Rockville DUI Lawyers
- Rowe Barnett:
* Administrative Law
* Bankruptcy Law
* Debtor/Creditor
* Civil Rights
* Criminal Law
* DUI/DWI
* Entertainment, Sports & Leisure Law
* Estate Planning
* Personal Injury -- Plaintiff
* Real Estate Law
- Gardner, David:
A criminal charge requires that you attend trial and can result in incarceration and a criminal record. Any time you are charged with such matters you should hire an experienced attorney to appear with you in court and to guide you through the process.
- Monahan, John:
Automobile Accidents
Criminal Defense
Driving While Intoxicated
Drug Crimes
Drunk Driving
DUI
DWI
Felonies
Juvenile Crimes
Misdemeanors
Motorcycle Accidents
Parole and Probation
Personal Injury
Post Conviction Remedies
Sex Crimes
Traffic Violations
Truck Accidents
White Collar Crimes
Wrongful Death
- Kupferberg, Steven:
Litigation, Criminal, Drug Crimes, Sex Crimes, Homicide, Traffic Violations, DWI, DUI, Drunk Driving, Driving While Intoxicated, White Collar Crime, Post Conviction Remedies, Parole and Probation, Felonies, Misdemeanors, Personal Injury, Automobile Accidents, Wrongful Death, Medical Malpractice, Medical Negligence and Corporate Litigation.
- Graves, Victor:
Have you been charged with drunk driving, reckless driving, drug possession or any other crime under Maryland state law? Are you wondering what you should do next and what the potential consequences of a conviction might be?
- Hoover, Patrick:
misdemeanors and felonies
- Gaskill, Dan:
* DUI and other traffic violations
* Theft, robbery, shoplifting
* Drug crimes
* Assault and other violent crimes
* Sexual assault
* Juvenile crimes
- Noble & Crow:
Criminal Defense
- Connelly, Patrick:
Have you been charged with drunk driving in Maryland or Washington D.C.? Before you plead guilty to a DUI/DWI, speak with a criminal defense lawyer to learn more about your rights.
Even if the breathalyzer machine says you were over the limit, there may be a defense available to you. Even if your attorney is not able to obtain a dismissal of your charges or an acquittal, they may be able to negotiate with the prosecution for a more favorable plea agreement that protects your rights and minimizes the potential consequences to your record and your driving privileges.
- Rosenblatt, Richard:
* DUI and DWI offenses
* Speeding violations
* Hit-and-run accidents
* Reckless driving
* Driving without insurance
* Driving with a suspended or revoked license
Administrative Hearings in DUI/DWI Cases
If you have been charged with a DUI or DWI in Maryland, the law only gives you 10 days to request an administrative hearing. An administrative hearing is solely concerned with your driving privileges, not your guilt or innocence, and gives individuals accused of a DUI or DWI the right to defend their driver's license from suspension or revocation. In order to keep your right to drive, you must act quickly to request a hearing and also need an experienced attorney to represent you at your hearing.
- Albright & Rhoades:
* White collar crimes: fraud, embezzlement, conspiracy
* Homicide
* Arson
* Sex offenses
* Drug possession and sales
* Defense of drunken driving (DUI / DWI)
* Appeals and post-conviction remedies
- Jaffe, Matthew:
Drunk-Driving Defense
The single smartest thing you can do if you are facing charges for drinking and driving is to show up in court with a lawyer. Before your life changes because of a drunk-driving charge, make the state prove its case.
* Was the police stop lawful? If it wasnÕt, the evidence against you could be thrown out.
* Was the Breathalyzer test properly administered? Was the machine properly calibrated? Was your blood-alcohol test accurate?
- Ackerman, Debra:
If you are facing felony or misdemeanor charges, you know there is much at stake. From jail time, loss of future employment possibilities, loss of custody or visitation rights, and a criminal record that can haunt you for years to come, the consequences can be severe.
- Abney at Law:
Many cases are won or lost before ever even setting foot in the courtroom. You need a lawyer who will take the time to properly prepare your defenses in the pre-trial phase of any case with special emphasis on all discovery material handed over by the prosecutor and evaluations of any post arrest statements made by the accused and witnesses.
- Pishevar, AV:
The best course of action is always to take any criminal charges seriously, be proactive and to seek competent and diligent legal representation, investigation and other services.
- Greenberg, Felsen & Sargent:
The penalties for a DUI/DWI in the state of Maryland can be quite severe including confinement in jail, monetary fines and the loss of your driver's license, even for a first offense..
