Your story is a bit confusing, but, I ll answer based on my personal experience. It is rarely a quot;badquot; idea to have proper legal representation when going into court. Most people are simply not qualified to fully understand court proceedings well enough to competently represent themselves. There is also the emotional factor, which can hinder a person from representing themselves in a concise manner. My personal experience with this scenario was a real eye-opener. I naively believed that the judge would be patient and helpful as I struggled to make myself heard. I was wrong. The courts are so overloaded, that most judges have an enormous case load to get through on any given day - and they want to keep things moving along at breakneck speed. They want to hear legal language and concepts, not layperson quot;stammeringsquot;. You say you are quot;so brokequot;, so, I don t understand how you can possibly afford a private practice attorney, especially at this late date. Most private practice attorneys - at least the ones who are worth anything - are so busy that they can t take on new cases on such short notice - and certainly not without a sizeable retainer. Your best bet - and maybe your only one - is to contact Legal Aid in your area and request as quick an appointment as they can give you. You ll have to fill out a bunch of financial forms to see if you even qualify, based on their guidelines. Be prepared with things like paystubs and all court documents. If they do agree to represent you, take the help. At the very least, you ll receive informed legal advice, which, unless you are a pre-law student, would be pretty tough to come by on your own. Remember to dress appropriately for court, be incredibly respectful to the Judge, behave with remorse, and, for the most part, unless spoken to directly by the Judge - keep your mouth shut. I made the stupid mistake of letting my emotions get away from me, and, in one instance of speaking while the Judge was speaking, I lost everything. Maybe some judges are tolerant, but, my experience has been that most are not. Good luck to you.
so you started out with just a court date for no insurance? you would have just gotten your license suspended. now you have contempt also. i don t think legal aid helps with criminal cases. just go to court, if you re facing time in jail an attorney can be appointed to you if you qualify. Report Abuse
Most jails have good Thanksgiving dinners. Plan on eating yours there.
You may or may not have actually been uninsured. If you or someone in your family, or even your employer, had insurance on another vehicle, you may have been insured when you were driving. Only a careful study of the facts and any policies will reveal this. Unfortunately, while that may be a defense to the ticket, it won t get any damages paid -- because you won t have given the insurance company notice of the crash. Your license will probably be suspended unless (1) you prove you were insured as above and (2) you pay for the damage to the other car. It would help you to have a lawyer to deal with all of this. And bear in mind that if you drive without a license any insurance policy is void. I wonder how the auctioneer let you drive away without plates. If you had transporter or dealer plates on, that provides insurance automatically. I don t think you ve thought this thing through. I am not going to criticize you; just advise you that yes, a lawyer will make things easier for you. If you can t afford one or don t take my advice, then at least attend court a few days before your trial date so that you gt familiar with procedure. If you are less apprehensive, you will give a better account of yourself.
looks like you ve done pretty well so far without one, but a lawyer might be a good idea anyways
Well yeah, unless you have no problem doing more time in jail.
lawyer not needed
If there is a chance you could be sentenced to jail on the 16th, yes, you should ask the court to appoint you an attorney, presuming you don t have the money to pay for one yourself. Also, at least where I live, knowlingly driving without liability insurance can result in a suspension of your driving privilege. Getting your license back involves a substantial reinstatement fee, something else you may want to consider, especially if there is a legitimate reason as to why you hadn t obtained your motor vehicle insurance yet. Often, having an attorney in a situation like that is beneficial as well.
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