Michael Bruckheim

As a former Prosecutor, Michael Bruckheim has experience on the other side of the aisle. Prior to founding his law office in 2010, Mr. Bruckheim enjoyed a diverse career in litigation at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG), serving for over 11 years. He began his OAG career as a prosecutor in the Criminal Section, where he conducted numerous bench and jury trials in traffic and criminal misdemeanor matters. Mr. Bruckheim was promoted and served as Chief of the Criminal Section at the OAG where he supervised the prosecution of DUI offenses in the District and directed a staff of over 20 attorneys.

Mr. Bruckheim has completed more training in DUI defense than any other practicing lawyer in the District of Columbia. He is trained to administer field sobriety tests according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standards and trained as an NHTSA field sobriety test instructor.

Mr. Bruckheim is the only licensed attorney in the District of Columbia to have completed a series of intensive training in forensic chromatography. His efforts in this field led to him being named as a Forensic Drug and Alcohol Lawyer Specialist by the American Chemical Society. In addition, he is trained in the use of the Intoximeter EC/IR II breath instrument and has completed training in the field of drug recognition.

Based on all of his training, Mr. Bruckheim published the only book that instructs an individual on how to defend a DUI charge in the District of Columbia, Understanding Changes to DC DUI Laws: What You Need to Know. In addition, Mr. Bruckheim has published chapters in Inside the Minds: Witness Preparation and Examination for DUI Proceedings and Inside the Minds: Trends in DUI Discovery.  To spread his wealth of knowledge in the field of DUI Defense to other attorneys and practitioners, he has administered several training seminars through the District of Columbia Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association and the District of Columbia Bar Association.

Mr. Bruckheim’s knowledge and trial experience in the field of DUI defense have led to many successful results.  In preparing for trial, he frequently files many motions to suppress evidence.  His trial wins have involved evidence of refusal of chemical testing as well as evidence of chemical scores in breath, blood, and urine.  Mr. Bruckheim’s experience has also led to many favorable resolutions for his clients, who were able to have their cases resolved without a permanent conviction on their records.

Mr. Bruckheim’s litigation experience also extends to the civil realm.  He spent several years practicing in the Civil Division at the OAG, where he represented the District of Columbia in all phases of litigation on a variety of subjects, including employment discrimination, failure to accommodate disabilities, police misconduct, and personal injury. With years of experience defending against civil actions, Mr. Bruckheim understands what it takes to bring a successful lawsuit for virtually every type of claim.

During his tenure at OAG, Mr. Bruckheim served as the Attorney/Advisor in the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights. He reviewed hundreds of cases alleging disparate treatment, hostile work environment, retaliation, failure to accommodate disabilities, and violations of the District of Columbia Family and Medical Leave Act. Mr. Bruckheim’s extensive experience in evaluating discrimination complaints is of great assistance to clients who seek advice in such matters.

Mr. Bruckheim has successfully handled and resolved civil matters in various areas, including premises liability, automobile negligence, slip-and-fall, police misconduct, and dog bite cases. He represented a client who was the victim of an automobile accident in which the other driver was negligent. Despite significant injuries and losses, GEICO lowballed the client, and the client’s prior attorney left the case. Mr. Bruckheim took the case and immediately filed a complaint, and the matter ended up with a six-figure settlement following discovery.

Recently, Mr. Bruckheim represented a client in the District of Columbia who was the victim of a carjacking that occurred at the victim’s apartment complex.  The apartment complex had a broken security gate, which had not been fixed for years despite repeated requests to fix it for the safety of the complex’s residents.  Mr. Bruckheim successfully obtained a six-figure settlement without having to file a lawsuit.

In addition, he also obtained a six-figure settlement in a Montgomery County dog bite case where the client had significant facial injuries following a dog attack.  Mr. Bruckheim resolved the matter favorably for his client without having to file a lawsuit.  Mr. Bruckheim currently has several civil litigation matters pending in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, the District of Columbia Superior Court, and the Montgomery County, MD Circuit Court, including automobile negligence, dog bite, and police misconduct matters.

As an Adjunct Professor of Law, Mr. Bruckheim teaches in the Trial Advocacy Program at the American University Washington College of Law. Since 2008, he has taught courses in Evidentiary Foundations and Objections, Evidence, and Pre-Trial Civil Litigation. Mr. Bruckheim previously served as an Adjunct Faculty Coach for the American University Mock Trial Honor Society, where he coached teams of law students in trial advocacy competitions.

Mr. Bruckheim is a native of Montgomery County, Maryland, and graduated from Walt Whitman High School. He received his Juris Doctor from the American University Washington College of Law in 1996 and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1993 from Brandeis University. Throughout his academic law school career, Mr. Bruckheim was a member of the Law Review and the Moot Court Executive Board.

In addition, he participated in the Criminal Justice Clinic and had the opportunity to represent clients in criminal matters in the Montgomery County District and Circuit Courts. He also spent a semester prosecuting criminal matters as a Rule 16 student in the State’s Attorney’s Office for Montgomery County.

Mr. Bruckheim is barred in the District of Columbia and Maryland. He is federally barred in the United States District Courts for the District of Columbia and Maryland. Mr. Bruckheim is a trained mediation lawyer and arbitrator and has successfully mediated several employment discrimination claims.

While not busy at the offices of Bruckheim & Patel, Mr. Bruckheim enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife and two children. He is a member of the National College of DUI Defense and currently serves as the NCDD’s Delegate for the District of Columbia.

Mr. Bruckheim is actively involved as a member of the District of Columbia Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association (DCSCTLA), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the DUI Defense Lawyers Association, and the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association.  He was named one of the top 100 lawyers by the National Criminal Trial Lawyers Association for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Mr. Bruckheim was recognized by SuperLawyers in 2016-2022.

If you have been charged with a crime or are under investigation for a crime near Rockville, MD or DC, contact Michael Bruckheim today by calling 240-753-8222 or sending a confidential message to Michael@BruckLaw.com for a free consultation.