Criminal Defense Attorneys in Maryland

With Law Offices in Lanham, Waldorf, Frederick, Lexington Park, Rockville, and Annapolis

Providing Aggressive, Results-Driven Representation in the DC Area

Criminal charges can prove difficult to manage and can throw every aspect of your life into disarray. If you are looking at a criminal charge, retain knowledgeable, experienced legal counsel to bring your case to a favorable conclusion.

At Alpert Schreyer, LLC our criminal defense attorneys in Maryland are experienced in defending the rights of individuals who have been accused of a crime. We can review your situation carefully to better understand your needs and the circumstances surrounding your case. For your convenience we have five offices located in Lanham, Frederick, Lexington Park, Rockville, and Waldorf.

Our Firm’s Track Record

The legal team at Alpert Schreyer has over 70 years of collective experience defending the criminally accused in Maryland and Washington DC. Our criminal defense attorneys in Maryland have helped people just like you reduce their criminal charges, or get them dropped completely. Highly rated by Martindale-Hubbell, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers, Alpert Schreyer’s criminal defense team has the skill and experience you need to fight your criminal charges.

Keep reading to learn more about:

• The Negative Consequences of a Criminal Conviction
• How We Fight Your Criminal Charges
• The Results of a Successful Defense
• Misdemeanors vs. Felonies

The Negative Consequences of a Criminal Conviction

If you stand accused of a crime, take this charge seriously. Even if you do not end up serving time in jail, convicted criminals face numerous consequences for criminal convictions.

• Makes finding a job harder: Employers can run a background check on you, including whether you have a criminal conviction.
• Complicates getting an apartment: Many landlords also run criminal background checks in addition to credit checks.
• Decreases your chances of getting into college: You can certainly explain how you have rehabilitated yourself, but college admissions are competitive everywhere. A criminal conviction can make gaining a slot in the class harder.

These collateral consequences can prevent you from getting back on your feet and rebuilding your life, even after you have paid your debt to society. To improve your chances of reaching a favorable outcome, hire one of our criminal defense attorneys in Maryland as soon as possible.

How We Fight Your Criminal Charges in Maryland

A criminal charge can quickly change the course of your life. At Alpert Schreyer, our aggressive representation begins from the first moment you hire us.

Representation at Bond Hearings

We are skilled at making compelling arguments at bond hearings and getting the amount of bail reduced or eliminated. We will marshal the facts to show the judge that you are not a flight risk or a threat to the public or to witnesses in the case. In many situations, we can get clients released on their own recognizance, which means they do not have to post any money or collateral. Instead, you simply promise to show up to your future court hearings and any future trial.

Collecting Evidence

Your Maryland criminal lawyer also will not simply accept the state’s version of events. Instead, we know how to gather evidence ourselves, particularly hard-to-find evidence that can make the difference between winning a case and losing it.

For example, our evidence collection can encompass:

• Tracking down witnesses who would rather not be found. We can interview them to find out their sides of the story and subpoena them so that they must show up to court to testify, under oath, at trial.
• Examining physical evidence and reviewing the state’s chain of custody. Often, the evidence is compromised because the state cut corners when collecting it.
• Bolstering your alibi by interviewing witnesses or finding other evidence, such as proof that you were at a store or at an ATM when a crime took place.

This type of evidence collection takes time and know-how. At Alpert Schreyer, we recognize that many cases are won or lost at this early stage of the case, so we spare no resource in fully examining the factual record on your behalf.

Attacking the State’s Evidence

In addition to building a defense, we work aggressively to get key pieces of the state’s case thrown out of court. The state and federal constitutions place limits on how the police can collect evidence and how the state can use it. Often, the state violates these rules. If your Maryland criminal attorney objects, you can suppress this evidence, which means it may never see the light of day.

We have successfully suppressed:

• Incriminating statements and confessions made by defendants that the police collected without fully giving required Miranda warnings
• Incriminating statements and confessions obtained by police coercion in violation of the Due Process Clause
• Physical evidence collected without a search warrant or applicable extenuating circumstances
• Second-hand gossip and other hearsay the state tries to introduce at trial
• Unduly prejudicial guilt-by-association or character evidence the prosecutor attempts to smuggle into the trial in violation of the state’s rules of evidence
• Inflammatory statements in cross-examination or closing arguments as the prosecutor tries to get an edge in violation of Maryland’s rules of evidence

To successfully convince the court to throw out evidence, lawyers need experience, attention to detail, and an ability to think quickly on their feet. The Maryland criminal defense lawyers at Alpert Schreyer possess all of these qualities and are prepared to use them in your defense.

When we can’t get the court to throw out evidence, we will attack its credibility. For example, we will methodically cross-examine all of the state’s witnesses to uncover their hidden biases and bring their contractions to the attention of the judge and jury. We have successfully cross-examined hundreds of witnesses in our careers. We know how to patiently lay traps for even the most conniving witnesses and get them to impeach themselves.

Misdemeanors vs. Felonies in Maryland

Depending upon the circumstances of the case, crimes will either be prosecuted as felonies or misdemeanors. For example, assault is often charged as a misdemeanor unless it involves severe bodily injury, in which case the charge would be escalated to a felony. Similarly, drug offenses are usually prosecuted as felonies, but possession of a small amount of marijuana is a misdemeanor in many states.

Penalties for Misdemeanors in Maryland

A misdemeanor usually is punishable by a fine or by incarceration in a local jail for less than one year. Prosecutors typically do not convene a grand jury to investigate or issue indictments for misdemeanor charges, although the same conduct may give rise to both felony and misdemeanor charges.

Examples of misdemeanors include:

• Theft under $1,500: Up to 18 months in prison and maximum fine of $10,000.
• DUI/DWI: Maximum one year in prison and fine of $1,000.
• Most traffic offenses
• Drug possession: (not including marijuana): Up to four years in prison and $25,000 fine.

Misdemeanors are usually charged by a written complaint, or “information.” The charges may be considered minor, but being accused of a misdemeanor–not to mention being convicted of one–can cause a major disruption in the life of an accused. As in any criminal case, it is essential that a defendant in a misdemeanor prosecution have zealous representation backing him or her up.

Penalties for Felonies in Maryland

Felonies in Maryland come with very serious fines and criminal penalties. In some cases, conviction of a felony offense can cost you civil rights as well, including the right to vote, join the military, and run for public office.

Some examples of felony crimes, including:

• First-degree assault: Up to 25 years in prison.
• Drug trafficking: Up to five years in prison and hefty fines.
• Murder/Homicide: Life in prison without parole.
• Rape: Up to 20 years in prison, or life in prison, in the case of first-degree rape.
• First-degree burglary: up to 20 years in prison.
• Theft over $1,500: Up to five years in prison and maximum $5,000 fine.

With decades of courtroom success, our criminal defense attorneys in Maryland not only have deep insight into the needs of your case, but have the skills and resources needed to find success. Whatever charges you may be facing, we will work to defend your rights and create a better future for you and the people who depend on you.