Attorney Offers To Fight Traffic Tickets In Exchange For Donations
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RICHARDSON (CBS11) - Attorneys at a North Texas law firm are offering to help fight traffic tickets for free, in exchange for clients making donations for prostate cancer research.
The MAS Law Firm in Richardson handles a wide range of cases, and Class C traffic violations are small part of that.
Attorney Ashkan Mehryari says they're hoping to help drivers facing this type of citation, while at the same time paying it forward.
"It kind of helps everybody. If we can save everybody the inconvenience [of traffic court costs] and raise some money for cancer research then, why not?" said Mehryari.
From now through the end of November, the law firm is offering free legal representation for those who go to the website, and make a donation to a charity for prostate cancer research and awareness.
The law firm is not affiliated with the Prostate Cancer Foundation, but attorneys say they often support various charitable causes.
Mehryari says it's the MAS Law Firm's version of 'Movember' – which raises awareness of men's health issues.
"We were kidding around that we couldn't grow mustaches for Movember prostate cancer, so we decided this would be good to do instead," Mehryari said.
Legal services for Class C traffic citations (for example, red light violations, seat belt violations, and in some cases speeding) can range from $75-$100. Fines for tickets can costs hundreds of dollars.
The lawyers are asking that people donate around $25 to the cause in exchange for help.
Mehryari says attorneys can often get traffic tickets deferred, so he sees the free assistance as a win-win.
"You could theoretically plead guilty and it would go on your record. No one wants that. No one wants it on their car insurance record. Most of the time if you get a lawyer who can go in and talk to the prosecutor – I think every time we've done it we get a defer or probation. If you don't get any other tickets, it gets dismissed off your record," Mehryari said.
Right now the law firm is only offering the program for drivers cited in Dallas, Richardson and the Park Cities. They aren't able to take up a case for everyone in Texas – but hope the program is a success.
"Cancer is very prevalent. I think everyone knows someone who has been affected by some sort of cancer," Mehryari said.
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