[82 GT]

In Pa. you first go before the judge without a jury present. It's just the officer(s) and the defendant(s) and the judge.
It works the same as a trial but the judge makes the sole decision.
If you lose, then you can appeal the decision and it goes before a jury and a different judge is present.

BLOCKER , people spend the extra money on lawers because it still beats paying the fine, higher car insurance and points on your driving record. In the long run it's well worth the trouble.
Around here, lawers don't usually charge their normal rates for traffic court.
If I were to hire one, it would be about $100 or less(depending on who it is) because these cases are finished within about a half hour to an hour.(quick & easy money for a lawer)
I might look into hiring one because I've never won without one.