James N. Papirmeister

Top rated Criminal Defense attorney in Silver Spring, Maryland

Law Offices of James N. Papirmeister, P.C.
James N. Papirmeister
Law Offices of James N. Papirmeister, P.C.

Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DUI-DWI, Civil Litigation; view more

Licensed in Maryland since: 1986

Education: The University of Maryland School of Law

Languages Spoken: English, French, Spanish

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2015 - 2025
Free Consultation

Law Offices of James N. Papirmeister, P.C.

8630 Fenton Street
Suite 320
Silver Spring, MD 20910 Visit website

Details

James N. Papirmeister opened the Law Offices of James N. Papirmeister, P.C., in Silver Spring, Maryland, to provide criminal defense services, as well as civil rights representation, to those throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia. He defends those who have been accused of violent crimes, homicide, sexual offenses and rape, child abuse and child pornography, armed robbery, intoxicated driving (DUI), theft and embezzlement, traffic violations, drug possession or distribution, crimes against property and a variety of white-collar offenses. He also has recently taken on handling serious violations of civil rights, such as police excessive force, wrongful and false arrest, and unlawful detention and police brutality cases. 

Mr. Papirmeister earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Maryland in 1981. He went on to attend the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore and was awarded his Juris Doctor in 1985. Prior to going into private practice, he served as a judicial law clerk, then spent nine years as a prosecutor with the Prince George’s County State's Attorney’s Office.  He was dubbed as the "Minute Man" in a 1994 newspaper article for his consecutive string of victories in homicide cases, as a prosecutor, where three separate juries in three separate First Degree Murder trials he handled, each returned unanimous verdicts of guilty to First Degree Murder, after 12 minutes of deliberation, followed by 6 minutes of deliberation, and in the third case, a double homicide, jurors told the reporter, they decided the defendant's guilt after two minutes of deliberation. He then started his private criminal defense practice in 1996, and has handled thousands of criminal cases throughout his tenure of 38-plus years as a criminal lawyer. He is admitted to practice in all courts throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia, including the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Particularly well-known for handling numerous murder cases and sex offense cases, Mr. Papirmeister represents professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, athletes and musicians, and many others in a wide variety of matters. Several of his major criminal and civil cases have been often covered by prominent newspapers and television channels. The Washington Post declared him to be "among criminal defense attorneys who are widely respected for their work", and the Washingtonian magazine included him as a "Top Lawyer" in criminal defense. 

Two of Mr. Papirmeister's recent cases involving police civil rights abuses, have been covered in national and local media. In one, local police were successfully sued for berating and handcuffing a five-year-old child at his Kindergarten, which was covered on CNN and in the Washington Post and other national and local media. The other was a successful lawsuit against local police for handcuffing and berating a US Citizen in front of his own home, after a false complaint was made that he did not own his home and was a squatter, which was covered in the Washington Post. 

Mr. Papirmeister, is the current Chair of the 2024/2025 Criminal Law & Practice Section Council of the Maryland State Bar Association. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorney's Association.

In an effort to stay abreast of current developments in his practice area, Mr. Papirmeister is an active participant in several other professional organizations, including the Prince George's County Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland. Since 1996, he has been peer-review rated AV Preeminent* through Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating in legal ability and adhering to ethical standards. He also holds a 10/10 "Superb" rating on Avvo, which is different than the Martindale-Hubbell rating. 

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.

Practice areas

Criminal Defense, Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI, Civil Litigation: Plaintiff, Civil Rights, Criminal Defense: White Collar

Focus areas

Arrest & Arraignment, Assault & Battery, Criminal Domestic Violence, Criminal Fraud, Criminal Law, Criminal Law - Federal, DUI/DWI, Drug & Alcohol Violations, Expungement, False Accusations, Felony, Juvenile Delinquency, Misdemeanor, Motor Vehicle Offenses, Murder, Police Misconduct, Probation, Sex Offenses, Theft, Traffic Violations

