Court Process and What to Expect

425-260-9366

CONFIRMATION OF REPRESENTATION

I received your contract and payment just fine. I will respond to the court and request your hearing date by filing my notice of representation. I forward the case to my paralegal for filing as soon as I am hired (which is the date you received this confirmation email). It takes about 2 weeks for the court to mail you back a hearing notice. I will email you as well when the day gets closer. The actual hearing date is going to be about 30 to 45 days away. Nothing is on your driving record during this time. If the hearing notice never arrives, please contact me. But please wait the full 2 weeks for the court to process.

On your hearing day, I will attend and I will let you know the result by email and mail. Please allow up to 2 weeks after the court date to receive your result. I usually have results emailed by the Sunday following your hearing date. If there is something beyond standard process or I need more info from you, then I will give you a call. Otherwise, please email or call me at 425-260-9366 if you have any questions during the process or if you want an update.

Communication:

Please remember your court dates. Case results and most updates come by email and official copy in the mail usually the same day of your court date and right after we get your results. Email is the quickest and most organized method of sending your results letter and other documents. If you prefer the results by other means, ie. Phone call or text, please let us know. Phone calls are made for urgent updates or for matters easier discussed over the phone.

Results to expect:

You should get a dismissal or reduction to a non-moving violation depending on the police report evidence and the policies of the particular court. The results may be a reduction to a non-moving violation after negotiating with the prosecutor or a deferral if nothing else can be done (and if you have not used a deferral before.) Fines for a non-moving violation are about the face value of your original citation +/- $50. We always strive for a dismissal first if the evidence allows and many people happily get it. Others will get a non-moving violation, which is still a good outcome since keeping the driving record is the main reason to hire an attorney. Having no fines are what we try our best for, but in the event there are fines, please be aware they have been minimized as much as possible. Either way, the ticket will be off your driving record. If I cannot dismiss, reduce the ticket to a non-moving violation, or defer the ticket, and it goes on your record as originally cited, I offer a full refund of the attorney fee you paid me *(see disclaimer below).

Explanation of results:

Expired tabs is a non-moving violation that can go on your driving record. It is not likely to affect your insurance. In some courts and situations, this is the best result and the best non-moving amendment possible. For CDL drivers, intermediate license holders, and some out of state drivers, expired tabs is certainly the best non-moving violation amendment if a full dismissal is not possible on an infraction case. It does not mean you were driving without expired tabs, it is just a result of a deal with the prosecutor to keep the original moving violation infraction off your driving record.
No Seatbelt is a non-moving violation that does get reported to the personal driving record, but the results of which do not go to insurance companies and employers. No Seatbelt is defined as a non-moving violation. RCW 46.61.688 is the code provision defining no seatbelt and the parameter that it cannot be made available to insurance companies and employers. No seatbelt is the best amendment if a dismissal is not possible for the majority of drivers. It is the best amendment for Uber and Lyft drivers because expired tabs is considered a violation of Uber and Lyft terms of service.

Pacific County Diversion Program

Many cases in the North or South Pacific District Court system are resolved through their diversion program. If these cases are not dismissed, they go through a pretrial diversion rather than amended straight to a non-moving violation per the local court policies. In the diversion program, a defendant is agreeing to not get a ticket within a 6 month to 1 year period depending on the severity of the charged offense and the driving record. An administrative fee must be paid up front. In exchange, the case is dismissed up front and the infraction will not go to the driving record. If the defendant violates the agreement and gets a new charged offense, the case is refiled with the court and it will go on the driving record. The administrative fee for the diversion agreement is fixed at $200. This is important to note because this is a fixed fee irrespective if the original offense has a lower penalty (ie. speeding 5 mph over tickets have a fine of $105). The diversion agreement is not the same as a deferred finding. A deferred finding is a separate right you have under statute and it can be used once in 7 years. If you go through a diversion program, your rights to the deferral is preserved and it can be used on a subsequent infraction case. The Pacific County Diversion program is unique to Pacific County and does not apply in any other Washington State Court case in another county or municipal court. We want happy, satisfied, and informed clients! If you have any questions please feel free to call me at 425-260-9366.

Thank you,

Roberto Yranela
Attorney At Law
YRANELA & ASSOCIATES, PLLC.
ph: 425-260-9366 fax: 425-523-9158
lyattorneys.com

Disclaimers:

*Cases in the following courts are not entitled to a full refund of the attorney fee:

Lake Forest Park Municipal
Bothell Municipal (We pay the fine for you if the ticket is reported to your driving record as charged)
Kent Municipal Court (We pay the fine for you if the ticket is reported to your driving record as charged)
KCDC Redmond (We pay the fine for you if the ticket is reported on your driving record as charged)
Lewis County District Court
Lakewood Municipal Court (School zone tickets only. Other cases in this court eligible for full refund policy)
In special case scenarios (ie. extremely bad driving records or very serious tickets), you may not be eligible for a full refund. I would specifically indicate that to you before the conclusion of the case. You may also get that in writing for clarity.