The best thing for you to do is go to court, and ask the prosecutor to reduce your speed to a non-reporting offense/speed (usually 14 mph over the posted limit). If you fight the ticket you are not likely to win. Defenses such as, "I wasn't going that fast" or "The officer clocked another car" never win. Also, pleading Nolo doesn't do any good because your insurance rates will still increase.

It may be a good idea to get a lawyer to handle your case. You will most likely get a better result with having a lawyer than not having one. Negotiating with the prosecutor yourself isn't a good idea. You don't want to risk having all those points on your license and your insurance rates going up.

Hire a local lawyer. An experienced lawyer will know how to handle the case and challenge this ticket for you. Each case is different based on your driving record, which court this is in, and who the officer was, so the best thing to do is hire a lawyer that can evaluate all of the information in the case.

Your post suggests to me that you have considered a lawyer, and figure you will fight it yourself and if you lose, you are content to pay up. So I will skip the "hire a lawyer" response (which is an entirely proper response by the way) That assumption in place--you could challenge the laser's calibration history, the officers training history or any of several other issues related to the specifics of your ticket (location, time of day, signage, etc). That said, the hard part is in the doing of it--you'd have to know all about the laser device, how it works, who made it, what the performance characteristics of the device are, how it operates under different conditions; Same type of detailed and granular information about the officer's training on the device, experience with the device, and previous history with the device. You would want to understand how the court process works--how to introduce evidence, how to question and cross-examine witnesses (like the cop). Lot of work for a simple speeding ticket--if you've got hours and hours on your hands, and you are smarter than the average bear, you have a shot at pulling it off.

Most likely scenario--you go to court, make your case, judge goes with the officer's version of events--fees and court costs
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Possible scenario (like 5%)- you go to court, officer does not show up, you ask for case to be dismissed, judge dismisses.

Slim shot (like 1%)--you successfully build a case and beat the system on your own.

That's my two sense....

Speeding tickets are very hard to beat, and the judge tends to really hammer you on the penalty if you dare to exercise your right to a trial. I've actually witnessed a short trial in which the defendant's appointed attorney tried to make the argument that it sounds like you'll be making. The jury spent about ten minutes deliberating before finding him guilty. He was given thirty days in jail - BUT he had a very long history of speeding tickets, so that isn't necessarily what you'd need to be worried about.

The safe thing to do here could be to wait until your court date in municipal court. If you are able to make the court date without skipping work or any other obligations, then I don't believe there is ever any reason to pay the ticket to the clerk in advance of that court date. You can go there and talk with the prosecutor. He may be willing to lower the fee or give you a ticket with no points. Always be threatening to go to court. It makes the state much more willing to negotiate.

If you do decide to go to trial, then you should focus on the calibration of the laser. Was it working properly? Was it used properly? Read up on any possible defects that could exist in these devices or any weaknesses that they may have. File an open records request on the officer. Does he have a history of discipline for incompetence. Be ready with questions to grill him on the stand. Don't try to improvise. And, in true Batman Style, have Plan Bs and Plan Cs all ready to go if the cop stumps you on your original questions. Just remember that most cops are very good as being cross-examined, so be well prepared.