You are not required to have a lawyer for a Rhode Island traffic ticket, but hiring one often pays for itself. A lawyer who appears at the Traffic Tribunal regularly knows the magistrates, knows how to challenge a stop or a speed reading, and knows which violations can be reduced to keep points and insurance increases off your record. In many cases the attorney can appear for you so you do not have to take time off work to attend. The math is straightforward. If contesting the ticket avoids a multi-year insurance increase or protects your license from suspension, the cost of the lawyer is usually smaller than what you would have paid by simply admitting the violation.