Conviction for either offense may result in unforseen consequences including loss of your job, placing your financial well-being, and the well-being of any family you support, in jeopardy. A conviction also results in mandatory court fines, costs and assessments. When you add higher insurance premiums, SR22 insurance, and the possible cost and humiliation of a mandatory ignition interlock device, you begin to realize the full consequences of the charge you are facing. For certain repeat offenders, penalties can be significantly increased and can involve mandatory incarceration.
- Woodward, Carlotta:
Don't assume that, simply because you consumed alcohol and were driving, that you are guilty of driving under the influence or driving while impaired. In many instances, the prosecution lacks the evidence to support a conviction.
- Maxwell & Barke:
DUI & DWI
In Maryland, there are laws which make it a crime to drive either under the influence of alcohol (DUI) or while impaired by alcohol (DWI). The differences are subtle, and the laws on both are complicated.
The distinction in Maryland between DUI and DWI is generally one of degree. DUI, the more serious of the two, involves a person whose coordination has been substantially impaired due to the consumption of alcohol. DWI, the lesser of the two, involves a person whose coordination has been impaired to some extent, albeit not substantially. Evidence that the person has been Òdrinking and drivingÓ alone is not enough to convict someone of these charges. The evidence must show that the consumption of alcohol affected the personÕs ability to operate a vehicle.
The penalties upon conviction can be severe. Moreover, the initial question of whether someone driving a car is under the influence of alcohol or driving while impaired by alcohol is often answered by a police officer trained in alcohol detection and enforcement. So what usually begins as a routine traffic stop by a police officer, can turn into an arrest and several traffic tickets. The penalty can result in a suspended driving license, the imposition of an ignition interlock system, and jail, if the officer believes after administering field sobriety tests that the driver should be charged with DUI or DWI.
- Woodward, Carlotta:
In a DUI/DWI case, you will be subject to criminal prosecution as well as administrative hearings regarding the suspension of your driver's license.
- Gibbs Law Firm:
Serious traffic violations are perhaps the most common criminal offenses for which many otherwise law abiding citizens will ever be accused. A short drive home after a few too many drinks at a social gathering or professional event, a quick ride to the store after failing to make timely payment on those pesky outstanding traffic fines, and, of course, taking over the wheel for a while to relieve the authorized driver of a rental car even though you may not have bothered to add your name to the list of permitted drivers, all have several things in common. First, depending on the particular situation each scenario could constitute a serious traffic violation; second, where the circumstances qualify these situations as traffic violations each of them expose the driver to potential jail time; Finally, in addition to the looming prospect of jail time, the driver is also subject to the possibility of significant fines.
Case in point, driving while impaired by alcohol (DWI), driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), and driving while license suspended or revoked, expose drivers to severe criminal penalties consisting of periods of incarceration from sixty (60) days to 1 year for a first offense, based on the nature of the particular offense. Moreover, those criminal penalties are often accompanied by harsh administrative sanctions consisting of the assessment of points ranging from 3 to 12 Ð thereby heightening the anxiety of the situation for most drivers.
- Bours, Reginald:
Intoxication is defined as a change in a person's mental or physical capacity as a result of the introduction of any substance into the person's body, regardless of whether the substance is alcohol or a drug. Voluntary intoxication is when a person voluntarily places himself or herself in an intoxicated condition. Voluntary intoxication is generally not a defense to the commission of a crime, even if it makes a person unaware of his or her surroundings, makes him or her unconscious, or gives him or her no memory or understanding of his or her offense.
- Wechsler & Friedman:
Traffic/Drunk Driving/Criminal Matters: lf you need to go to court on any of these matters, have an experienced attorney for your defense.
- Kupferberg, Steven:
DUI Defenses
If a party is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), driving while intoxicated (DWI) or operating under the influence (OUI), there are numerous defenses he can raise prior to trial by way of a motion to suppress evidence or to dismiss the charges or during trial.
Defendant denies operating vehicle
The defendant can deny that he was operating the vehicle. The prosecutor is required to prove not only that defendant was intoxicated, but that he was also operating the vehicle.
Probable cause
The defendant can argue that the officer lacked probable cause to stop the vehicle. Further, the defendant may argue that the officer lacked probable cause to detain and arrest him.
Miranda and implied consent warnings
After the officer arrests the defendant for DUI, any statements that the defendant may make after being taken into custody may be suppressed if the officer failed to give him Miranda warnings.
If the officer failed to advise the defendant of the implied consent warnings and the consequences of refusing to take a breath test, the breath test results may be suppressed.
Field sobriety tests
Results of field sobriety tests conducted by the officer may be suppressed. The defendant may argue that the officer was biased in his subjective conclusion that the defendant was intoxicated after administering the field sobriety tests. The defendant may also cite a physical condition that precluded him from performing the tests properly.
