WHY PAY AN AGENT TO FIGHT YOUR TICKET?

Everyone has the right to make full answer and defence to any charge. You may well know you are guilty of the offence however, that does not mean the Crown can prove it. The Crown must follow the rules of procedure and rules of evidence in proving all the elements of the charge. This is a challenging task and frequently, the evidence fails.

The Crown must present its evidence to a Justice of the Peace. As a paralegal, our job is to challenge that evidence on your behalf. In most cases the charges will be withdrawn or at the very least significantly reduced. Often you will never even have to attend court.

If you simply pay the fine, then you have admitted guilt and will suffer the full consequences of your actions. Every offence stays on your driving record for two years and insurance record for three. Have you considered what happens if you make a second mistake within that two or three year time frame? The consequences can be dire resulting in raised insurance premiums and potential loss of driving privileges.

Many of the charges you may face are absolute liability offences. This means that the defence of due diligence is not available. In other words, for these types of charges, there is no excuse of belief in a mistaken set of facts or what a reasonable person may have done. The majority of people show up in Provincial Offences Court with an excuse attempting to justify their actions. This empowers the Crown. If you do this, you are admitting to the charge and you will lose.

If you represent yourself, the Crown is less likely to negotiate. This is especially true if you were already given a break at the roadside by the charging officer. To some degree, the Crown may be taking advantage of your lack of knowledge and willingness to test the evidence. Unless you can find a weakness in the evidence, the crown likely won’t back down because you were already given a break. The Crown knows the prospect of a trial can be intimidating to the average person. Once the Crown informs the average person that their charge is an absolute liability offence and the excuse presented is not a defence, most people just accept the Crown’s offer. This is often without obtaining proper disclosure or knowing what the evidence against them consists of. The Crown also knows that a paralegal will insist on full disclosure and is ready, willing and able to challenge the evidence by going to trial.

DEMERIT POINTS

If you are a G1 or G2 (M1,M2) driver, a relatively minor traffic ticket can lead to a 60 day  suspension of your licence. You should challenge every ticket or you may be relying on public transportation before you know it. If you have an unrestricted full licence and you reach 9 demerit points, you will be required to attend an interview. Reach 15 points and your licence will be arbitrarily suspended for 30 days. One decent speeding ticket followed by an accident could land you there.

INSURANCE

Each ticket regardless of whether it is a minor offence or not is recorded by the insurance company. Usually one small ticket doesn’t lead to any type of surcharge. If you get a second one in that three year span, it could easily lead to surcharges and even cancelled insurance policies. This is why it is worth paying a qualified agent to challenge every ticket. Nobody can guarantee an outcome but you can’t win if you don’t try.

FEES

Depending on the nature of the charge, fees start at $300 for a basic speeding ticket or other minor charge. A major charge such as careless or stunt driving will have higher fees associated with it. This is a competitive rate in the industry.

What makes CRAMER LEGAL different is, you pay as you go so it won’t break the bank. Once we agree on a fee and you engage us, we will bill you for each step until we reach the maximum agreed amount. We will never bill you more than the agreed fee.  A consultation is also free so click the link below and we will get right back to you.

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