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If a practicing attorney gets a speeding ticket, are there any pitfalls to be aware before just paying the ticket rather than contesting?

Hypothetically, imagine one is driving to visit family for the 4th of July and is caught in a speed trap going 9 miles over the limit. The driver is charged like $80 and two state "points" by a small town jurisdiction three states over and hundreds of miles from home, and it seems easier to just make this go away by paying the fee. I can't see how there are any consequences to be aware of, but I'm imagining some world in which this event triggers some bar reporting obligation or something similar that is an enormous pain.

Any TLS-ers have insight into this hypothetical situation?

I think this is fine as it's just a minor traffic violation and not a misdemeanor or anything.

I think were it might get to be a gray area is if you're in a state like Virginia, and get pulled going 81 in a 70. It's only 11 over the limit, but my recollection is that anything over 80 in Virginia is a misdemeanor, but I don't think there's an option to just "pay the fee" on a misdemeanor speeding ticket and you actually have to go appear in court (or pay a lawyer a small fee to appear on your behalf, because this is a quite common issue in Virginia given that i-95 runs through the entire state so they catch people speeding on a daily basis for "misdemeanors").

Look at rules of professional conduct that govern your practice (that might be the rules of the state in which you’re admitted or if you’re a federal attorney and practice somewhere other than your state of admission, it’s probably the state where you practice). My state requires you to self-report any criminal conviction to the state bar within 14 days, including traffic offenses involving drugs or alcohol. The rules define conviction and for my state at least, a speeding ticket wouldn’t count (and arguably the VA misdemeanor wouldn’t because it doesn’t involve drugs or alcohol, although it’s kind of ambiguous). But it could vary in your jurisdiction.

I doubt most state bars want to know about ordinary speeding tickets and even if they do I doubt it would cause any issues unless it reaches the level of reckless driving that endangers the public (or of course as noted, suggests a problem with alcohol or drugs). But that’s just my gut impression, check the rules and see what they want you to do.

You guys have to be trolling.

GFox345 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:45 am

You guys have to be trolling.

Yes, it seems kind of silly

Aapl wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:54 am

GFox345 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:45 am

You guys have to be trolling.

Yes, it seems kind of silly

I’m the most recent anon (not OP). To be clear, I’ve had speeding tickets and not reported them and it didn’t even occur to me, and I *highly* doubt the OP needs to. But since they asked, I was curious and googled my state bar about it.

(I also work for an employer that’s particularly squirrelly about this stuff so am never sure what’s “normal.” Though even we don’t have to report simple speeding tickets.)

Not only are you fucked, any barred attorney reading this is ethically obligated to track your IP address and report you to the bar or they could also get in trouble.

Years ago my grandfather, also a lawyer, had his license suspended for so many speeding tickets. He practice until he was on his death bed.

Not legal advice, and I don't know the answer, but I feel like this falls squarely into the "it's always best to disclose rather than explain why you didn't" category.