Do not just pay that St. James 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. James Parish tickets to keep them off your record, and in most cases you never have to appear in court.
St. James is the third of the river parishes, stretching along both banks of the Mississippi between St. John and Ascension. Tickets get written across the parish, on River Road (LA 44) and Main Street (LA 3125) through Gramercy and Lutcher, out toward Convent and Vacherie, and near the Veterans Memorial and Sunshine bridges. Enforcement comes from the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office, the town police in Gramercy and Lutcher, and Louisiana State Police.
Where your ticket goes depends entirely on who wrote it and where. That is the part that confuses people, and it is the first thing we sort out. The Law Office of Heather C. Ford handles traffic cases throughout St. James, in both the parish court and the town courts.
St. James runs traffic cases through two different kinds of court, and which one you are in changes your options. Here is how it breaks down.
| Where your ticket is from | Where it is heard | What that means |
| Inside Gramercy town limits | Gramercy Mayor’s Court | Town ordinance and traffic only. Cannot hear DWI or felonies. |
| Inside Lutcher town limits | Lutcher Mayor’s Court | Same limited town jurisdiction. |
| Unincorporated St. James (Convent, Vacherie, Paulina), the Sheriff, or State Police | 23rd Judicial District Court, Convent | Parish and state charges, DWI, and anything serious or felony. |
We handle all three. See our dedicated pages for Gramercy Mayor’s Court and Lutcher Mayor’s Court, or read on for the parish court.
Parish and state traffic cases, and anything a mayor’s court cannot hear, go to the 23rd Judicial District Court, which covers Ascension, Assumption, and St. James parishes. The St. James courthouse sits in Convent, the parish seat, on the west bank.
| Court | 23rd Judicial District Court, St. James Parish |
| Address | 5800 LA Highway 44, Convent, LA 70723 |
| Phone (criminal) | (225) 562-2389 |
| Covers | Ascension, Assumption, and St. James parishes |
| Official site | 23rdjdc.org |
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.
Most citations have more give in them than drivers assume. Depending on the charge and the court, we work to get the violation dismissed, negotiate it down to a non-moving violation that carries no insurance hit, or use articles 894 and 892 to keep a plea from becoming a conviction. In a mayor’s court, we can also protect your right to appeal to the district court if the town court gets it wrong. For most St. James cases, we appear for you.
Whether your case is in Gramercy, Lutcher, or Convent, a missed appearance can bring a warrant and a license suspension. If you have already missed a date, contact us right away so we can get ahead of it. You can also check your license status with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.
St. James, St. John, and St. Charles all sit side by side, and we handle traffic across all three. See our pages for the St. John Parish traffic court, LaPlace, Reserve, and St. Charles Parish.
Save money on the fine and the three-year insurance surcharge a conviction brings.
Save time because we appear at the 23rd JDC or the town court for you.
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 which court it belongs in and whether we can get it reduced or dismissed, before you decide anything. You can also read more about speeding ticket defense or the courts we serve.
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Avoid Anxiety:Paying the Ticket Is Not Always Your Best Option. We Can Help.
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.
It depends on who wrote it and where. A ticket from the Gramercy or Lutcher town police, inside those town limits, goes to that town’s mayor’s court. A ticket from the Sheriff or State Police, or anything in unincorporated St. James like Convent or Vacherie, goes to the 23rd Judicial District Court in Convent. We handle all of them.
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.
No. Louisiana mayor’s courts cannot hear DWI, felonies, or juvenile cases. A St. James DWI goes to the 23rd Judicial District Court. See our DWI page for how those cases work.
For most traffic cases, no. We appear on your behalf, whether the case is at the 23rd JDC or a town mayor’s court.
Contact us right away. A missed date can bring a warrant and a license suspension. The sooner we get involved, the better the chance of clearing it up before it escalates.
