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Baltimore DUI Lawyers

1. Kramer, Paul: If you are facing charges for DUI or DWI (drunk driving), be sure that you have an experienced defense attorney on your side who will fight to protect your rights. A conviction on drunk driving charges can result in serious penalties, including fines, jail time and the loss of your drivers license. In many cases, it seems like the legal system operates on an assumption of guilt rather than innocence.
2. Hannon Law Firm: Criminal Post Conviction Relief/Criminal Trial/White Collar Defense, DUI/DWI, and Civil Cases
3. Engle & Engle: Driving is considered a privilege and not a right, and a DWI or DUI charge puts one's driver's license in peril. Penalties can be painful in terms of fines and even jail time.
4. Blondell & Caruso: Under Maryland law, you have only ten calendar days after being charged with a DUI to schedule a Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) hearing to retain your driver's license. If you fail to attend the hearing, or have your attorney attend, you will lose your privilege to drive, pending the outcome of your DWI case.
5. Egerton, Nicole: Drug Charges, including drug conspiracy, drug possession, drug trafficking, and drug sale * Firearms Violations, including illegal guns, concealed weapons, and felons in possession of firearms * White Collar Crimes, including embezzlement, tax fraud, and employee theft * Homicide and Violent Crimes, including armed robbery, rape, arson, and weapons violations * Domestic Violence, including spousal abuse, child abuse, and other domestic abuse *Violations of Probation, at the District and Circuit Court * DWI/DUI, including drunk driving and other serious traffic violation cases, such as reckless driving, underage drunk driving, and hit and run Collateral Matters: The consequences of a criminal charge can impact your entire life. Beyond jail time, fines, and restitution, you could have a permanent scar on your record that may impact your ability to get a job, a loan, and even a driverŐs license. Defend against these consequences by choosing an experienced attorney.
6. Kadish, Craig: On a first offense, jail is unlikely except for enhancing factors such as very high intoxication, a child on board, or causing an injury accident. Nonetheless, a conviction means license suspension, a misdemeanor record, fines, assessment for alcohol addiction and sharply higher auto insurance rates. For a repeat DUI, mandatory jail or prison and lengthy license revocation may apply. The fines and penalties go up and the court's leash gets shorter. The Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) can also demand an ignition interlock for repeat offenders or offenders with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 or above.
7. Nathans & Biddle: * White Collar Criminal Defense * Public Corruption Defense * Grand Jury * Federal Sentencing * Federal & State Felonies and Misdemeanors * Appellate and Post-Conviction Proceedings * Attorney Grievance Investigations * Federal Forfeiture * Civil Litigation and Administrative Proceedings * Academic Proceedings (Schools, Colleges and Universities)
8. Charles Waechter:

   Criminal law is the body of law that relates to so-called "public wrongs." Criminal law does not concern itself with disputes between individuals, but relates to offenses against the public order. The federal government, along with cities and states, define and prosecute people who commit crimes that range from minor traffic violations, to serious, violent offenses, like rape or murder. People who are charged with a crime are called defendants, and they are represented by criminal defense attorneys. The governmental body that pursues the charges against the defendant is represented by a lawyer called a prosecutor. If you find yourself charged with a crime, you need the legal counsel of an experienced criminal defense attorney, to protect your rights now, and in the future.

   The United States Constitution prohibits taking a person's life, liberty, or property without the due process of law. In order to meet this standard, a criminal statute must clearly set out the conduct that will be considered criminal. The statute must be more than a vague description that leaves a person without notice of exactly what conduct is prohibited. A criminal statute must set out the state of mind of a guilty person, called the mens rea, as well as the unlawful action, or actus reus. If you accidentally step on someone's toes when you enter a crowded elevator, that is not a crime because there was no guilty mind. Fantasizing about stomping on your boss's toes is not a crime because there is no guilty act. Crimes of attempt, like attempted murder, are not an exception to this rule. Attempt crimes require doing something toward the commission of the crime. A criminal defense attorney will be able to explain these terms to you, and to take away some of the mystery of an unfamiliar situation.

   The Defense Process

   Every lawyer involved in the criminal justice system must adhere to a complex set of rules of procedure to ensure a fair trial. The rules apply to both prosecutors and defense attorneys. This complicated procedure means that the criminal justice system is best dealt with by an experienced criminal defense attorney. A defense attorney should get involved in a case at the earliest stages, even before interrogation, if possible. The arresting officers have the obligation to inform the person in custody that he or she has the right to an attorney, and the right to have an attorney appointed if he or she does not have the resources to pay for an attorney. Most of us are familiar with these warnings-called "Miranda" warnings, after the name of the U.S. Supreme Court case that first required the warnings-from crime dramas and television shows.

   Crimes committed by children are handled by a separate criminal justice system, known as the juvenile justice system. Juvenile courts typically have less formal procedures, and a less formal manner of adjudicating cases. While many defense lawyers handle both juvenile and adult cases, some focus their practices on only one type of representation.

   Negotiating a Plea Agreement

   Some criminal charges are dropped after a defendant's defense attorney negotiates with the prosecutor. In some cases, the defendant pleads guilty to a less serious charge in exchange for the prosecutor's agreement to drop the more serious charges. The final decision on whether to accept a proposed plea agreement always rests with the defendant.

   Depending upon the severity of the crime committed, a defendant who is found guilty may be sentenced to serve some period of probation, to pay a fine, perform community service, make restitution or pay for the monetary losses caused by the crime, or to serve some time in prison. In some states, the most severe crimes are punishable by death. A veteran criminal defense attorney will know how to work with a prosecutor to fashion a deal that provides for the least severe punishment possible. If no deal can be made, the attorney can mount an aggressive defense in court, to convince the jury that the prosecutor cannot prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant committed the crime.

   Conclusion

   When you are accused of a crime, you find yourself in a frightening and stressful situation. No matter how minor the charge may seem, you should be represented by knowledgeable, competent counsel, who can work through the criminal justice system, give you zealous representation, and minimize the impact of the proceedings on your life. If you have been accused of a crime, or if you know someone who has been accused of a crime, do not delay in contacting an experienced criminal defense attorney.

9. Bryon W. Szojchet: The Fourth Amendment generally protects the right of people to be free from "unreasonable searches and seizures." In order for a search or seizure to be reasonable under the Fourth Amendment, it must usually be based on individualized suspicion of wrongdoing. In 1979, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Delaware v. Prouse that randomly stopping an automobile to apprehend unlicensed drivers and unsafe vehicles constitutes an unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment, where the officer does not have reasonable suspicion that a motorist has violated the law. The Court reasoned that the State's interest in ensuring roadway safety does not justify discretionary spot checks that intrude on the privacy of motorists. However, the Court has since made a limited exception for DUI sobriety checkpoints, holding that officers may perform random spot checks to catch drunk drivers with no requirement of individualized suspicion.