DUI Defense

Annapolis, Maryland, DUI Defense Lawyer

Drunk-driving cases involve complex legal and scientific evidence issues. If you have been arrested for DUI or DWI in Maryland, call me at 410-777-8723 for a free initial consultation about the issues in your case.

I am J. Dennis Murphy, Jr., a criminal defense lawyer with more than 20 years of experience prosecuting and defending people charged with crimes such as drunk driving.

The first thing a lawyer deals with in a DUI case is whether or not there was a lawful traffic stop. Most acquittals in drunk-driving cases are the result of there being an unlawful traffic stop by a police officer. If the police had no probable cause to pull you over, then all the evidence after the stop, including the breathalyzer test and the field sobriety test, will be suppressed.

The next issue is whether the police can prove you were impaired by alcohol or under the influence of alcohol. These are two separate issues. Police use the field sobriety test to determine whether you were impaired by alcohol. They use the breathalyzer test to determine whether you were under the influence of alcohol.

If you failed the field sobriety test, there are often ways that a lawyer can challenge the result. Often, what may appear as proof of impairment is simply the result of errors in the way the police officer administered the test.

If the breath-test results are incriminating, then your lawyer will need to find out if the test was administered properly. In Maryland, the state toxicologist sets forth a series of standards that are required for the administration of a breath or blood alcohol test. If these standards were not followed, then the breath or blood test results will be suppressed.

In a DUI case, your lawyer also has to anticipate that there might be a sentencing hearing. I often refer clients to alcohol education or treatment programs early in the process so the court can see that you are taking the issue seriously and exercise leniency.

Free consultation: Contact Annapolis, Maryland, DUI defense attorney J. Dennis Murphy, Jr., for a free evaluation of your case.