FAQ

Paying your ticket means a conviction.  That conviction stays on your record for three years.  If you get too many convictions, your license can be suspended.

Hiring Ms. Serra is a fraction of the cost of paying even the most basic traffic citation.

Absolutely! You never have to go to court, miss work, or worry about pleading your case. Ms. Serra takes care of everything for you. Just snap your ticket and forget it!

Going it on your own isn’t worth the headache. Let her handle the hassle for you. Her services are a fraction of the cost of paying for your ticket.

In a majority of the cases, probably! However, each case is different and we cannot guarantee a dismissal. Ms. Serra can guarantee that you will be in a better position than if you were to just pay your ticket or your money back!

She can negotiate lower fines, deferred adjudication, defensive driving, or community service instead of paying your fines.

Call us immediately. Usually, the courts give you a short grace period to reset your hearing.  If you are outside this grace period, the court will likely issue a warrant for Failure to Appear (FTA).  You’ll not only have to pay the ticket, but you’ll also have to deal with this new charge on your record.

Traffic courts issue warrants when you either: (1) miss court or (2) fail to comply with court orders. It’s easy to miss traffic court, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Notices are mailed to your last known address. If you’ve moved, you won’t get the notice.

If you were supposed to do community service or provide the court documentation but did not do it before the deadline, you might get a warrant.

Ms. Serra can get warrants lifted in 72 hours. Don’t waste your hard-earned money paying your bond.

If you have a traffic citation and hire a traffic ticket attorney quickly, no!

If you are arrested for DWI, probably. Depending on a number of factors surrounding your arrest, your age, and your criminal record, your license could be suspended for 90 days up to two years.

If this is your first DWI, you will keep your license for 40 days before the suspension takes effect. Even if your license is suspended, you may be eligible for an occupational driver’s license. Ms. Serra can apply for one for you!

Within 15 days of your arrest, you can request an Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearing to challenge your license suspension. At that hearing, the arresting officer must show up and testify to establish facts supporting your arrest. Some clients avoid license suspension by having such hearings. You should hire an experienced DWI attorney to put you in the best position to prevail at an ALR hearing.

While the judge will most likely time-serve you, jail is never the answer, no matter how many tickets you have!

Ms. Serra can get warrants lifted in just a few days.

The magistrate judge will read you your rights and you will be booked into jail.  After you bond out, your first priority should be to hire a DWI attorney!

You will be facing some, if not all, of the following:

1. license suspension (immediately or after 40 days)
2. court ordered installation of the ignition interlock machine or home breathalyzer unit ($$$$)
3. fines up to $4,000 plus court costs
4. up to a year in the county jail for a misdemeanor, or prison time for a felony
5. DPS surcharges if convicted
6. probation conditions, curfew, fines, fees, and classes

DWIs are serious business in Texas.  Don’t go it alone.

Defensive driving is traffic school.  The course covers various driving techniques designed to help you avoid hazards and anticipate them before they occur. 

Defensive driving may be a way to get a ticket dismissed or lower your insurance premiums.  Most courts allow a driver to take defensive driving online, order their driving record, and submit proof of defensive driving to the court.  Each of these things costs you cash and time. 

You usually get only one shot at defensive driving within a certain period.  First time offenders may be offered defensive driving.  However, defensive driving is not offered to people who get multiple tickets within a set time frame, unless you hire a traffic ticket attorney to help!

No, unless you’ve blown off something the judge orders you to do! A traffic ticket will only turn into a warrant if you are asked to turn in some kind of proof, if the Judge asks something of you and it does NOT get turned in/done during the time given, or if you have been found guilty of the ticket and never pay the amount owed to the courts. Since your attorney goes to court for you, you won’t have to worry about a warrant for failure to appear.

Omni Fees are holds placed on your license through DPS and are enforced by the Municipal Courts. Each hold is $30 per citation. These Omni Fees can be paid to the Municipal Court ONLY if/when ALL warrants have been removed from your record. 

The truth is that the courts do not typically file paperwork fast enough for a ticket to turn into a warrant right away. Sometimes it takes a few weeks and other times it takes even longer; there is no exact time frame when it comes to those type of filings. We are still able to get on your case even if you’ve missed a court date.

