Skip to content

Criminal Defense Lawyers in Ballenger Creek, MD: 2026 rankings

145 criminal defense lawyers ranked by LFR ScoreUpdated 0 paid placements in this rankingHow we rank →

The short answer

  1. 1

    Highest LFR Score in Ballenger Creek: Alpert Schreyer Criminal Defense Attorneys, LFR Score 70/100; 5.0★ from 81 Google reviews; open 24/7.

  2. 2

    Open 24 hours (per Google): William Mann Attorney at Law, Simms Showers, LLP, posts 24/7 hours; ranked #2 of 145.

  3. 3

    Most-reviewed: Law Offices of Marc S. Ward, LLC, 764 Google reviews at 5.0★, the most of 145 ranked; ranked #3.

Rankings can't be bought. Lawyers can't pay to change their rank or score. How we rank

145 Ballenger Creek criminal defense lawyers are ranked here by LFR Score, from nine published factors. 40 are open 24/7, 56 open Saturdays and 46 open Sundays, based on posted hours. The median Google rating is 4.8★ across 145 rated law firms.

Most of this list also appears on the Criminal defense lawyers in Frederick ranking. See Criminal defense lawyers in Frederick

Top 10 criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek at a glance

Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.

Top 10 criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek at a glance
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingBased inHoursNotable for
1Alpert Schreyer Criminal Defense Attorneys705.0★ (81)Frederick, 3 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)Top score
2William Mann Attorney at Law, Simms Showers, LLP694.9★ (439)Leesburg, 19 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)Open 24 hours
3Law Offices of Marc S. Ward, LLC695.0★ (764)Frederick, 3 mi away—Most reviews
4The Law Offices of Krum, Gergely, & Oates, LLC694.9★ (641)Rockville, 25 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
5Seth Okin Criminal Defense Attorney684.9★ (30)Frederick, 3 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
6Scheuerman Law LLC675.0★ (25)Frederick, 3 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
7Kush Arora Criminal Defense Attorney674.9★ (240)Rockville, 25 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
8Northern Virginia Criminal Defense Group674.9★ (139)Leesburg, 20 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
9Karin Riley Porter Criminal Defense Attorney675.0★ (101)Leesburg, 20 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—
10Albers & Associates674.8★ (353)Westminster, 28 mi awayOpen 24 hrs (Google)—

All 145 criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek, in rank order

Ordered by LFR Score, a 0–100 score from nine published factors. Paid placement never changes the order.

Ranked by our published LFR Score from public data, not by payment; a rank is not an endorsement or a prediction of results.

Scores below: based on 7 of 9 factors; bar status and recency not yet collected. Hatched segments mark factors we don't have yet.

  6. #6 Scheuerman Law LLC

    Based in Frederick, 3 mi away

    67/100LFR Score

    Ranked #6 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 25 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 25 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    120 W Church St Ste E, Frederick, MD 21701
    View profile for Scheuerman Law LLC(410) 807-3211

  10. #10 Albers & Associates

    Based in Westminster, 28 mi away

    67/100LFR Score

    Ranked #10 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.8★ from 353 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.8★ from 353 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    532 Baltimore Blvd #411, Westminster, MD 21157
    View profile for Albers & Associates(443) 665-8030

  11. #11 Simms Showers Law

    Based in Leesburg, 19 mi away

    66/100LFR Score

    Ranked #11 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 153 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.7★ from 153 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    305 Harrison St SE Third Floor, Leesburg, VA 20175
    View profile for Simms Showers Law(703) 879-1364

  13. #13 Paolo Gnocchi

    Based in Rockville, 25 mi away

    66/100LFR Score

    Ranked #13 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 120 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 120 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    21 Church St Ste 610, Rockville, MD 20850
    View profile for Paolo Gnocchi(301) 453-7736

  14. #14 Barry H. Helfand, P.A.

    Based in Rockville, 23 mi away

    66/100LFR Score

    Ranked #14 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 98 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 98 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    1 Research Ct Ste 450, Rockville, MD 20850
    View profile for Barry H. Helfand, P.A.(240) 415-4878

  15. #15 The Wagner Law Firm

    Based in Martinsburg, 29 mi away

    65/100LFR Score

    Ranked #15 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 156 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 156 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    55 Meridian Pkwy #102, Martinsburg, WV 25404
    View profile for The Wagner Law Firm(304) 461-6000

  16. #16 Seddiq Law

    Based in Rockville, 25 mi away

    65/100LFR Score

    Ranked #16 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.9★ from 86 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.9★ from 86 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    100 S Washington St, Rockville, MD 20850
    View profile for Seddiq Law(301) 513-7832

  17. #17 Maronick Law LLC

    Based in Rockville, 25 mi away

    65/100LFR Score

    Ranked #17 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.7★ from 134 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.7★ from 134 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    200A Monroe St Ste 100, Rockville, MD 20850
    View profile for Maronick Law LLC(240) 570-8547

