Our founding attorney, Steven Ellman, has focused on nothing but DUI, DWI, and traffic defense for over three decades, reviewing Alcotest records, field sobriety tests, and traffic stops in municipal courts across New Jersey.
Currently accepting new clients. Call (609) 721-7324 or request a free, confidential consultation. You’ll get a straight answer about what our team’s experience with cases like yours actually means for what comes next.
A DUI conviction isn’t just a fine. It can mean months without a license, a record that shows up on background checks, and higher insurance costs for years afterward.
New Jersey’s municipal courts work to resolve DWI and refusal cases within about 60 days of arrest, leaving a narrow window to review the evidence before that date arrives.
The Alcotest reading, the field sobriety tests, and the traffic stop itself are only as reliable as the paperwork and procedure behind them, and most people have no way to judge that on their own.
New Jersey has a legal limit for alcohol intake before it becomes a DUI. New Jersey DUI laws state that you are considered legally intoxicated if you have a blood alcohol level or blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 percent or above. If you are a commercially licensed driver, you are considered legally intoxicated if your BAC is 0.04 percent or above. Anyone under the age of 21 with a BAC of 0.01 percent to 0.08 percent can be arrested for a “baby DUI.” (As a reminder, it’s illegal for anyone under age 21 to consume alcohol in New Jersey.)
In addition, New Jersey has an “implied consent law.” It states that by obtaining a driver’s license, you consent to have your BAC tested if you are stopped for drunk driving. If you refuse to take a BAC breath, your license will be suspended for one year.
Learn more about DUI penalties in New Jersey.
Steven Ellman has spent three decades reviewing Alcotest records, field sobriety tests, and traffic stops in New Jersey courts, which is exactly the kind of review that catches a real problem with the evidence early, before it’s too late to use it.
New Jersey relies on the Alcotest 7110 MKIII-C, and its results are only admissible when calibration records, the officer’s 20-minute observation period, and the device’s data logs all meet strict requirements. When any of those records are missing or incomplete, we use that to get the reading challenged.
The Walk-and-Turn, the One-Leg Stand, and the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test each follow a specific NHTSA protocol. When an officer skipped a step or scored a test incorrectly, that becomes grounds to challenge the results in court.
If the reason given for the stop doesn’t hold up, everything gathered afterward, including the breath test and field sobriety tests, gets challenged along with it, which can mean the charge against you doesn’t hold up either.
Recent amendments to N.J.S.A. 39:4-50, followed by a 2024 Supreme Court order, now allow plea agreements in DWI cases. Steven Ellman gives you an honest read on whether a plea makes sense for your case, rather than promising an outcome that isn’t realistic.
Steven Ellman is a member of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association, the New Jersey Criminal Defense Bar Association, and the New Jersey Association for Justice, groups made up of attorneys who focus on exactly this kind of case rather than general practice.
Cases are handled out of offices in Medford and Moorestown, with regular appearances in courts across Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey.
Steven Ellman has been licensed to practice law in New Jersey since 1990, handling DUI, DWI, and traffic cases out of Burlington County for the length of that career. Past cases handled by this office include DUI and related charges reduced to careless or reckless driving. Results depend on the facts of each case, but the record reflects three decades of doing this work in the same New Jersey courts.
There’s no hand-off between an intake team and the person actually in court for you. Steven Ellman reviews your case personally, listens to your specific concerns, and lays out your options honestly, including the parts you might not want to hear, so you can make an informed decision about how to move forward.
Outside of his caseload, Steven Ellman has taken on pro bono cases and volunteered with the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and local food kitchens. He also spent time volunteering at an elementary school in Thailand, teaching and helping set up a library for students there. It’s the same approach he brings to clients: treating people with respect and following through on what he takes on.
Attorney Ellman thoroughly reviews discovery, negotiates reasonable plea offers, and is not afraid to go to trial.
Steven Ellman reviews the arrest, the charges, and your BAC or refusal status directly with you, with no charge and no obligation.
He pulls the Alcotest maintenance and calibration records, body camera and dashcam footage, and the officer’s account of the stop and field sobriety tests.
Where the evidence has a real gap, that becomes the basis for a motion to suppress, a negotiated resolution, or trial preparation.
Cases are resolved through dismissal, a reduced charge, or trial, depending on what the evidence supports.
The cost of a New Jersey DUI lawyer’s service can vary. For example, cases in which a defendant is a repeat offender can cost more than one in which the defendant is facing charges for a first-time offense. However, when seeking an attorney for a DUI matter, you should be wary of several things:
The Law Office of Steven Ellman believes you shouldn’t have to pay anything just to figure out your next move following a DUI arrest. Instead, Steven Ellman provides a free, in-depth consultation for all cases. He can review your situation, go over your legal rights, and give you the answers you need, including lawyer fees. This way, you can decide what makes sense for you.
Disclaimer: Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Going up against a judge and a prosecutor alone on a DUI charge is never a good idea. Saying the wrong thing upon arrest or before a judge can lead to life-changing punishments that could have been avoided had you hired a lawyer. Further, if the prosecution has a weak case, evidence wasn’t correctly collected, or you passed the necessary tests to prove sobriety, you might not be able to prove these things or provide a compelling argument.
Because New Jersey’s DUI laws are complex, you need someone who knows what they mean and how they can be beaten based on your charge and circumstance. With New Jersey DUI defense attorney Steven Ellman on your side, you’ll have someone with substantial trial practice. This includes time in the field with case investigations, evidence analysis, and negotiating with prosecutors for lesser sentences, reduced charges, or charges being dropped altogether.
As your trusted counsel, Steven Ellman will:
The difference shows up in the details: knowing what an Alcotest maintenance log is supposed to look like, recognizing a field sobriety test that wasn’t administered to protocol, and having a working relationship with the municipal courts where these cases are actually decided.
Not automatically. Every case depends on its own facts. What experience does is make sure those facts actually get reviewed properly, since a real problem with the evidence can only help you if someone catches it in the first place.
Look for regular appearances in municipal DUI cases specifically, membership in DUI-focused legal organizations, and a track record you can review, not just a general criminal defense background with DUI listed as one of several practice areas.
Yes, and for several reasons. For example, the prosecution could lack sufficient evidence – such as breathalyzer or blood test results – proving any of the elements of your charge. The evidence could have been obtained in violation of a defendant’s rights (i.e., police lacking probable cause or reasonable suspicion to initiate a traffic stop, failure to advise the suspect of their Miranda rights). In addition, there could be errors in testing, rendering the results scientifically unreliable.
Learn more about how to get a DUI dismissed in New Jersey.
Yes. In addition to a DUI / DWI charge, you could face additional criminal charges if, while you were driving under the influence:
Steven Ellman personally reviews every case at the free consultation, so you know from the start whether this kind of experience is likely to make a real difference in yours.
Call (609) 721-7324 or request your free, confidential consultation.