Blood-alcohol concentration test
This test is most often conducted at the scene of the arrest. The defendant is required to blow into a device which measures the amount of alcohol in the defendant's system. The defendant may argue that the test was defective or improperly conducted. The defendant may also argue that medication that he was taking affected the test results or that the test results were skewed because he had just had a drink.
Other chemical tests
The defendant may be required to submit to a blood or urine test after his arrest. The defendant may argue that either of the tests was not properly performed, biased, or inaccurate. The prosecution will be required to prove that the tests were accurate and not defective at the time that they were administered.
- Emden Law:
If youÕve committed a traffic violation, you could lose your license, get a jail term, suffer increased insurance rates, or even lose your job.
- LAMARI, JOSEPH:
Consequences of criminal charges, whether involving drunk driving or any other criminal offense, are far-reaching and can have a lasting impact on your life. Skilled criminal defense from a knowledgeable lawyer can help you to avoid unjust jail time, hiked insurance rates, and the loss of your driving privileges.
- Christopher Hostage:
Charged With Drunk Driving or Traffic Offenses in D.C. or Maryland?
Whether this is your first DWI offense or you are facing serious
consequences because of earlier convictions, you can expect a DUI
conviction to cost you money now and far into the future. It could mean
the loss of your license. It could mean jail time. Take Action Now: In
Maryland, you will be facing DUI charges in district court. License
revocation hearings take place at the Maryland Motor Vehicle
Administration in less than two weeks - get a lawyer now. Your DWI
lawyer needs time to investigate your case if you want to save your
driving privileges and qualify for a temporary license. It's Worth It to
Fight: The penalties for drunk driving are severe: fines, points on your
driving record, driving school, a restricted license, an interlock
device, a revoked or suspended license, jail time, even prison time, and
a blot on your driving record for the rest of your life.
* Did the police have sufficient cause to stop your vehicle?
* Did the police have sufficient cause to make an arrest?
* Did the investigating officer correctly administer your breath test?
* Did the police violate your constitutional rights?
- Michael Banks:
For most people, driving a vehicle is a necessary freedom. Our goal is to protect your right to drive. Being arrested for drunk driving, driving under the influence (DUI), or driving while intoxicated (DWI) can be a stressful experience. Penalties may include suspension or loss of license, increased insurance rates, jail or prison time, probation, serious fines, and a permanent criminal record. An experienced criminal defense attorney can make a great difference in the outcome of your case. A skilled criminal defense attorney will know how to challenge your arrest, focusing on whether the stop was legitimate, whether sobriety tests were correctly administered and whether procedures were properly followed.
- Steven Selzer:
A DUI/DWI conviction can negatively affect many aspects of your life. DUI penalties range from fines and probation to significant hikes in insurance premiums, license suspension, and jail time. It is important to request a DUI administrative hearing within 10 days of a DUI arrest to avoid an automatic driver's license suspension.
- Joseph Lamari:
Consequences of criminal charges, whether involving drunk driving or any other criminal offense, are far-reaching and can have a lasting impact on your life. Skilled criminal defense from a knowledgeable lawyer can help you to avoid unjust jail time, hiked insurance rates, and the loss of your driving privileges.
- Sterling Mead:
Being charged with a DUI is a truly frightening moment, but that doesnÕt mean a conviction will come from it.
- Dobbs & Baker:
Have you been charged with DUI or another felony or misdemeanor crime in
Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia? Many lawyers will say
that they will aggressively defend you, and then turn your case over to
an associate. The outcome of your case will depend largely on the
experience and reputation of your attorney. You simply can't afford to
trust your future to a paralegal or a young associate.
A conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) can have serious consequences, including stiff fines, jail time, increased insurance rates and loss of your driver's license.
Don't Give Up: Call a Lawyer
If you have been arrested for DUI or DWI, don't lose hope. Just because the Breathalyzer showed your blood alcohol level was above the legal limit does not mean you are guilty as charged. We will investigate to determine:
* Did the officer have probable cause to stop you?
* Was he or she properly trained in administering the breath or blood test?
* Was the Breathalyzer properly calibrated, maintained and in good working order?
* Was proper police procedure followed throughout the process?
* Were your constitutional rights violated at any point?
- Paul Wiesenfeld:
If you or someone you know is charged with DUI or any other
alcohol-related offense, it is important to hire an experienced
criminal defense lawyer who has handled many DUI cases in Maryland.
Paul R. Wiesendfeld will guide you through the legal process of the
Maryland criminal justice system and the Maryland Department of
Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.
Being arrested for drunk driving does not have to be a devastating
experience for you. In many cases, DUI charge can be successfully
defended.
