Deferred Disposition: Fill & Download for Free

Yes, yes, yes and absolutely yes.I have a pretty specific reason.One of my biggest pet peeves are judges who take an “active” role in determining what a fair agreement is between the prosecution and the defense. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an agreement with the DA’s office to resolve a client’s case only to have the judge throw in questions about why we were agreeing to that and threaten that they wouldn’t accept it without significant explanation.Typically they will ask things like “why is this defendant getting such a good deal?”It can be incredibly difficult to resist the temptation to say “because I’m good, damn it.”Interestingly, it seems to infuriate my counterparts at the DA’ office in equal measure. I’ve watched as they become flustered quickly while trying to answer the judge’s questions about why a case is getting a deferred disposition or mandatory minimums. They particularly love it when they have to point out the flaws in their own case to the judge to make them understand why they agreed to a lesser charge.When the State and defense counsel come to an agreement, it is usually the result of a substantial amount of negotiation. Nothing ticks us off more than having to explain why we are agreeing to something that we’ve been discussing for hours or days. Many times either the DA, the defense attorney or both are somewhat ticked off about agreeing in the first place. These judges just rub salt in the wound.More than this, it causes unnecessary delay in the courtroom as what was a five minute misdemeanor plea now drags on as we both explain exactly what problems there are in the case and the defendant’s criminal history. Other lawyers love waiting while we do this. It makes their day.We know the judges that do this and we try to avoid them like the plague.

This should be an easy decision. I can think of no reason why you would want to pay the fine when you have the option of deferred disposition - which is essentially going on probation for a specified length of time.It won't save you any money; the fee is the same as the fine. But the ticket won't go on your driving record and your insurance won't go up because you got a ticket.So if I were you I'd definitely choose deferred disposition. Actually I have made that choice - twice in the last 25 years.The only catch is that you cannot get another ticket during the probationary period, or you're on the hook for the original violation as well as the new one. So if you think you can't manage that, you might want to pay the ticket and get it over with.Specifics vary by location. Dallas County information is here: Deferred Disposition And Driver Safety School

Usually “clean” means zero infractions on the record, meaning you’ve either taken a driving (or motorcycle) safety course to dismiss them, or worked out a deferred disposition deal to keep them off your record. If your record shows a ticket for even 1 mph over, it’s no longer a clean record. That said, the requirement may be a bit flexible in those circumstances if you are honest. If you lie, you can be disqualified from the job for that alone at just about any company.