  • 50% Criminal Defense
  • 20% Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI
  • 10% Civil Litigation: Plaintiff
  • 10% Civil Rights
  • 10% Criminal Defense: White Collar

First Admitted: 1986, Maryland

Bar/Professional Activity:
  • Prince George's County Bar Association, Member, 2024
  • Currently serving on the Judicial Selection Committee for Montgomery County of the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association, 2024
  • Selected in 2024 to be the Chair of the Criminal Law & Practice Section Council of the Maryland State Bar Association, currently serving as Chair for 2024/2025., 2024
  • The District of Columbia Bar Association, Member, 2024
  • District of Columbia, 1989
  • U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, 1998
  • Maryland State Bar Association, Member, 2024
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Member, 2024
  • U.S. District Court District of Maryland, 1993
  • Montgomery County Bar Association, Member, 2024
  • Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association, Board of Directors. Chair of the Criminal Law & Practice Section Council, of the Maryland State Bar Association., 2024
  • Maryland, 1986
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
  • Grant v Montgomery County Police and Montgomery County School Board: successful lawsuit against police and school personnel for their actions in berating and handcuffing a five-year-old child in kindergarten. Widely covered in national and local media, such as CNN, Washington Post and multiple other national and local media outlets.   , 2022
  • Tubo v. Prince George's County Police: Successful lawsuit against multiple police officers for berating, assaulting and handcuffing a sixty-year-old man, who was forcibly ejected from his home, which he owned, after failing to investigate a false claim that he was a squatter in someone else's home. Covered in the Washington Post. , 2023
Honors/Awards:
  • AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated, 1996 - 2024, A.V, "PREEMINENT", MARTINDALE-HUBBELL LAW DIRECTORY, 2024
  • NEWSPAPER FEATURE ARTICLE, Dubbed in another newspaper article as “The Minute Man” for his string of quick successes in a series of Murder cases tried in front of three separate juries, 1994
  • TOP RATING, Rated in 2024 by A.V.V.O. as “Superb” earning a “10 out of 10” top rating, 2024
  • MARTINDALE-HUBBELL RATING, Selected in 2024 Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers, 2024
  • MARTINDALE-HUBBELL RATING, Rated “A-V” in 2024 by Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory, 2024
  • SUPERLAWYERS RATING, Selected as 2024 Maryland and Washington DC Super Lawyer in Criminal Defense, 2024
  • WASHINGTONIAN MAGAZINE TOP LAWYERS, Rated in December, 2022 by Washingtonian Magazine in their “Top Lawyers” Edition for Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2022
  • "A Highly Regarded Criminal Defense Lawyer", Washington Post Article on Top Criminal Defense Attorneys, TOP CRIMINAL LAWYERS, WASHINGTON POST, 1999
  • "Among Criminal Defense Lawyers Widely Respected For Their Work", Washington Post Article on Top Criminal Defense Attorneys, TOP CRIMINAL LAWYERS, WASHINGTON POST, 2000
Educational Background:
  • University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA, B.A., Major: Economics, 1981
  • UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF LAW, JURIS DOCTOR [J.D.] DEGREE, 1985
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
  • State Of Maryland V. Briscoe, Appeal Brief, And Reply Brief, 2000
  • State Of Maryland V. Janes, Appeal Brief And Reply Brief, 1998
  • "The Wrongfully Convicted", 37th Annual Deborah T. Creek Criminal Practice Institute, 2001
  • Criminal Law, Guest Speaker, 1997
  • Criminal Defense, Criminal Justice Class, 1997
  • Criminal Defense, Criminal Justice Class Lecturer, 1996
Industry Groups:
  • District Of Columbia Bar Association
  • Maryland Criminal Defense Attorney's Association
  • Maryland State Bar Association
  • Montgomery County Bar Association
  • National Association Of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • Prince Georges County Bar Association

Office location for James N. Papirmeister

8630 Fenton Street
Suite 320
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Phone: 301-500-2055

Selections

11 Years Super Lawyers
  • Super Lawyers: 2015 - 2025

Attorney resources for James N. Papirmeister

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