  19. #19 Scrofano Law PC

    Based in Rockville, 25 mi away

    64/100LFR Score

    Ranked #19 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 43 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 43 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    21 Church St Ste 610, Rockville, MD 20850
    View profile for Scrofano Law PC(301) 453-7902

  20. #20 Harbin Law Office

    Based in Hagerstown, 24 mi away

    63/100LFR Score

    Ranked #20 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 361 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 361 Google reviews
    Hours
    Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM · Sat–Sun closed
    Address
    82 W Washington St #100, Hagerstown, MD 21740
    View profile for Harbin Law Office(240) 452-0384

  21. #21 Salvado Law Offices

    Based in Rockville, 25 mi away

    63/100LFR Score

    Ranked #21 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 4.5★ from 72 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 4.5★ from 72 Google reviews
    • Open 24/7
    Hours
    Open 24 hours, 7 days
    Address
    30 Courthouse Sq Ste 100, Rockville, MD 20850
    View profile for Salvado Law Offices(301) 933-1814

  23. #23 Harbin Law Office

    Based in Frederick, 3 mi away

    63/100LFR Score

    Ranked #23 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 29 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 29 Google reviews
    Hours
    Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM · Sat–Sun closed
    Address
    129 W Patrick St #2, Frederick, MD 21701
    View profile for Harbin Law Office(240) 452-0384

  25. #25 Butler & Simmons, P.A.

    Based in Silver Spring, 29 mi away

    62/100LFR Score

    Ranked #25 because of its Google rating and practice area focus: 5.0★ from 352 Google reviews, listed on Google as “Criminal justice attorney”.

    • 5.0★ from 352 Google reviews
    Hours
    Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM · Sat–Sun closed
    Address
    12932 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20906
    View profile for Butler & Simmons, P.A.(301) 933-6400

Criminal defense lawyers ranked #26 to #31

#1 to #25 are shown in full above. Here are #26 to #31, in LFR Score order; each links to its profile. We publish the top 31 of 145 ranked criminal defense lawyers here; the rest are on their profiles.

criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek, ranks 26 to 31
RankBusinessLFR ScoreGoogle ratingDistance
26The Law Office of Rodney Hermann, LLC624.8★ (19)25 mi
27Eric Demetriades Criminal Defense Attorney624.6★ (9)19 mi
28Maronick Law LLC614.5★ (25)27 mi
31Portner & Shure, P.A.614.8★ (111)1 mi

How we ranked Ballenger Creek criminal defense lawyers

We scored 145 Ballenger Creek criminal defense lawyers on nine factors, weighted as shown. A law firm is ranked when its practice area is confirmed and it has 3 or more Google reviews or a claimed profile. A law firm with no Google reviews scores zero on rating, review volume and recency. Other unknown factors are left out, not counted as zero. Scores last refreshed November 9, 2026.

Paid placement never changes a rank or score. Attorney advertising businesses are paid, labelled, limited to 3 and shown above the ranking, outside it.

Read the full method: formula, sources and exclusions

LFR Score factors and weights
FactorWeightComputed fromIn Ballenger Creek data
Reputation25%Google star rating, adjusted for how many reviews back itMeasured
Bar status10%An active bar or law society record matched to a lawyer at the firm (not measured until a record source is loaded)Not yet collected
Review volume10%Number of Google reviews, compared with the most-reviewed firm on the listMeasured
Recency10%Share of reviews from the last 12 monthsNot yet collected
Availability5%Weekly office hours, Saturday, Sunday, and phones answered 24/7Measured
Practice focus15%How clearly the firm practises this area (its Google category and name)Measured
Proximity5%An office in the city scores highest, less the farther away it isMeasured
Claimed profile10%The firm has claimed its Law Firms Ranked profile (free and paid earn the same)Measured
Law Firms Ranked reviews10%Verified client reviews collected by Law Firms Ranked: their rating and how many there areMeasured

How to choose a criminal defense lawyer

  1. Check the lawyer’s status and any public discipline in the state bar or law society directory.
  2. Ask how many criminal defense matters the lawyer handles each year, and who at the firm will do the work.
  3. Get the fee arrangement in writing: hourly, flat or contingency, and which costs are charged on top.
  4. Ask how and how often the firm will update you, and how fast it answers calls and emails.
  5. Read recent reviews for how the firm communicated and billed, not only for outcomes.
  6. Ask whether the lawyer regularly appears in the court where your case is filed.
  7. Meet more than one firm; many offer a short first consultation, sometimes free.

Questions to ask a criminal defense lawyer

  • How would you approach a matter like mine, and what are the realistic options?
  • How do you charge, and what will the total likely cost?
  • Who will be my main contact, and how quickly do you reply?
  • What does the flat fee cover, and what costs extra if the case goes to trial?
  • Who will appear with me at each hearing?
  • Is there any conflict of interest that would stop you representing me?

