How to Prepare for a Municipal Court Appearance in New Jersey

Going to municipal court can mean getting ready for a lot of different things. If you are facing charges for something like an ordinance violation, a fine might be the only penalty on the line. However, most other charges go through municipal court at some stage or another, so you could be looking at 6 months of jail time if your case does not go your way.

To prepare for your municipal court date, you should first and foremost talk to a lawyer about your case. You should also clear your schedule, get a babysitter, and make sure that any other obligations are taken care of, as missing your court date could result in further legal trouble. Lastly, you should come prepared to handle the charges against you, and dress professionally while doing so.

To hire a lawyer or to get a free case assessment, call the New Jersey criminal defense lawyers at Lombardo Law Group today (609) 418-4537.

Understanding What Could Happen at Municipal Court in NJ

The first thing to do to prepare for your court date in municipal court is to understand what your case is, why you are being summoned to municipal court (as opposed to some other court), and what penalties could result.

NJ has a few levels of court, with municipal court being the lowest. There are many hundreds of municipal courts in NJ, with each one serving one or more municipalities/towns/townships. These courts hear all kinds of cases, ranging from traffic ticket cases to low-level “petty disorderly persons offenses” and ordinance violations. You could also have a case be a misdemeanor-level “disorderly persons offenses” or a felony-level “indictable crimes.”

When it comes to hearings for traffic cases, ordinance violations, and both levels of disorderly persons offenses, the entire trial is held in municipal court before a judge (i.e., without a jury). This means that, by the end of your court date, you could face a fine or even jail time for the offense. Keep in mind that many serious charges – such as DWI and reckless driving – qualify as “traffic offenses.” Many disorderly persons offenses are also still serious criminal charges resulting in up to 6 months in jail. For example, simple assault is a disorderly persons offense.

If your case involves an indictable crime – a felony-level offense like aggravated assault or robbery – then only the preliminary stages of your case will be held in municipal court. At the end of your day in municipal court, you will either win the case and get charges dismissed, or they will be held over for trial at superior court – the county-level trial court.

Preparing With Your Lawyer for a Municipal Court Date in NJ

You should always have one of our Atlantic County criminal defense attorneys represent you in your case. Ahead of the court date, we can reach out to prosecutors and discuss potential reductions in your charges or penalties and any opportunities for something like community service, a fine-only punishment, or even a plea deal that might reduce your potential penalties.

At municipal court, there might also be questions about bail, especially if the case needs to be handled in more than one court date and you want to remain out of jail in the meantime. Our lawyers can make arguments against cash bail and seek to keep you out “on your own recognizance” (known as “ROR”).

You should also discuss your case with a lawyer well in advance of your court date so that we know what charges you will be facing and what evidence we have to fight against them. We can research your case and seek to collect evidence that might call the prosecution’s case into question. Especially if there are records to be turned over – like breath test results from a DWI or drug test results from drug possession charges – we want to review them in advance. Kowing everything we can about the charges you face ahead of time also allows us to do legal research when needed to help find arguments we can make to potentially get your charges dropped.

Lastly, if the case does involve more serious felony-level indictable crimes, we will need to prepare for municipal court hearings on probable cause. We might also want to consider the strategy of waiving your municipal court hearings in hopes of getting you into programs like Pre-Trial Intervention or Recovery Courts, where your cooperation with the system might be helpful in getting you approved for these “diversionary” programs.

Making Sure You Do Not Miss Municipal Court in NJ

If you have any court dates scheduled, whether they are in municipal court or not, it is vital not to miss your court date. Make sure that you have your schedule cleared at work, that you have childcare prepared, that you have someone to let your dog out, or that you have an alternate person to check in on your parents. Whatever tasks you might have in your normal day must be set aside to make sure that you attend your court hearing, or else you could face immediate penalties.

First off, not showing up to court does not look good to the prosecutor or the judge. If either of them sees you as unwilling or uncooperative, it could hurt your ability to negotiate for a reduced sentence or other leniency.

Second, if you miss court, the judge can issue a bench warrant for you. Bench warrants allow the police to arrest you at any time if they come across you for some other interaction, such as a traffic stop. Then, there will be additional legal fees and steps to take to get the bench warrant canceled.

What to Wear to Municipal Court in NJ

Defendants should dress professionally. If you have a solid-colored suit or other professional attire, that is probably your best option. Otherwise, a clean button-up shirt, slacks/khakis, a professional skirt and blouse, and other similar attire would be recommended. Avoid jeans, workout wear, shirts with brand names, graphic tees, clothes with holes, and sneakers (if you can do so without too much expense). If you have visible tattoos that can be covered, judges often prefer to see them covered.

A good rule of thumb is to dress like you would for a job interview.