I've been a traffic lawyer in NC for 29 years.The laws are different in each state,and the practices are different in different counties in the state.I get people the best result to keep their license if it's at risk,and keep the points off to keep their insurance from going up.In NC,a 71 in a 55 would take your license and raise your insurance about 50% for three years .For a couple hundred dollars,I would make sure you keep your license and save you easily a couple thousand on your insurance.I would also go for you,so you didn't have to miss work to go to an intimidating place where you have no idea what's going on, ie court.If you go unrepresented they may offer you a deal,but it won't necessarily work for you.It can be complicated,especially if you have other tickets,and the law changes all the time.
As to whether you need a lawyer ,I prefer to have someone who knows what they're doing.If your head hurts real bad,you can get on the internet and try to figure it out (seems like a migraine but what if it's a brain tumor?) or you can see a medical person.If my NSX has a problem,I have a good understanding of its mechanical issues from voracious Prime reading over 3 years,but very little mechanical ability to actually fix it.I would rather pay someone who knows how to fix it and know it's done right.If you have a ticket,you can talk to your cousin's brother-in-law who used to be a deputy sheriff and try to figure out what to do,or you can get someone who's handled thousands of tickets, and knows the district attorneys and the judges in the court.
