David Martella

Dear Mr. Martella: “I would like to thank you again for all your help during our darkest hours. We came to you for a legal matter, but we got more than that. Our son received valuable advice that I hope will guide him for the rest of his life.” — Father of a client, 2015.

David Martella has been a trial attorney with the firm since 1998. He first served as law clerk to the Honorable Paul H. Weinstein in the Montgomery County Circuit Court from 1993 to 1994. He was then appointed as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Montgomery County from 1994 to 1998. He prosecuted cases as a member of the District Court, Juvenile Court and Circuit Court Felony trial teams. He was director the State’s Attorney’s Auto Theft unit in 1995-96. He graduated cum laude from American University and earned his Juris Doctor Degree at the Washington College of law.

Mr. Martella is a member of the Maryland State Bar and Federal Bar. Washingtonian Magazine named him as one of the area’s best lawyers for criminal defense work in 2011 and 2013. He was named one of Maryland’s “Best Legal Minds” in 2013. He is rated as one of Maryland’s “Superlawyers” in 2013 and 2014.

Mr. Martella’s practice includes representing clients charged with serious felony offenses, criminal misdemeanors, traffic citations, DUI and DWI charges, and juvenile offenses. He also helps clients with civil disputes, protective orders, domestic violence allegations, and personal injury litigation. Mr. Martella is also the firm’s primary attorney for post-conviction and appellate remedies. A post-conviction remedy is way to re-open the case long after the deadlines for appeals or modification motions have expired. Appeals involve the filing of comprehensive legal briefs and oral arguments before Maryland appellate Courts in Annapolis. “We have clients who come to us and simply need us to get them out from under a criminal investigation as quickly as possible so they can move on with their lives. But many clients come to us because of trouble they are in, resulting from other problems that they are experiencing in their lives. A criminal case is often just a symptom of larger difficulties the client is having: financial problems, marital problems, undiagnosed mental health issues, depression, or addiction. It is tremendously rewarding as an attorney to help a client, not only solve a legal problem, but also to help the client get his or her life back on a successful path. Then there are the large number of people who are simply wrongfully accused of crimes. I think the public would be surprised to learn about the number of people who are wrongfully charged, over-charged, or charged as a result of constitutional rights that have been violated by the police. The laws pertaining to criminal offenses and our constitutional rights are extremely complex. The issues presented by limitless factual scenarios are tremendously difficult to resolve for even our most experienced judges. We don’t hire lawyers and judges to be police officers. Most police officers start out young, and with a very limited understanding of the law. So, no one should presume the police officers get it right all of the time. Maryland is also unique in that any person can walk into a commissioner’s office and request thatcharges be issued against another person. Many times this happens because of fraudulent and vindictive motives. Taking all this into consideration, it should surprise no one that an experienced attorney in Maryland can be quite effective at getting many cases dismissed outright.

If you have a legal matter you would like to discuss, call Mr. Martella at (301) 251-9001.

To see Mr. Martella’s AVVO profile and “excellent” rating, click here.

To view Mr. Martella’s LinkedIn profile, click here.