General Criminal Defense FAQs
Q. When do I need a lawyer?
A. When in doubt, always seek legal counsel as soon as possible. Most attorneys welcome the chance to discuss your situation free of charge. Make sure you begin by asking if there is a consultation fee. Many attorneys will discuss your case briefly over the phone to save you some time.
Q. How should I choose an attorney?
A. Most attorneys are competent enough to handle your situation, or honest enough to tell you when you should hire someone else. Don't be afraid to ask them about their experience with cases like yours. For more on this topic, click on "Know Your Rights" below, and go to "How to Hire a Lawyer"..
Q. Do I need a lawyer if I've been arrested?
A. Always contact a lawyer as soon as possible after an arrest. Memories begin to fade quite quickly after a while. Witnesses relocate and physical evidence can change,
Q. What if I'm guilty of the charge? Do I still need a lawyer?
A. Absolutely! Your lawyer is the only person with the knowledge and the motivation to get you through the legal system with the minimum amount of consequences. The prosecutor, the court clerks, and even the judge have their interests in mind, not yours. Quite often this means they will recommend what will save them the most time, not what will obtain the best result for you.
Q. At Gioffredi and Associates, how do you feel when you win a case for a client you know is guilty?
A. Damn good! That means we've done our job well and have a satisfied client. It's the prosecution's job to convict the guilty. Our job is to keep them from doing it.
Traffic Ticket FAQs
Q. What jurisdictions do you handle?
A. Our firm is licensed to handle criminal matters anywhere in the state of Texas, but for practical reasons, we generally only handle cases in and around Dallas County, Texas, which includes the cities of Dallas, Denton, Lewisville, Plano, Carrollton, Richardson, Garland, Mesquite, and Irving. We handle cases in the smaller surrounding cities as well.
We frequently handle cases in the following counties: Dallas, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, and Kaufman. We can handle cases in other Texas counties, but our minimum fee is $750, and most people don't want to pay that much to contest a traffic ticket.
Q. What is your fee for defending a traffic ticket?
A. For our standard representation on most tickets in the Dallas area, we charge a flat fee of $95. If the ticket is past due, we charge an additional $50. Traffic tickets in Texas are class C misdemeanors. We charge $150 for class C misdemeanors other than traffic tickets, such as Public Intoxication, class C Assaults, or Minors in Possession of Alcohol or Tobacco.
Q. What does your fee include?
A. For our standard fee of $95, we go to court for you and do whatever we can to try to keep the offense from going onto your driving record. We try to get the ticket dismissed, if possible, but if not, we try to get you probation, or defensive driving to keep the ticket off your record. About 10% of the tickets we handle get dismissed outright. For tickets in the city of Dallas, we prefer that we set the cases for trial and have you attend, because statistically, the dismissal rate goes up to about 60% if we can get you to show up in court.
Q. Does your standard fee include a contested trial?
A. A contested trial, if desired, is included on all cases we handle in the city of Dallas.
We can do a contested trial for you on any other ticket in the state of Texas, but there is an additional fee for that service. For jurisdictions in the immediate area, the trial fee is an additional $500. For contested trials outside of the Dallas area, our trial fee is $750 or higher, depending upon the work involved, and the distance we have to travel.
Q. Do you guarantee your services?
A. We guarantee that we will provide you with quality legal representation, but NO attorney can guarantee the result on a contested matter. First of all, it is prohibited by the Texas rules of attorney ethics. And secondly, no attorney can predict the future. Our firm has handled over 40,000 traffic tickets dating back to 1983. We have kept 97% of these citations from going onto our client's driving records. But just because a particular procedure has existed for the last 20 years, there is no guarantee that the Texas legislature won't change the laws tomorrow, or that the court may change its procedures tonight.
Q. How do I hire you?
A. You can mail your citation to Gioffredi and Associates, 4131 N. Central Expwy, Suite 680, Dallas, Texas 75204, or bring the citation to our office at the same address. We have a map to our office available at Contact Us; Include your check or money order, made payable to Gioffredi and Associates, in the amount of $95 for each citation ($145 for each ticket which is late). Include your daytime telephone number, and your mailing address. We do not accept responsibility for any citation until we have received payment.
Q. Who may I contact for further information?
A. If you need further information, please contact Tresa at 214.739.4515.
