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Ask any New Yorker who drives and they'll tell you paying for parking tickets is part of city living. But according to former New York City parking ticket judge, Haskell Nussbaum, it shouldn't be.

“There were cases where they had a good legal defense but they presented in a way where they basically shot themselves in the foot,” says Nussbaum.

After hearing thousands of these cases, Nussbaum decided to share some insider tips in his book "Beat That Parking Ticket.” First, he says, it pays to appear in person.

“If you just write in the defense whether by the internet or the mail more often than not a judge isn't really going to believe you. But if you're coming down at a live hearing and you are able to look them in the eye and you are able to answer questions then there's no guarantee that they'll believe you but at least you have a chance to persuade them,” says Nussbaum.

And a big part of persuasion is proof. Pictures may be the best form of proof but only if you take them the right way.

“I remember cases where somebody literally just sent me a picture of a sign, without even the street name, which doesn't really help anybody. You absolutely should take pictures from corner to corner of the whole street. People also don't realize that in New York one sign in the entire block is sufficient for it to be valid against you,” says Nussbaum.

Defenses Nussbaum says usually don’t work include the excuses "I needed to go to the bathroom" and "a cop told me I could park there.”

“It's the judge's job to interpret the law not the cop. So, the fact that a cop told you you could do something unfortunately is not a get out of jail free card,” says Nussbaum.

No matter what your defense, the former parking judge says there are a few musts when it comes to fighting tickets. First, always mail in a response of ‘not guilty’ so at least you can get an offer of reduction.

Second, check your ticket for technical defects, if you find any erroneous information such as a wrong license plate number or date, you can get your ticket thrown out automatically.

And last but not least, appeal the decision if you lose.

“Judges are people they sometimes can make real mistakes,” says Nussbaum.

To maximize your chances of beating or avoiding a parking ticket check out www.beatthatparkingticket.com/.

If you'd like "NY1 For You" to look into a problem, call our 24-hour helpline at 212-379-3599 or send an email to ny1foryou@ny1.com.