New Jersey Municipal Court Lawyers

Some common defense strategies in municipal court cases in New Jersey

There are various types of defenses, depending on the charge, current law, the police’s performance of their duties, and the facts of the case.

Some common defenses are:

• Asserting that your Constitutional rights were violated. Police need proper authority to seize evidence and to question witnesses.

• Questioning the validity of the equipment used to conduct any tests or the officer’s handling of the test. Our Middlesex defense lawyers challenge every aspect of any device used to demonstrate law violations and contest the skills and certification of the person administering the test.

Breath tests are the most common way to analyze a drunk driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC). However, the test machine, such as the Dräger Alcotest®, can be challenged if it is not correctly calibrated, misused, or the test results are interpreted incorrectly. Breath machines must be routinely calibrated. Due to their complexity, officers must be certified before administering a breath test.

Speed radar guns, which are frequently used as the basis for issuing speeding tickets, must also be properly calibrated regularly.

• Additionally, we also argue that the charges should be reduced. For example, in speeding ticket cases, we often can negotiate an agreement with the police officer to reduce the points from four or five to two points.
• Showing that there was reasonable doubt. This can include any reasonable explanation for the offense, such as that you had used mouth alcohol before a breath test and the mouthwash gave a false result.

Former Prosecutors Defending Your Rights

Why having prior prosecutors defend you is an advantage in New Jersey

Many of the lawyers at our firm have worked in the district attorney’s office or the municipal court prosecutor’s office before joining Aiello, Harris, Abate, Law Group PC.

• Christopher G. Aiello, a former municipal prosecutor, is also part of our team.
• Frank Tunnero Esq. handled over 200 criminal cases as an Essex County prosecutor, including cases involving homicide, narcotics, sexual assault, and armed robbery.
• Anthony P. Alfano Esq. was an Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor and a Lyndhurst Township Municipal Prosecutor. He has tried numerous murder, sexual assault, drug, DWI, fraud, and other criminal cases. Other lawyers at Aiello, Harris, Abate, Law Group PC have also worked as prosecutors and law enforcement.

There are many reasons why former prosecutors make outstanding criminal defense lawyers. Some of these reasons are:

• Extensive jury trial experience and bench trial experience help defense lawyers understand what evidence is used, how jurors are selected, and which arguments jurors find persuasive.

• An understanding of the arguments and strategies prosecutors make helps significantly in attacking the prosecution’s arguments.

• An understanding of when prosecutors will likely arrange a plea arrangement and what agreements they will likely offer.

• An understanding of the communication channels between the prosecution and the police and the prosecution and witnesses, which makes cross-examination of the police and witnesses more effective.

• An understanding of how evidence is collected and stored, which can be useful in showing breaks in the chain of custody of the evidence.

These are just a few advantages former prosecutors have. Other advantages can include understanding how co-defendant cases can affect prosecution and when Constitutional challenges may be successful

Example Municipal Courts We Can Defend You In

• Edison, NJ Municipal Court
• New Brunswick Municipal Court
• Plainfield Municipal Court
• Woodbridge Municipal Court