What to do After Getting Failure to Appear?

It can be scary to receive a failure to appear notice. This is a criminal offense and the State of California can then move to cause real problems for you.

The consequences include a large fine and the suspension of your license. For a simple traffic ticket, this is a hefty price to pay.

Call us today at (818) 213-5130 and take advantage of our offer of a FREE CONSULTATION. Our attorneys can help you deal with your failure to appear.

What is the First Step after Getting a Failure to Appear?
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Otherwise known as a VC40508 (A), a failure to appear requires at least three half-days in court.

The first step is contact a lawyer at (818) 213-5130

After you’ve received your consultation, you will need to take a day off work and to drive to the location of the court specified on your ticket.

Go to the GC Services window and pay your bail money. In most cases, the clerk will require you to post bail. You should arrange a new court date, which is known as an arraignment date.

Now it’s time to visit a traffic clerk.

Recall Your Failure to Appear Warrant
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Visit the traffic clerk and provide the same information you just gave at the GC Services window.

The recall is important because this will enable you to clear the hold on your California driving license within the next 24-48 hours after seeing the judge so getting a court date as soon as possible is the key.

Make sure you memorize the date of your arraignment date. A double failure to appear on your record is a serious charge and nearly impossible to get away from.

How the Arraignment Works
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The next step in the process is to attend your arraignment date. Remember that the only valid legal reasons for not appearing include: being in the military, being in hospital, or being in jail.

The judge will ask for your reasons for not appearing at your original court date. But just because you forgot doesn’t mean that a good attorney can’t get rid of the failure to appear charge, regardless.

Should You Go to Trial?
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Call us today at (818) 213-5130 and get a free legal consultation. Our experts will always advise you to take your ticket to a full trial.

Legally you likely have little defense, but there’s always a chance you can have the case dismissed for one simple reason.

There’s a high chance the issuing officer doesn’t appear at the trial. Then an attorney can simply have the case dismissed and you can avoid a high fine.

That’s what a trial hinges on. You have nothing to lose. If you don’t go to trial you get a fine. If you do go to trial and the officer appears you still get a fine.

Why would you not take your traffic ticket to trial?

Last Word – Get Help Today
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A failure to appear doesn’t have to be the end of the world. A skilled attorney can steer you through the process and ensure that you don’t get into any trouble.

► Call us right now at (818) 213-5130 and allow us to give you a free legal consultation on what a failure to appear is and what you can do.

We’ll show you exactly what you need to do next!