Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a major traffic offense, punishable with fines, jail-time, and suspension of a driver’s license. For those offenders living in the state of New Jersey, knowing what the IDRC is and how it works is vitally important. So, what is the IDRC? The IDRC is short for the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, which has locations throughout the State of New Jersey for drivers who have been involved in alcohol-related offenses while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. There are IDRC centers throughout each county of the state for first-time offenders and…Read More
Kevin Leckerman, of Leckerman Law, a Pennsylvania and South New Jersey DUI / DWI defense law firm, has recently trained with The Rainmaker Retreat to learn advanced marketing techniques for lawyers. “I attended the Rainmaker Retreat for two days in October of 2010. The quality of information provided concerning bringing new clients to my law firm and running a more efficient business was amazing. I left the Retreat with a notebook filled of ideas that I could immediately implement. After one month of utilizing the principles that I learned at the Rainmaker Retreat, I could already see positive changes in my law practice.…Read More
Anyone that has been driving for more than a year has likely had a run-in with an officer. This could be something as simple as driving through a check-point roadblock, or being stopped for failing to stop at a Stop sign. Whatever the case may by, police officers in general must have a reason for pulling someone over. When a DWI / DUI charge is involved, things get a little more difficult. Reasonable Suspicion Defined Basically, reasonable suspicion works in the following way: if a cautious, reasonable police officer witnessed your actions, would that person think that a crime has been committed?…Read More
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol on the roads of New Jersey is an offense not taken lightly by the state authorities. If you have been arrested and charged with DUI or DWI in the State of New Jersey, knowing what you are up against is important. One roadblock along the way to restoring your license is the possibility of having an ignition interlock device installed in your vehicle. An ignition interlock device is attached to your vehicle and it has a built-in breathalyzer, preventing you from driving if your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is above 0.05 percent. If you are…Read More
New Jersey’s Department of Motor Vehicles is now known as the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), and it is this entity that places penalties on your license, in the form of points, for moving violations. If a driver accumulates six points or more within a period of three years surcharges will be assessed. Surcharges are imposed for other traffic violations as well, such as a New Jersey DWI or refusing to submit breath samples for testing. These costs can be very high and, if you fail to pay them, can also lead to an indefinite driver’s license suspension. You’ll have to…Read More
With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching, the increased opportunities to get arrested for a DUI approach as well. This article provides common sense tips to avoid drunk driving. Tip 1: Don’t drink alcohol and then drive. This is the simplest piece of advice. As a DUI / DWI attorney, I have learned to never trust so-called alcohol detection technology. Portable breath testing devices (PBT), evidential breath testers (Breathalyzer, Alcotest, etc.), and laboratory blood testing are all flawed to some degree. Moreover, the people operating those devices often make errors. Sure, a qualified attorney can be hired to defend you against…Read More
On November 3, 2010, the disciplinary counsel for the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct filed an ethics complaint against former Mount Laurel Municipal Court Judge Gregory McCloskey. The complaint alleges that the judge presided over the trial of State v. Thomas Grabovich, in which the defendant was charged with a DWI and refusal to submit to breath testing. During a break in the trial, the judge allegedly conducted an ex parte conference with the prosecutor while defense counsel, Kevin Leckerman, was not present. The judge directed the prosecutor to ask his witness certain questions when the trial resumed.…Read More
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has very strict laws governing those who drive under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, whether you are a first, second, or third offender. The ignition interlock law was implemented by the government in order to reduce highway crashes, reduce highway fatalities and deter repeat DUI offenders. If you were arrested for driving under the influence in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and this is your second offense, you are required to install an ignition interlock device in each vehicle owned or registered to the offender for at least one-year’s time. Interlock Costs An offender ordered to install an…Read More
The State of New Jersey has strict penalties for drivers convicted for driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Those penalties include fines, jail time, community service, suspension of a driver’s license, the impounding of your vehicle and much more. Moreover, the penalties are harsher for a person convicted of a DWI in New Jersey with a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Conviction of a DWI for a first time offender results in the loss of the CDL for one year. Conviction of a DWI for a second time offender results in the loss of the CDL for life. There…Read More
Silence during police interrogation does not invoke a right to remain silent. A criminal suspect must “unambiguously” invoke a Miranda right to remain silent during questioning. Recently, the United States Supreme Court made a surprising ruling that requires a suspect to unequivocally express a desire to remain silent before that constitutional right can be honored. In Berghuis v. Thompkins, police officers questioned Van Chester Thompkins regarding his suspected involvement in a homicide. The officers placed Thompkins in a room that was 8 by 10 feet. While inside the room, the police questioned Thompkins for almost 3 hours. During that time,…Read More