SAN FRANCISCO TRAFFIC TICKET ATTORNEY

SAN FRANCISCO TRAFFIC TICKET ATTORNEY INFORMATION:

We have created this page in an effort to provide useful information for anyone who has received a San Francisco traffic ticket and who may also be in need of a San Francisco Traffic Attorney. A San Francisco traffic ticket should never be taken lightly as it can cause a lot of damage to both your driving record and your bank account.  Here is a list of things you should know if you have been cited for and received a San Francisco traffic ticket citation:

1. The cases are all heard out of the San Francisco Hall of Justice. The San Francisco Traffic Clerk's office is located at 850 Bryant St., room 145, on the first floor. There is a long line there so if you plan on visiting give yourself at least 40 minutes to be safe - feed your meter!

2. The arraignment for a San Francisco traffic ticket citation will normally take place in Department "A" or "B", located on the second floor at the Hall of Justice. Do not be late because the Bailiff will call roll timely, if you fail to answer present they will mark it as a failure to appear and or hold a trial in your absence. Give yourself time for finding parking, for the metal detector line, and traffic that you may encounter along the way. The San Francisco Hall of Justice has several parking lots where you can park for a moderate fee. Most will run you about $13.00 or so.

3. If you are appearing for TRIAL on a San Francisco traffic ticket citation, the same as above is applicable. If you are late, your case may be tried without you being present. Worse, if the Officer is not present, and you are not present, the Court will not dismiss the case against you - this means you lost a golden opportunity to win your San Francisco traffic ticket citation case because you were late.

4. In San Francisco, if you post bail on your case, you can request a trial date without ever appearing at the arraignment. However, what you should do is to ask for a Trial by Declaration for the reasons stated on our pages. The main one is that you will get two opportunities to win your case, as opposed to one if you simply appear in person.

5. There are two San Francisco Traffic Court Commissioners that normally hear all the San Francisco traffic ticket citation cases at the Hall of Justice. They are The Hon. Frank Drag, in Department B; and Hon. Geraldine Rosen-Park, in Department A. It is in your interest to know how they handle and rule on cases. UPDATE: The Commissioners have been let go because of budget issues and now the Departments are run by Judges. The presiding Judge of the San Francisco Traffic Division is Judge Gail Dekreon, who while in private practiced was involved in defending traffic tickets for clients. We believe she will be a great fit for the assignment as she is familiar with the law and the on-goings of traffic Court. She is a no non-sense type of Judge who will always rule fairly and follow the law no matter if it favors the Police or not!

6. Also, if you fail to appear for a San Francisco traffic ticket case, you will be sent to the San Francisco Civil Assessment Unit. If your San Francisco traffic ticket has been sent there, this is what it means: 1) That you must now pay an extra $300.00 (unless you have one of three excuses: Hospitalized, have died, or were sent to active duty) and; 2) Ahold (hold always means suspension) has been placed on your driver's license.

7. If you wish to do Traffic School for your San Francisco Traffic ticket case, San Francisco accepts on-line courses. See below.

We hope that this information serves some valuable purpose.  If you have been cited for a San Francisco traffic ticket such as A San Francisco red light camera; A San Francisco speeding case; A San Francisco stop sign violation; A San Francisco failure to yield to a pedestrian violation; or any other San Francisco traffic violation you should call us for a free case evaluation!  We have been San Francisco Traffic Ticket Attorneys for years and know all of the players.  When you call One of our two San Francisco Traffic Ticket Attorneys will take your call and answer all of your questions.  Call us at, (415) 378-4133 for a free consultation.  You will speak to an attorney who knows the San Francisco Traffic Court system and not a secretary or law clerk, as some of the other firms do.  Also, there are many internet services that provide representation for a San Francisco Traffic Ticket case, but be aware that most are not Attorneys! We have successfully handled hundreds of San Francisco Traffic Tickets and have a long list of satisfied, long-life clients.  

Below are a few helpful links

1. San Francisco County Superior Court, Traffic Division

2. San Francisco Police Department

3. San Francisco Civil Assessment information

4. San Francisco Superior Court phone list

5. Get a copy of a San Francisco Police Report

6. San Francisco traffic school on-line

Again if your goal is to win then you must hire a San Francisco Traffic Ticket Attorney/Lawyer that can get the job done.  As stated above we have been San Francisco traffic ticket Attorneys/Lawyers for quite some time.  This means that we know how to successfully maneuver a traffic ticket case.  So, for a free consultation with the best San Francisco Traffic Ticket Attorney, Call now (415) 378-4133!

* 12/26/09 - How to get your case out of San Francisco Civil Assessment:

If your San Francisco traffic ticket has been sent to the San Francisco Civil Assessment Unit you must appear in room 101 at the Civil Assessment window.  Once there you must put your name on the list and wait for your turn to come up.  This process can be quite lengthy.  You will then be given forms to explain why you fail to appear.  You will also be given the choice to pay your fine and close the case or ask for a Trial by Declaration.  If your case has been sent to the San Francisco Civil Assessment Unit, Call and speak to a San Francisco Traffic Attorney for solid advice on what to do in order to protect all of your rights (415) 378-4133

SAN FRANCISCO TRAFFIC ATTORNEY UPDATES:

In September of this year, 2011, both of the presiding San Francisco County Traffic Commissioners were let go by the Court due to the budget cuts that the Court has suffered! Two Judges have now been assigned to take over the San Francisco Traffic Court Calendars! The message; know your audience, know your Judges.

2012 UPDATE SAN FRANCISCO TRAFFIC COURT UPDATE:

The San Francisco Superior Court is considering opening two new Courtrooms to use for the backlog of San Francisco Traffic Cases.  It is rumored that two misdemeanor departments will be closed and used strictly to handle San Francisco traffic citations.  According to the San Francisco Traffic Attorney, Francisco Rodriguez, this will improve the time it takes to handle something in San Francisco Traffic Court and make the Court more efficient.  It also means that defendants will have to be more aggressive when defending their San Francisco Traffic Cases in the future.  San Francisco Traffic Attorney, Francisco Rodriguez, has been defending cases for the past fifteen years! Call him today for a free consultation (415) 378-4133