AUO Lawyer Syracuse NY

Suspended License in New York?

Driving on a suspeneded license is not just a traffic ticket: It is a crime. 

If you were ticketed for driving with a suspended or revoked license in New York, you are facing an Aggravated Unlicensed Operation charge. In New York, a person is guilty of aggravated unlicensed operation when: "such person operates a motor vehicle upon a public highway while knowing or having reason to know that such person's license is suspended, revoked or otherwise withdrawn." NY Vehicle and Traffic Law §511

AUO is a misdemeanor

While a police officer or trooper may tell you that the ticket is no big deal, AUO is a serious offense because it is a criminal charge.  Most tickets are "traffic infractions" and NY law specifically states that all "traffic infractions" are non-criminal offenses. If you are convicted of speeding, for example, if someone should ever ask you if you have ever been convicted of a crime, you can and should say "no."

An AUO, on the other hand, is a misdemeanor and would be a criminal conviction.

You must appear in court

If you look toward the bottom of the ticket underneath the court and address, you will see "Must appear in person on:" checked.  Because you are facing a criminal charge with an AUO, you must appear in the town, village, or city criminal court for an arraignment.

At your arraignment, the judge will inform you of the charges against you and ask you to enter a plea.  You will plead not guilty and the judge will adjourn the case to give you time to find a lawyer or will assign you counsel if you cannot afford one. 

How to resolve an AUO in NY

Get your driving record. 

Your driving record or "DMV abstract", lists the courts that have reported a suspension of your license. Courts notify the DMV to suspended your license when you fail to appear to answer a ticket or if you have failed to pay a fine assessed by the court. Order Your NY DMV Abstract Online.

The DMV will also suspend your license for a failure to pay a DMV "Driver Responsibility Assessment." A driver responsibility assessment is a fine due once a year for three years for drivers who have been convicted of a DWI or DWAI or who have accumulated 6 or more points in any 18 month period.

  • Or call Azria & Bruffett and they will pull your abstract and identify the problems for you. 

Clear the suspensions.

Each court on the abstract must be contacted to find out why the court reported a suspension. If it was for a failure to pay a fine, you must pay the fine and a suspension lift fee of $70. If the court suspended for failure to appear, you must pay the $70 suspension lift fee for each ticket pending in the court and then you will have to address the underlying tickets. 

  • Or hire Azria & Bruffett and have them coorinate the suspensioin lifts with the courts. 

Resolve the AUO and other tickets.

Once the underlying suspensions are cleared up, the prosecutor will begin negotiations regarding a plea in your case. The AUO always comes with at least one other ticket, and you will also need to resolve those tickets. If negotiations fail, you will plea as charged or proceed to trial.

  • Or hire an experinced lawyer from A&B to take care of this for you. 
Google Review

Azria & Bruffett is an excellent law firm to deal with! Once you engage their services, they are excellent to take care of any traffic ticket. The settlements of the tickets are very favorable to the client. They are also VERY timely. out of the 4 tickets my son had over a period of a year, 2 of them were settled within 2 days of submitting them to Mr. Azria.

Speeding ticket

I found Mr. Bruffett after calling several lawyers in Syracuse. I had 6 outstanding tickets that I completely blew off and forgot about until I was arrested in NYC over a suspended license. Mr. Bruffett was able to get ALL of my tickets reduced with NO POINTS and he also got 2 tickets dismissed. When I first met him, it was the most pleasant experience one could ask for. He's one of the few lawyers who actually cares about YOU and not your money. He quoted me an extremely reasonable amount for all 6 tickets. I never had to step foot into a court room and he has a great relationship with the DA and he was able to work something out that was in my best interest. I feel a huge relief knowing all of my tickets are over with, and I could not thank Mr. Bruffett enough. He also gave me his personal phone number and I was able to text and call him whenever I needed him. Before I even retained him, I had a question and texted him and he called me and walked me through the entire process. I highly recommend Mr. David Bruffett and his firm Azria & Bruffett. Thank you for everything David, and although I hope I never have to retain you again, if anything should ever happen, you'll be the first person I go to. 
Sincerely, Casey N.

Mary posted to Avvo
Google+ Review

Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness

I was stopped by a NY state trooper for speeding on my way back to Canada right before the border crossing on I-81 in Mar. 2020. (Please be mindful about the signs of reducing speed. I didn't slow down quick enough). It was the first time I was stopped by a cop and I had no idea what I should do about this ticket. I searched on Google and decided to contact Mr. Azria. He was very nice to talk to and clarified all the questions I had regarding the ticket. In the end I did the online traffic safety training by Jefferson County. Mr. Azria helped me organize my correspondence with the DA and the court all the way through. I was quite fortunate to find him to fight the ticket for me. He and his assistant was very professional and knowledgeable. My charge was reduced to "failed to signal" and 2 points deduction. I appreciate the advice and help from Mr. Azria.

Kristen
Ticket resolution

Seth and Monica are amazing together working to help me with my ticket in upstate NY. They are very attentive, understanding, and willing to give detailed explanations of the process from start to finish. Great results. Seth puts his clients first, which is an amazing thing in today's world. I will use Seth for any issue in NY.

Jennifer
Google Review

Super efficient process with outstanding results. I received regular updates via email with clear instructions and expectations. Best of all, the results exceeded expectations - great reduction in my fine for speeding with zero points.

Thanks Seth and Team - you are great!

Ariane D.

 

 

 

For a complimentary case evaluation

 
Discuss with an experienced lawyer:
  • The consequences you are currently facing. 
  • A full evaualtion of your abstract. 
  • How we will handle your case.
  • The most likely outcome based on historical data. 
  • All case costs including legal fees, court fines, DMV, and state surcharges.

 please call (315) 364-1155. 

Tell us about your case.

Your Traffic Defense Lawyers

With over 50 years of combined experience, our traffic lawyers and staff work together to help ensure that your case has the best possible outcome. The firm's hard work has earned excellent reviews for our lawyers and firm on Avvo.com, Google, and other services. We are ready to bring that same level of service to your case.  

Seth M. Azria, Esq.

Seth is the managing partner at Azria & Bruffett. He started and heads the traffic defense practice and handles criminal appeals. 

David C. Bruffett, Jr., Esq.

David is a partner and our primary courtroom litigator. He worked as prosecutor with two counties in NY for almost a decade and successfully brought numerous felonies to trial. He has defended hundreds of traffic, DWI, and felony cases.  Since 2012, has been a town court judge in Cicero NY.

Ralph Habib, Esq.

Ralph is a partner and has prosecuted or defended criminal and traffic cases his entire legal career. As a prosecutor in Onondaga county for nearly a decade, he prosecuted and tried numerous types of cases including the most serious drug felonies. For almost 20 years, he has used that experience to defend thousands of people charged with crimes in courts all over upstate New York. 

The Azria & Bruffett defends drivers charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation and all other traffic violations in Onondaga, Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onieda, Oswego, and other counties in New York State.

The information on this site is not legal advice, it is Attorney Advertising intended to educate potential clients about their need for legal advice and assist them in obtaining a lawyer appropriate for those needs. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different and every person should consult a lawyer to asses their particular case.  If you think this office can assist you please contact us for a free consultation. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.