Traffic Matters
Traffic Charges Are Not “Just a Ticket”
Hold a commercial license? See what a CDL ticket lawyer costs in Memphis, posted by court. For any other charge, see criminal defense fees.
A traffic citation can look like a minor inconvenience and quietly turn into something much larger. In Tennessee, certain traffic offenses are criminal, not civil — reckless driving, driving on a revoked or suspended license, and DUI all carry potential jail time, fines, and lasting consequences for a driving record, insurance rates, and employment. Brooks Law Firm represents drivers on traffic tickets and misdemeanor driving charges throughout Memphis, Shelby County, and the surrounding counties of West Tennessee — and we have handled thousands of them.
Not every ticket needs an attorney. Some do. We give honest advice about which category a case falls into, and when a lawyer is genuinely worth the cost. For many traffic matters, an initial phone consultation is enough to answer that question — free.
“Paying a ticket is a conviction. Before a client does that, they should know what that conviction costs them — today and two years from now.”
Traffic Matters We Handle
Traffic Tickets & Moving Violations
Speeding, running a red light or stop sign, improper passing, following too closely, and other moving violations that place points on the driver’s record or threaten license status. In most routine matters we appear in court for you, so a ticket does not cost you a day of work. See our speeding ticket defense page.
Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Tickets
Traffic charges involving CDL holders, where federal motor carrier regulations and the anti-masking rule mean that even minor violations can carry career-ending consequences — and where the usual shortcuts (traffic school, deferral, diversion) are off the table by federal law. Our firm handles hundreds of tickets a year for commercial drivers. Start with our Memphis CDL ticket defense page or, for a plain-language walkthrough of what to expect in court, our CDL trucker license guide. Ticketed in Germantown? See our Germantown CDL ticket page.
Reckless Driving
Reckless driving under Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-205 is a Class B misdemeanor carrying potential jail time. It is often charged after a high-speed stop or an accident, and it is not a simple traffic ticket. See our reckless driving defense page.
Driving on Revoked or Suspended License
Charges under Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-504 for driving on a revoked, suspended, or cancelled license — including matters complicated by prior offenses or an underlying DUI revocation. See our suspended license defense page.
Accident-Related Charges
Citations issued after a collision — failure to maintain a proper lookout, failure to exercise due care, leaving the scene, and failure to report. These are frequently written reflexively at accident scenes, and they are contestable.
DUI & Related Offenses
Driving under the influence under Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-10-401 and implied consent matters — a core part of our criminal defense practice. Start with our DUI defense guide.
Financial Responsibility & No Insurance
Violations of Tennessee’s financial responsibility law, including citations for operating without insurance and the collateral consequences for license and registration.
License Restoration & Restricted Licenses
Petitions for restricted licenses and representation in matters involving license reinstatement after revocation or suspension.
Why a Simple “Pay and Be Done” Can Backfire
Paying a traffic ticket is not the same as making it go away. Under Tennessee law, paying the fine is a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, and the conviction attaches to the driver’s record. That conviction can:
- Add points to the driver’s record under the Tennessee Department of Safety’s point system, with potential license suspension after too many points accumulate.
- Trigger a significant insurance premium increase, often for three years or more.
- Violate a condition of existing probation, diversion, or a restricted license.
- Count against a CDL holder’s federal CDLIS record, where no offense can be masked, deferred, or diverted at all.
- Create immigration consequences in certain categories of offense.
For some drivers, none of this matters much. For others — especially CDL holders, new drivers, and those already on a restricted license — it can matter a great deal.
Where Traffic Cases Are Heard
- Memphis City Court — for citations issued within the City of Memphis by Memphis police officers.
- General Sessions Court of Shelby County — for state traffic charges issued in Shelby County, including tickets written by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and sheriff’s deputies on I-40, I-55, and the I-240 loop, and criminal traffic offenses such as reckless driving and driving on a revoked license.
- Criminal Court of Shelby County — where a traffic matter is bound over or indicted as a felony, such as vehicular assault or vehicular homicide.
- Municipal courts of the surrounding cities — Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, and Millington, each with its own procedures. Our Courts We Serve guide covers each forum.
How We Handle a Traffic Case
1. Record Review
Before court, we pull the client’s driving record and any relevant history. The right strategy on a ticket depends on what the record already shows.
2. Negotiation With the Prosecutor
Many traffic matters resolve by negotiated disposition — a reduced charge, a diversion or deferred judgment where eligible, or dismissal on completion of court-ordered conditions. Availability varies by court, charge, and record. (For CDL holders, federal law removes most of these options — which is exactly why those cases are prepared differently from day one. See our CDL defense page.)
3. Court Appearance
In most routine traffic matters, we appear on the client’s behalf, saving the client a trip to court — no missed work, no parking downtown, no line at 201 Poplar. For contested cases, the client appears and the case is tried to the judge.
4. Trial
Where the charge is serious enough, or the evidence is thin, we try the case. Traffic cases can turn on technical issues — radar calibration, the officer’s observations, the elements of the offense — and a careful cross-examination can make a real difference.
Working With Brooks Law Firm
Brooks Law Firm is a Memphis-based practice serving clients across Shelby County and the surrounding area. The firm’s attorneys — Patrick Brooks and Beth Brooks — handle each matter personally, and clients are treated like family, not case numbers. Spanish-language services are available. For many traffic matters, an initial consultation by telephone is sufficient to decide whether a lawyer is needed at all.
Brooks Law Firm
2299 Union Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38104
Call (901) 324-5000 or call/text 901-412-2973. Free initial consultation. Se habla Español.
This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed by reading this page or by submitting an inquiry. Tennessee Rule of Professional Conduct 7.1: Patrick Brooks is the attorney responsible for the content of this page.