In your situation, I would look up the statue and see what the max penalty is, ie. lose your license, jail time, etc and then decide if you really need a lawyer. Ask if you can go to traffic school to get it reduced if you haven't been there before. I do not believe the judge can add additional charges, ie reckless, etc. I have dealt with three such incidents (77 in 55, 91 in a 55, and 80 in a 40). I never lost my license with any of them although I was supposed to have with the 91 in a 55 for 15 days so things may not end up horrible. The fines and the points really aren't the worst part it is the insurance that kills! I have only been involved in one accident while driving and the lady drove straight into the side of my car after cutting directly across lanes. I happened to be doing the speed limit and there was still no way to avoid it. She has also been cited for the same thing before, but I bet here insurance is cheaper than mine which is total BS. I don't know where insurance companies get off charging people who speed a premium if they have never had a claim in 14 years. What a joke. I do think 71 in a 25 is absolutely ludicrous though. Losing your car or jail time would also really suck, but I could see it happening for going that fast in a 25mph zone. My tickets where all on highways away from residential areas so definitely not a direct comparison. Best of luck refraining in the future.