WAITING FOR TROUBLE

            You can wait until you get a ticket before calling a legal service, but it’s generally not the best approach. Eddies Morgan of Pre-paid Legal Services says if someone with a moving violation buys a membership. Pre-paid will represent him for a flat fee of $200. American Truckers Legal Services requires a prospective member with an existing ticket to buy an eight-month membership. “It tends to be cheaper if they call us before, not after.” Says Millard Dean of ATLS.

Waiting until you get ticketed to look for a lawyer on your own could give you questionable results, considering you might be asking strangers for recommendations about lawyers in unfamiliar cities. In such cases, it’s hard to gauge a lawyer’s reputation.