Traffic Matters
Short answer: usually you do not have to go, because we can go for you. Bartlett City Court sets a date on every citation, but in most speeding cases your lawyer can appear on your behalf and you never have to take a morning off work.
Why paying it online is the expensive option
The payment portal is convenient and it is also a guilty plea. That conviction goes on your driving record, points attach, and your insurer sees it at renewal. The three-year cost of the insurance increase routinely exceeds the fine several times over. Paying is the fastest way to close the ticket and usually the worst financial outcome.
What can be done instead
Depending on the speed alleged and your record, the realistic outcomes are a dismissal on court costs, an amendment to a non-moving violation that carries no points, or driver safety school. Higher speeds — generally well into the twenties over — narrow the options and sometimes bring a reckless driving question into it, which is a criminal charge rather than a traffic offense. See reckless driving.
Twelve points
Tennessee suspends a license at twelve points in a twelve-month period. If you already have recent convictions, a Bartlett ticket that looks minor on its own can be the one that triggers a suspension — and a suspension creates a whole separate criminal exposure the first time you drive on it. See driving on a suspended license.
If you hold a CDL, stop and read this
Do not pay a Bartlett citation if you hold a commercial license, even if you were in your personal car. Federal anti-masking rules bar courts from deferring judgment or offering diversion or traffic school to CDL holders, and Tennessee requires you to report every citation. A conviction goes onto your CDLIS record and your employer sees it. Fifteen or more miles over is a serious violation under FMCSA rules. See CDL defense.
What we do with it
Send us the citation. We tell you the fee up front, appear in Bartlett City Court for you, and report back. We have handled thousands of tickets across Shelby County and the suburbs, and hundreds every year. See what a traffic ticket lawyer costs.
More: Memphis traffic tickets · speeding tickets · Bartlett criminal defense. Office (901) 324-5000 · 901-412-2973.