Terms explained

Contingency fee
A fee that is a share of the money recovered, paid only if there is a recovery. Common in injury cases; not allowed for criminal defense or for securing a divorce.
Retainer
Money paid up front and held in a trust account, which the lawyer draws on as fees are earned.
Flat fee
One set price for a defined piece of work, such as a will or an uncontested matter.
Limited-scope representation
Paying a lawyer for part of a matter only, such as reviewing documents or coaching for one hearing (also called unbundled services).
Statute of limitations
The deadline to file a lawsuit or charge. It differs by state or province and by type of claim.
Good standing
A lawyer’s status as active and eligible to practise with a state bar or law society.
Law society
The body that licenses and disciplines lawyers in a Canadian province or territory.
Board certification
Recognition in a field of law by a state program or an organisation accredited for that purpose. Lawyers may only claim it when they hold it, naming the certifying body.
Attorney–client privilege
The rule that keeps confidential communications between a client and lawyer, made for legal advice, out of court.
Conflict check
The search a firm runs before taking a matter to make sure it does not represent someone on the other side.
Pro bono
Legal work done for free, usually for people who cannot afford a lawyer.
Legal aid
Publicly funded legal help for people with low incomes, through legal aid offices, public defenders or provincial legal aid plans.

Criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek: frequently asked questions

Which criminal defense lawyer has the highest LFR Score in Ballenger Creek?

By LFR Score, the highest-ranked criminal defense lawyer in Ballenger Creek, MD is Alpert Schreyer Criminal Defense Attorneys with an LFR Score of 70/100. It has 5.0★ from 81 Google reviews. It is open 24/7. William Mann Attorney at Law, Simms Showers, LLP (#2) and Law Offices of Marc S. Ward, LLC (#3) follow. We ranked 145 criminal defense lawyers on nine factors, last updated November 9, 2026.

How many criminal defense lawyers are there in Ballenger Creek?

LawFirmsRanked ranks 145 criminal defense lawyers serving Ballenger Creek, MD. Counts are as of November 2026.

Which criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek are open 24/7?

40 ranked criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek post 24/7 hours. The highest-ranked are Alpert Schreyer Criminal Defense Attorneys (#1), William Mann Attorney at Law, Simms Showers, LLP (#2) and The Law Offices of Krum, Gergely, & Oates, LLC (#4). Hours come from each law firm's Google listing as of November 2026, so call to confirm.

Which criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek work on weekends?

56 of 145 ranked criminal defense lawyers post Saturday hours and 46 post Sunday hours. The highest-ranked open Saturdays are Alpert Schreyer Criminal Defense Attorneys (#1), William Mann Attorney at Law, Simms Showers, LLP (#2) and The Law Offices of Krum, Gergely, & Oates, LLC (#4). Posted hours are office hours; many firms meet clients by appointment outside them.

What Google rating do Ballenger Creek criminal defense lawyers have?

The median Google rating among 145 rated criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek is 4.8★, with a median of 29 reviews. Law Offices of Marc S. Ward, LLC has the most, 764 reviews, and ranks #3. We adjust ratings for review count, so a few five-star reviews cannot top the list.

How does LawFirmsRanked rank criminal defense lawyers?

Each criminal defense lawyer gets a 0–100 LFR Score from nine published factors, led by reputation (25%), practice focus (15%), review volume (10%) and recency (10%). A law firm with no Google reviews scores zero on rating, review volume and recency; other factors we cannot measure are left out. Only law firms with a confirmed practice area and 3 or more reviews, or a claimed profile, are ranked.

Do criminal defense lawyers outside Ballenger Creek count in this ranking?

Yes, if they are within 30 mi of the Ballenger Creek city center, our service radius for criminal defense lawyers. Each listing shows where the law firm is based and how far away it is. Proximity is 5% of the LFR Score, so a nearby law firm gets a small edge.

Can criminal defense lawyers pay to rank higher on LawFirmsRanked?

No. The LFR Score never reads payment status, and this ranking has 0 paid placements. Up to 3 Featured law firms may appear above the list, labelled Attorney advertising and showing their honest rank.

How do criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek, MD charge?

Criminal defense lawyers usually charge a flat fee per stage (for example, through a plea or through trial) or an hourly rate. Contingency fees are not allowed in criminal cases under ABA Model Rule 1.5(d). Lawyers using Clio billed an average of $219 an hour in this area (Clio Legal Trends data, October 2026; all areas $362). Ask for the fee arrangement in writing before you agree.

What if I can’t afford a criminal defense lawyer?

If a charge can lead to jail, the court must appoint a lawyer for you if you cannot afford one (Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963; Argersinger v. Hamlin, 1972). Ask about a public defender at your first court appearance. This is general information, not legal advice.

How is this list of criminal defense lawyers in Ballenger Creek, MD ranked?

By LFR Score only, from public data on reviews, practice focus, office location and hours. Firms labelled “Attorney advertising” paid for that placement; payment never changes a rank, and a rank is not an endorsement.

Does a lawyer need an office in Ballenger Creek?

No, but the lawyer must be licensed in your state (or, for federal matters such as immigration, in some state). A local office makes meetings and court appearances easier, so proximity is one of our factors.

Update log for Ballenger Creek

  1. November 2026: LFR Scores recalculated for 145 criminal defense lawyers serving Ballenger Creek.

More criminal defense lawyers and Ballenger Creek pages