Las Vegas Traffic Ticket Legal Glossary

Guilty

Guilty means that you committed the Violation for which you were cited.

Limited Representation

Limited Representation regarding a Traffic Citation (DUI, please contact us for a free initial consultation to discuss the services we will provide you) means we will appear one (1) time in court before a judge, or meet with a City Attorney, a District Attorney, appear through correspondence, via facsimile or mail, or appear over the telephone.  When we appear for you we will either plead Nolo-Contendere, or guilty to a lesser violation if we feel confident the violation will result in reducing your matter to a parking violation, lesser violation, and/or lesser demerits. In cases where we can present proof that the citation issued to you has been subsequently resolved (i.e.. a broken tail light, or obtaining insurance after the date of the Traffic Stop), or that the citation was issued to you because you could not show proof of existence of certain documents at the date of the Traffic Stop (i.e. . no driver’s license in possession, no registration in possession, or no valid proof of insurance in possession), we will submit copies of the document you provide to us and request that the violation be dismissed.  Generally when copies of documents are presented, the court will either dismiss the violation if documents submitted indicate that the  coverage existed before the date of the Traffic Stop (i.e. insurance was in effect at date of Traffic Stop - you just did not have proof in the vehicle during the Traffic Stop) or reduce the imposed fines if the documents submitted indicate Traffic Citation was addressed after the date of the Traffic Stop.

Our one (1) time appearance does not include preparing for trial to defend you against charges in the Traffic Citation issued to you.  If you wish for us to represent you in a trial because you desire to plead Not Guilty, upon our acceptance to represent you, we will advise you of our hourly rate and will request a retainer to cover our estimated fees. Preparing for a trial takes much more time than negotiating your Traffic Citation.

Once we communicate to you the decision of the court and corresponding assessed fines and/or other requirements, if any, our duties to you are complete. You are responsible to complete the requirements of the court and pay any fines and costs within the set time limits. Failure to timely complete the requirements of the court may cause the court to reinstate the original fine and any other applicable penalties. A warrant for your arrest may also be issued. Warrants for the arrest of persons located outside of the State of Nevada may be enforced in other states.

Nolo-Contendere

Nolo-Contendere means "I will Not Contest it". In other words, it is a plea entered by permission of the court to a criminal complaint "by which [you do] not admit or deny the charges, though a fine or sentence may be imposed pursuant to it. The principal difference between a plea of guilty and a plea of Nolo-Contendere is that the latter may not be used against [you] in a civil action based upon the same facts." BLACKS LAW DICTIONARY, p.945 (Fifth Edition 1979).

Not Guilty

Not Guilty means that you did not commit the Violation for which you were cited. When you plead Not Guilty, the court sets your matter to subsequent date to one which it will hold a trial on your Traffic Citation.

Previously Contacted the Court

You have previously contacted the court when you initially appeared before the court on your Traffic Citation and the court set a date for you to reappear. Generally, when you appear yourself and you plead Not Guilty to the Violations stated therein the court sets another date for you to return and appear on your Traffic Citation.

Traffic Citation / Traffic Ticket

A Traffic Citation is the piece of paper you receive from a law enforcement officer describing one or more Violations (whether minor or serious) you supposedly committed, the court in which you are to appear, and the date and time  you are to appear.  If your receive a single pink hand-written slip (Sample Traffic Citation ) for a Traffic Stop, then you likely received no more than two (2) Violations. If you received more than two (2) violations from an officer issuing pink hand-written slips, you should have received a Traffic Citation for every set of two violations (or part thereof in excess of two (2)). For example during a Traffic Stop a police officer may issue you violations for a speeding, illegal lane change, no proof of insurance,  no fastened seat belt, and a broken tail light.  You received five (5) Violations. To document the five (5) Violations, you will likely receive three (3) Traffic Citations. Two (2) Violations per Traffic Citation, plus one (1) Violation equals three (3) citations. If you received a white slip with computer printing during a Traffic Stop, all the Violations will likely be listed thereon.

Traffic Stop

A single stop by a law enforcement officer resulting in the issuance of one or more traffic

Violations

Violation A Violation is an infraction of law the police officer indicates was committed, as noted on the Traffic Citation. A Traffic Citation can have one or more Violations.  Generally people receive two types of violations:

1) a minor violation (i.e.. speeding, running a read light, disregard of signal, seat belts, illegal turn), or

2) a serious violation requiring a mandatory appearance (i.e. reckless driving, aggressive driving, speed contest, and etc.) where a citation was issued in lieu of arrest.