- Ain & Stein:
You can be arrested for DUI by driving while over the legal BAC in your
state or while impaired. But, you need not actually operate the car in
order to be arrested. You can still be found guilty if you had the
capability and power to dominate, direct or regulate the vehicle,
regardless of whether you were exercising that capability or power at
the time of the arrest. In other words, simply sitting behind the wheel
with the keys in the ignition can lead to your arrest for DUI by being
in actual physical control of the car. However, merely walking to your
vehicle is insufficient to prove a violation of the statute.
- Michael Rothman: If
you or a family member or friend is arrested or charged with any crime
in Maryland or the District of Columbia, it is critical to contact an
attorney who can explain your rights and aggressively defend them.
- Patrick Crawford:
Drunk driving is a common but serious offense in Maryland. An arrest
for a DWI or DUI can have a devastating affect on your life. You can
lose your license, your vehicle - even your freedom. If youÕve been
charged with a DUI or DWI, you need an attorney to assist you in both
the administrative and court proceedings. You need a skilled DWI
attorney ... who is experienced both before the courts and before the
Office of Administrative Hearings. The implications of being charged
with a DWI can include losing your license, even before you appear in
court. It is important to contact a defense lawyer immediately after
you are arrested. A lawyer can help you deal with the administrative
hearing at the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) that will determine
if you lose your license. And beyond that, you should be represented by
a DWI attorney when you are dealing with the prosecutor and court. No
attorney can guarantee that you'll keep your license, or that you will
escape a fine or jail time, but your chances are much better with a
lawyer than without.
- AP Pishevar:
The best course of action is always to take any criminal charges
seriously, be proactive and to seek competent and diligent legal
representation. Never procrastinate on your legal rights!
- Thomas Heeney: A
defendant in a criminal prosecution is guaranteed the right to a jury
trial under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution
unless the prosecution is for a petty offense. A petty offense is
defined as an offense that carries a penalty of no more than six months
in jail. The right to a jury trial applies to federal and state
offenses. In addition, most states have enacted constitutional
provisions and statutes that guarantee a defendant the right to a jury
trial.
- Stein & Sperling:
Criminal charges are customarily brought by a criminal summons or
warrant that is authorized by a judicial officer. In the case of an
arrest warrant, the next most important procedure following the arrest
is the establishment of pre-trial release conditions, otherwise known
as setting bond. A trial or hearing date is set in the appropriate
court depending Effective representation is essential to ensure
protection under the law... on the nature and seriousness of the
charge(s). Mandatory and discretionary motions are filed early in the
trial process to determine important points of law and to secure
rulings on evidence. The case proceeds either to a negotiated plea or a
trial, which will be before either a judge or a jury. In the case of a
conviction, the judge will then consider all of the information which
is relevant in determining the appropriate sentence.
Effective representation at every stage is critical to ensure that the
accused fully understands his rights and receives all the protections
available under the law. Representation is advisable any time the
authorities are conducting an investigation, even if charges have not
yet been filed.
- Bradley Schwartz:
Discuss your case with an attorney to find out if you have a legal
remedy and to determine the best course of action for you to proceed
with a legal claim.
- McCally and Hall: Court Decisions Regarding Reliability of
Testimony Have Been Inconsistent In one notable 1980 case, Ohio vs.
Roberts, the Court held that a statement given by an accomplice, who is
not present or available to testify in person, may be admitted in trial
if the judge considers the statement to have "adequate indicia of
reliability." Roberts ruled such statements reliable if, among other
bases for reliability, they contained "particularized guarantees of
trustworthiness." Through this "trustworthy" test, judges were given
broad discretion regarding the admissibility of certain out-of-court
statements. Due to this expanded discretion, however, some experts
viewed the Roberts decision as a deviation from the rights guaranteed
by the Sixth Amendment, specifically, the victim's right to "confront"
accusers.
- Luis Leon:
If you have been charged, you do not have to speak with the police. The United States Constitution has certain rights that protect the accused. Such as:
The presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The
accused has the right to a fair trial. If the sentence is more than
sixty days then the accused has the right to have a trial before a Jury. If
the accused has a trial before a Judge, he/she can only be found guilty
only if the Judge concludes that there is no reasonable doubt in the
matter. The accused
has a right (through an attorney) to request the names of all the
witnesses and documents that the prosecutor wants to use in trial
before said trial in order to give the attorney enough time to
determine the possibility of winning the case. The attorney can request
this information through a legal process called "Discovery". The accused and his/her attorney have the absolute right to cross-examine every witness who testifies against the accused. The accused has a right to testify in order to prove his/her innocence or not testify, and no Judge or Jury can deem him/her guilty due to the decision to not testify. If
your attorney can prove that your constitutional rights have been
violated, we can request that any evidence, which the police may have
obtained illegally, should not be used against you in a trial.
Return to Maryland DUI Lawyers
|