Why should I hire your firm over any other firm?
Novey and Tomko Law Firm devotes a substantial portion of its practice to the defense of traffic offenses in Southside Virginia. Steven Novey was born and raised in Emporia, (Greensville County) Virginia, and attended and graduated from the public school system in Greensville County. He has also served as a part-time assistant prosecutor in Greensville County and the city of Emporia. Edward Tomko was born and raised in Prince George County and attended and graduated from the public school system in Prince George. Hence, we have the background and experience to negotiate the best possible result for you.

We handle each case with individual attention and know that our clients’ driving privileges, driving records, and insurance premiums are of utmost importance. Hence, we focus on the outcome.

We welcome all calls and we never charge for consultations.

What type of payment will your firm accept?
We accept personal checks, money orders, cash, and MasterCard and Visa (including debit cards) .

If I hire your firm to represent me on a traffic violation, will I be required to appear in court?
If you are charged with speeding or reckless driving, where the speed is not too excessive, usually you will not need to appear.

What documents will I need to send you in order to represent me on a typical traffic matter?
Normally we will need a copy of the summons (ticket) you received, a copy of your driving record from your home state, and a form of payment.

Should I get my speedometer calibrated? Would it help my case?
If you believe that your speedometer may not have been working accurately at the time you were cited for speeding, you may want to take your vehicle to a mechanic who has the equipment to perform a calibration. This should be done as soon a possible after receiving the charge. The calibration report should be notarized.

If the test reveals that your speedometer is reading below the actual speed your car is traveling, then we may be able to use that document to get your charged reduced to a nonmoving violation called “defective equipment.”

If I hire your firm, will I also be required to pay court costs and any fines imposed.
Yes. Court costs are usually assessed against every person convicted of any infraction, even if the charge is reduced. The court also can and often does assess fines, even if the charge is reduced to a nonmoving violation.

What type of payment for fines and costs does the court accept?
Courts in Virginia will accept cash, personal checks, and most credit cards (over the phone). However, mailing a cash payment is never a good idea.

How long will I have to pay my court costs and fines, and where do I send my payment?
You will have 15 days from the date of the conviction to pay your court costs and fines, if any, to the court. After we appear in court on your behalf, we immediately mail you a result letter advising you of the results, fines and court costs, the total amount owed, the date it is due, and where to send your payment.

We recommend that you keep a copy (or the original) of your summons (ticket) you received from the officer, so that you can enclose the summons with your payment to ensure you are credited with the payment.

If I am convicted in Virginia, will that conviction be reported to my home state?
As Virginia has reciprocity with most states, normally any conviction in Virginia will be reported to your home state’s division of motor vehicles and will eventually be reflected on your home state’s driving record. Hence, demerit points will be assessed against you as if you received the conviction in your home state.

Will a conviction in Virginia affect my automobile insurance?
See above answer. As most insurance companies base insurance on risks, and categorize those drivers who receive moving violations as higher risks, each moving violation can have a negative impact on your insurance premiums. Normally, the more moving violations, the higher the premiums a driver would pay.

What will happen if the officer advises me that I can avoid coming to court if I sign the summons and mail the prepayable fine and cost to the court, and I follow his advice?
By signing the summons and mailing in the prepayable fines and costs to the court, you are pleading guilty to the original charge and will be found guilty. Your case will not be considered by the judge.

In addition to traffic defense, what other types of cases do you handle?
We accept all traffic and criminal defense cases and represent clients charged with all types of crimes on a daily basis. We have represented thousands of clients charged with various crimes that range from capital murder to driving on a suspended license. We have successfully represented clients charged with murder, malicious wounding, robbery, larceny, rape, forgery and uttering, bad checks, driving under the influence, habitual offender, eluding the police, and obstruction of justice, to name a few.

We offer free consultations, both by telephone and in our office. We welcome your call.


Please be advised and understand that Novey and Tomko Law Firm does not and can not guarantee any particular results, as the outcome of each case will depend on numerous case specific factors. Nothing in these answers are meant to suggest a particular outcome.