Q: I cannot renew my DL in Chicago il due to $1300 unpaid ticket that I new nothing about from 2004 I cannot afford
I need my DL because I drive for a living anything I can do to get my DL renewed and setup a payment arrangements with the court house
A:
First, this will prevent renewal as all fines must be paid in order to renew.
The good news is that when a fine is this large, it is VERY likely the result of either an ex parte conviction or bond forfeiture. Both of these can be corrected by taking the ticket back to court. Depending on the type of ticket and county, it may be advisable to hire a reasonably priced traffic attorney. The reason for this is two fold. First, they may be able to get the fine much lower or possibly eliminated when they appear on it by presenting the right evidence, and second, they often can resolve the ticket without you needing to appear in court removing the need to take the day off work, sit in court all morning, and miss getting paid that day.
WHATEVER YOU DO, whether or not you hire an attorney, DO NOT PAY THAT AMOUNT. Taking the right steps can greatly reduce your fines owed and get you back on the road much sooner and with far less money.
Hope that helps!
Jason A. Wilkins
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