Criminal Defense For Disorderly Persons And Traffic Offenses

Offenses that seem minor at the time can have serious and unforeseen consequences. If you are summoned to municipal court, it is important to have advice and representation of an experienced criminal law attorney at Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC.

With our years of experience and knowledge of the law, our firm is dedicated to protecting your rights and achieving the best results. Based in Essex County, we have represented citizens throughout Northern New Jersey in the full range of municipal court matters.

Comprehensive Defense Against All Municipal Court Cases

Municipal courts in the state of New Jersey only have jurisdiction over matters that occur within the boundaries of its municipality. Each municipality has its own municipal court, and that court can only handle criminal cases that are classified as disorderly persons offenses or municipal ordinance violations.

The municipal court also handles all motor vehicle traffic violations. Some less serious criminal offenses such as robbery, auto theft or assault start out as complaints filed in the municipal court, but are then transferred to the Superior Court.

The municipal courts are considered courts of limited jurisdiction. That means they handle only certain kinds of offenses, usually appearing minor in nature. Those offenses include, but are not limited to:

• Motor vehicle moving violations
• Parking tickets
• Simple assault
• Bad checks
• DUI
• Municipal ordinance offenses
• Building code violations
• Noise violations
• Minor drug offenses
• Minor theft offenses

Even traffic violations can result in costly fines, sharp increases in automobile insurance premiums and the suspension of driving privileges. Disorderly person offenses can be damaging to an individual’s criminal history record and cannot be expunged for five years. With proper and competent representation, fines and penalties can often be reduced or even dismissed and disorderly person offenses can sometimes be amended down to municipal ordinance violations, which are not considered crimes in the state of New Jersey and can be expunged in two years.

Before you pay a fine or head to municipal court on your own, contact a criminal defense lawyer of Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo LLC. We can explain the ramifications and explore the options to spare you from avoidable consequences that may hamper your future.

Call 973-542-2766 for a consultation or you can reach our law firm by filling out our online intake form.