Would a tennis ball on the end of an umbrella reduce its lighting rod effect?
Yes, you could get an attorney but you would need to hire one yourself. You are only provided an attorney for questioning or for criminal charges. If you do choose to contest it, claiming others park there is not a valid defense. You will be expected to provide evidence you did not violate the law.
A large force of highly trained archers can be a daunting opponent to face. Some historical peoples such as the Spartans of the Greco-Persian wars saw the bow and arrow as the weapon of a coward as it killed from a distance, but nonetheless it was still a formidable weapon. Even the highly trained and disciplined forces of the Roman Legion weren't invulnerable to all archer fire. The Composite bows used by Parthia for example could penetrate the Roman scutum shield and still have the driving force to pierce a legionary's lorica armor and proved the decisive factor of Marcus Crassus' invasion of Parthia. So yes, well-trained and well equipped archer units can prove a formidable weapon in battle. But they are highly vulnerable to cavalry attacks. Next time you find yourself going against archers be sure to bring some light cavalry with you.
First: You can hire an attorney for anything if you so choose. But it will be on your dime. You can't ask for free legal counsel for a parking ticket defense. That only happens for criminal charges and/or questioning. Second: While $250 is a hefty fire hydrant violation (it's only $50 in our jurisdiction), it'll probably cost you more in legal fees (lawyers often charge $200-$300/hr for court visits) than the cost of the ticket and there's no guarantee the lawyer will get you off. You might end up having to pay both. Third: The argument other people do it has a 0% chance of getting you out of that ticket. Just because the others didn't get caught doesn't mean it's OK for you to do it. You really don't have anything that an Attorney could argue for you. Maybe you get lucky and he gets the fine reduced to $100 or something, but you'll pay $300 to the Attorney and still have to pay the $100 fine. Simple math says you just paid $400 for that $250 citation. Lastly: If you can prove that you were more than the required distance from the hydrant, then you have a case for appealing the citation. Other than that, excuses don't work. And here's several of those excuses that we've heard hundreds of time with a 0% success rate of getting out of the citation: I was only there for a few minutes, I was only dropping someone off, Everybody else does it all the time, I didn't see the hydrant, I didn't know it was illegal, No firetruck came so why should I be ticketed?. Realistically and mathematically, you're better off just paying the citation. It's not a moving violation so it doesn't count against your points or insurance.
