Michael Bruckheim

I was born and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, and graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 1989. I attended Brandeis University where I graduated cum laude with a B.A. in economics in 1993. I received my juris doctor from the American University Washington College of Law in 1996. While in law school, I was a member of the Law Review and the Moot Court Executive Board. In my third year, I participated in the Criminal Justice Clinic, and had the opportunity to represent clients in criminal matters in the Montgomery County District and Circuit Courts. I also spent a semester prosecuting criminal matters as a Rule 16 student in the State’s Attorney’s Office for Montgomery County.

Prior to opening my law office in April, 2010, I enjoyed a diverse career litigating in the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG) for over 11 years. I began my OAG career as a prosecutor in the Criminal Section where I conducted numerous bench and jury trials in traffic and criminal misdemeanor matters. Later in my OAG career, I served as Chief of the Criminal Section where I supervised the prosecution of DUI offenses in the District, and directed a staff of over 20 attorneys. I was responsible for formulating office policy for the prosecution of DUIs, as well as all traffic and criminal offenses under OAG’s jurisdiction.

I have successfully completed a variety of intensive trainings that has him uniquely prepared to attack the prosecution of every type of DUI case. I am trained to administer field sobriety tests according to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) standards, and also trained as a NHTSA field sobriety test Instructor. I’ve completed trainings in Forensic Chromatography, which is the process used to analyze blood and urine samples in DUI and drug cases. I have been trained in the use of and weaknesses of the Intoximeter EC/IR II, which is the breath testing machine used in the District of Columbia and Maryland. I have been trained in Drug Recognition, which is the same training officers have taken for purposes of prosecuting DUI-drug cases.

I have published chapters in Aspatore Publishing’s Inside the Minds: Witness Preparation and Examination for DUI Proceedings and Inside the Minds: Trends in DUI Discovery.  In December, 2013, also through Aspatore Publishing, I published a Quick-Prep book entitled Facing a DUI Charge in DC: What You Need to Know.

I am admitted to the Bars of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and the United States District Courts for the District of Columbia and Maryland. I am a member of the National College of DUI Defense where I am serving as the District of Columbia Delegate. I also am a member of the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association, the District of Columbia Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.