Criminal defense lawyers are fond of making analogies to explain themselves to non-lawyers. Analogies can be very useful in closing argument and I intend to discuss some of those analogies in a future blog. Today I want to discuss the DUI defense lawyer as a DUI mechanic or technician. Every…
In the past year there have been a number of developments in the area of DUI law in Maryland, and most of them favor the State. The Court of Appeals has issued a number of decisions favoring the MVA. In Hill v. Motor Vehicle Admin., the Court of Appeals rejected…
Once a driver has been arrested for a DUI or DWI in Maryland by state, not federal, police, the arresting officer is required to read a form to the driver, called the DR-15 Form. This form explains the penalties for failing or refusing a breath or blood test. Of course…
20 years ago it was not uncommon to for a person convicted of automobile manslaughter to avoid going to jail entirely. Sentences in cases we have handled have ranged from zero to 18 months. This week the Washington Post reported that a woman was sentenced to serve 20 years for…
Recently, the Maryland Court of Appeals considered the case of Najafi v. Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). After Najafi had been arrested for DUI, he asked to be able to make a private call to his lawyer to help him to decide whether to submit to a breath test. He requested…