is issued by a police officer in Grapevine, Texas the person who received the citation has at minimum 10 days to contact the court to inform them how they intend to proceed with the case.  Grapevine ticket attorneys refer to this 10 day period of time as the “appearance date window.”  This window of time allows a defendant enough time to consult a lawyer and determine how they would like to proceed.

In order to avoid a warrant in Grapevine, Texas for tickets, it is important that you make contact with Grapevine Municipal Court during this 10 day period.  The purpose of the contact is to inform the court whether you intend to plead guilty, no contest, or not guilty.  Based on your plea and the type of ticket issued, you will then be given certain options.  Each plea has a different meaning in Texas law.  Those meanings are as follows:

• GUILTY:  Guilty pleas for tickets in Grapevine Municipal Court mean that you can be convicted of the offense alleged in the ticket.  The offense can be reported to all applicable state and federal agencies as a result.  This type of plea is normally the one entered on your behalf if you choose to simply pay the ticket online without doing anything to protect your record.
• NO CONTEST:  The only difference between a guilty plea and no contest is that the conviction cannot be used against you if there is a civil suit pending that was related to the offense itself.  For example, if you were cited for following too closely that resulted in an accident and pled no contest, a personal injury attorney could not use the conviction against you to prove their case.
• NOT GUILTY:  Not guilty is the safest way to protect your record.  When you enter a not guilty plea, Grapevine Municipal Court is required to give you a formal pretrial hearing where you can discuss your case with a prosecutor.  This discussion can lead to a deal being struck where your record is protected in exchange for meeting certain conditions.  The conversation can also lead to a dismissal of your case.

Depending on what type of plea you enter in response to your ticket in Grapevine, Texas the court will take the appropriate action based on that plea.  If you are not sure what plea to enter, always enter a plea of not guilty and then call a Grapevine ticket lawyer to discuss your options further.

What To Do If Your Grapevine Ticket Is In Warrant

If your ticket has gone into warrant in Grapevine Municipal Court, don’t panic.  Many people will pay their tickets off in full out of fear of being arrested for the ticket.  This is the worst possible mistake a person could make because the payment of the ticket creates a conviction that is then reported to that person’s permanent criminal record.

What you want to do when your case has gone into warrant is hire a lawyer to file a document with Grapevine Municipal Court referred to as an “appearance bond.”  This document will effectively recall the warrant and reset the case as if a warrant had never been issued.  The appearance bond is able to recall the warrant based on the Grapevine ticket attorney’s promise to return to court at a later date and resolve your case.

How An Attorney Protects Your Record In Grapevine, Texas

Attorneys will always enter a plea of not guilty on behalf of their clients in Grapevine Municipal Court.  This allows the Grapevine ticket lawyer to review any and all evidence the police department has against their client.  If the evidence is not sufficient to find their client guilty, then they will request dismissal of the case.

If the evidence is sufficient to find a person guilty in Grapevine Municipal Court, then the ticket attorney can attempt to negotiate a deal that would protect the clients record if they complete certain conditions.  The most common condition is to “stay out of trouble” for a certain period of time.  More specifically, do not get any new tickets in Grapevine, Texas for 30-180 days.  The next condition would be to pay the court a negotiated fee in return for protecting the client’s record.  These types of agreements are usually referred to as “deferral agreements.”

Hire A Lawyer For Tickets In Grapevine, Texas

Because convictions are being used more than ever before to make important decisions about people, we highly suggest you do everything you can to keep your record clear.  A variety of tickets can impact employment, housing, the right to bear arms, and driving privileges in Texas.  Take the time to discuss your tickets in Grapevine with a legal professional.  Call the ticket attorneys at The Beltz Law Firm today.