First, let us check your court records to see what you have pending/active/guilty so that we have a better idea how to assist you. You may have problems lingering from old tickets that you don’t even know about! Once we figure out a full picture of your situation, we can check if you owe any fees, and then we can plan your next steps! 

Typically, the Judge wants to see some sort of proof of insurance from the time of the stop. If you no longer own the vehicle you were stopped in, you would need to obtain proof (e.g., bill of sale, proof of totaled vehicle, paperwork showing it was traded, etc.), along with current vehicle insurance.

If your car was insured but you were not on the actual insurance, you can still attempt to turn in that proof (Note: it is at the Judge’s discretion to accept it or not accept it).  

You will need to provide the courts with proof that you no longer own the vehicle (e.g., bill of sale, proof of totaled vehicle, paperwork showing it was traded, etc.), along with current vehicle insurance. 

You may be responsible for paying that ticket and any associated fines. 

Don’t worry about it! It’s our job to give you peace of mind, so disregard those court notices asking for you to show up in court. Ms. Serra will be attending all future court dates so that you NEVER HAVE TO. It’s court procedure to send notices to both you and your attorney.

A way to make sure: look at the court notification that was sent to you and look on the bottom left hand side where it reads “lead attorney on file” and make sure Alexandria Serra’s name is listed there. If it is, then you’re covered! If it’s not, be sure to give our office a call and let us know so that we can verify everything was filed correctly with the courts.

You’re in luck! The Texas legislature repealed the Driver Responsibility Program (DRP). That means no more surcharges or points on your record! As of September 1, 2019, all DRP surcharge suspensions have been lifted. In some cases, you’ll have to pay a reinstatement fee, but go get that license! Find more information, here:

https://www.dps.texas.gov/DriverLicense/FAQs/drpIndex.htm

If you still have pending tickets or warrants though, you may have to take care of those before you get your license. Call us to help you!

The courts were temporarily closed due to COVID-19 but each court has (slowly) reopened and tickets are being taken care of virtually with the Judge.

Yes. All first-time applicants and those transferring from another state will need to visit their driver license office for assistance. Driver license services are available by appointment only. You may schedule an appointment up to 180 days in advance at your local driver license office by using the online appointment solution.  This feature will allow you to schedule an appointment for the service you need and avoid any lines.

Yes, it is important to have all tickets and parking violations paid to the appropriate courts in whichever state your violations are in. 

You can always call our office to get an update on your ticket.

Another option to check the status on a ticket is to visit the websites that your tickets are held.  

If you received your ticket with the El Paso Police Department, the website is https://public.fce.elpasotexas.gov/fullcourtweb/start.do

If you received your ticket from an El Paso County Sheriff, Texas State Trooper or Constable, the website is https://casesearch.epcounty.com/PublicAccess/default.aspx 

Here is a list of the courts in the El Paso area. If you need help with information regarding the court location, one of our team members can help you. 

El Paso Municipal Court: Main Office

810 E. Overland

El Paso, TX 79901

915-212-0215

Hours: M-F 8:00a-5:30p

Justice of the Peace Courts

http://epcounty.com/jp/

Once a team member has processed your information and payment, TrafficTicketsTexas then files the appropriate paperwork for each violation to ensure that the attorney is responsible for all court hearings.

 After that, TrafficTicketsTexas is contacted to attend court on your behalf. It could take months for the court to schedule a hearing. The court schedule, called a docket, is set by each individual court. Unfortunately, we have no control over the schedule. You are not required to be there for the hearing.

Once the hearing is held, our team makes contact with you to let you know the final disposition of your case and inform you what, if anything, you need to do to close your case with the court. 

You may contact DPS to obtain DL information or physically go to the driver’s license office to inquire/request DL information along with providing the proper identification. 

Court hearings can take anywhere from 3-6 months from violation date. 

Is there a way to pay my violations owed to the court online (El Paso)?

Here is a direct link to the online payment service for El Paso Municipal Court

https://public.fce.elpasotexas.gov/fullcourtweb/start.do

A violation with a Justice of the Peace court or other municipality requires payment arrangements with their office, directly.