601 SW 149th Street
Burien, WA 98166
The King County District Court in Burien handles DUI, reckless driving and other criminal matters for the City of Burien as well as City of Burien traffic infractions and speeding tickets. This Court also handles Washington State Patrol and King County Sheriff traffic tickets written south of downtown Seattle.
What should I expect?
The judges in this court rotate regularly so it is difficult to predict which judge you will have for your hearing. The hearings tend to be lengthy because the court calendars are quite full.
How well do the officers write their tickets?
Most of the Washington State Patrol officers write their speeding tickets and traffic tickets using a template that includes much of the necessary information. However, every trooper seems to use a different template. Some are very complete, some less so. King County Sheriff traffic infractions are a mixed bag although deputies tend to be a little less thorough than troopers. City of Burien speeding tickets and infractions are similarly difficult to predict.
Is there a prosecutor in that court?
Usually. The City of Burien generally sends a prosecutor to handle traffic infractions and speeding tickets that occurred within the City of Burien. King County also usually sends a prosecutor to handle and negotiate Washington State Patrol speeding tickets and traffic infractions as well as those written by the King County Sheriff.
Will the prosecutor negotiate or will the hearing be “win or lose?”
The prosecutors in Burien will usually negotiate with drivers and their lawyers and often resolve “moving” violations (those that will affect your insurance rates) as “non-moving” infractions like license tabs or inattentive driving. The advantage of a negotiated resolution is that the infraction won’t affect your insurance. The disadvantage is that you will still have to pay a fine. The amount of the fine will depend on the facts of the case and your driving record.
Negotiations with a prosecutor are tricky. If your lawyer is experienced and can identify every small issue with the infraction, the chances of a dismissal are higher. If you try to negotiate with the prosecutor yourself, the chances of dismissal are lower, although you might still get a non-moving infraction.
What’s the Court’s policy on deferred findings?
Most judges in the Burien court allow deferred findings as long as a driver is eligible. Most of the judges in Burien do not allow drivers to request a deferred finding if a driver has already started to argue the facts of their case in a contested hearing, you need to decide to accept a deferred finding before any argument about the issues. Deferred findings in Burien tend to be for a year.
Am I required to appear in court?
If you hire a traffic lawyer, no. The attorney can handle the matter without you having to be present. If you want to handle it on your own, you do have to appear in Court.
What is the likelihood of a favorable resolution?
Most of the time, we are able to get Burien infractions dismissed. In the remaining cases, we generally are able to get a non-moving infraction to protect client insurance rates. Like any lawyer, we can’t guarantee dismissal or any other results but our clients are almost always very pleased with our results out of the King County District Court in Burien.
Need help?
Washington Traffic Defense is happy to take this matter off your plate. We offer free case reviews and will let you know whether we’ll be able to assist.
