Do not just pay that Reserve ticket. Paying is a guilty plea. It closes the ticket, but the conviction sits on your record for three years and raises your insurance by more than the fine. We fight St. John Parish tickets to keep them off your record, and you usually never have to appear in Edgard.
Reserve sits on the east bank of the Mississippi in St. John the Baptist Parish, just upriver from LaPlace, along Airline Highway (US 61) and River Road (LA 44), with I-10 and I-55 a short distance away. Between the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office and Louisiana State Police Troop B, this corridor sees steady traffic enforcement, and a lot of Reserve drivers get written up for speeding, following too closely, and lane violations.
Here is what trips people up. Reserve is unincorporated. There is no Reserve city court. Your ticket is prosecuted by the St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney and heard at the 40th Judicial District Court in Edgard, on the west bank. From Reserve, the quickest way across is the Reserve to Edgard ferry, which turns a court date into a half day off work. The Law Office of Heather C. Ford works these dockets and can handle it so you never make that trip.
Louisiana does not use a driver’s license point system, which is exactly why tickets here are underestimated. There are no points to track, so drivers pay and move on. Meanwhile the conviction is reported for three years, and your insurer treats it as a reason to raise your rate. On a clean record, one ticket can add hundreds of dollars a year, so the real cost of a modest fine is often several times that once the insurance surcharge is counted.
Go far enough over and it stops being a simple fine. Excessive speed can be charged as careless or reckless operation, and speed in a school zone carries enhanced penalties. If you hold a CDL, a Reserve ticket carries extra risk, which we cover on our CDL page for the area.
The most common win is a negotiated reduction. Getting the charge knocked down to a non-moving violation means no conviction your insurer can surcharge, which is usually the whole goal.
Radar and LIDAR units must be certified and calibrated, and officers must be trained on them. Pacing is softer still. We request the records and look for gaps, and if the stop does not hold up, everything after it can be challenged.
Where a reduction is not available, articles 894 and 892 can keep a plea from becoming a conviction on your record. For most Reserve cases, we appear at the 40th JDC for you.
A St. John Parish traffic case generally runs like this.
Speed limits and speeding offenses are set in Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 32. The penalty climbs with how far over you were and whether a school or construction zone was involved. Because Louisiana has no points system, the practical penalty is the conviction on your record and the insurance cost that follows, which is why keeping the ticket off your record matters more than the ticket amount. Not sure about your license status? You can check it with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.
Reserve, LaPlace, Garyville, and Edgard all run through the same court, and we handle all of them. See our LaPlace traffic ticket page, LaPlace speeding page, and the St. John Parish traffic court page for more.
Save money on the fine and the three-year insurance surcharge a conviction brings.
Save time because we appear at the 40th JDC in Edgard for you, no ferry trip required.
Protect your record so one ticket does not stack toward a suspended license.
Send us your ticket for a free consultation. We will tell you whether we can get it reduced or dismissed, and what it will cost, before you decide anything. You can also read more about speeding ticket defense or the courts we serve.
Between myself and my family, we keep Heather busy! She is very professional and knowledgeable. I have spent a lot of money and ruined my driving record paying off speeding tickets but when I found Heather, I found that she is the best
My experience with the Law Office of Heather C. Ford was outstanding. I would recommend this team to anyone that has received a traffic ticket in the metro New Orleans area....
I found Heather online after searching for a traffic lawyer. Since I am not from the area, I was not 100% sure but went with my gut after reading the positive comments. And I was right! I am really pleased with Heather Ford's...
I was thrilled when Heather was able to get my ticket reduced to a non-moving violation and the judge waived fees. I never thought that was possible. I was certain I'd have to pay something. She's great...
Ms. Ford is all that I could ask for in an advocate.
My experience has been as pleasurable as can be expected when you need a lawyer.
Reserve is unincorporated, so your ticket is heard at the 40th Judicial District Court in Edgard and prosecuted by the St. John the Baptist Parish DA. From Reserve, the closest route is the Reserve to Edgard ferry. When you hire us, we handle those appearances for you.
Paying is the same as pleading guilty. It closes the ticket fast but puts a conviction on your record for three years and usually raises your insurance by more than the fine. A quick free call can tell you whether we can get it reduced or dismissed.
Yes. Many area tickets are written by the St. John Sheriff on Airline Highway and River Road, or by State Police on the interstate. We handle both the same way, working the measurement evidence and the stop.
For most cases, no. We appear on your behalf so you do not have to take off work or cross the river.
Usually yes. Because Louisiana has no points, drivers assume a small overage is harmless, but any speeding conviction can raise your insurance for three years. A reduction often saves you far more than our fee.
