This guide covers 10 law firms that defend DWI charges for drivers arrested in Ocean Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, including the communities of Oakhurst, Wanamassa and Wayside. Each firm was evaluated on four things: professional background and credentials (former prosecutors, public defenders, certified trial attorneys), depth of DWI-specific experience (Alcotest and field sobriety training, DWI-focused continuing education, national DWI defense organizations), practice focus (a dedicated DWI practice versus a general practice that includes DWI), and practical access for someone who has just been charged (office location relative to Ocean Township, availability, language support and fee structure).
Ocean Township DWI cases are heard by a municipal court judge, without a jury, at the Ocean Township Municipal Court, 399 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst, NJ 07755 (732-531-5005). New Jersey sets mandatory DWI penalties and does not allow a plea to a lesser DWI, so the questions worth asking any lawyer are specific. Does the attorney appear regularly in Monmouth County municipal courts? Do they have hands-on training with the Alcotest breath-testing device and standardized field sobriety tests? Will they also handle the Motor Vehicle Commission side of the case, including license suspension and insurance surcharges? The order of this list is not a ranking. Office details, credentials and practice information come from each firm’s own website, supplemented by attorney directories (Avvo, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, Justia) and business listings.
1. Weisberg & Klauber, LLC
- Attorney/Key Figure: Adam Jon Weisberg, Attorney (criminal defense); Richard H. Klauber, Attorney
- Headquarters: 1500 Allaire Ave., Suite 101, Ocean Township, NJ 07712 (additional office: 142 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901)
- Phone: 732-517-1199
- Website: wklawgroup.com
- Practice Areas: DWI/DUI defense, drug offenses, sex crimes, traffic offenses, probation violations, divorce and family law, personal injury, workers’ compensation, real estate law, guardianships
- Firm Size: Boutique firm with more than 20 years of experience and offices in two counties
- Practice Area Page: Ocean Township DWI Lawyer
- Social Profiles: Facebook
Weisberg & Klauber is the only firm on this list headquartered in Ocean Township itself, with its office on Allaire Avenue near the Garden State Parkway and I-195. Adam Jon Weisberg leads the criminal defense practice and has been admitted in New Jersey and New York since 1989 and in Florida since 1991. He is a member of the National College for DUI Defense and the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, sits on the Monmouth County Bar Association’s Municipal Court Committee, and belongs to the Middlesex County Bar Association’s Criminal Section.
The firm says its attorneys bring experience from both sides of the courtroom, as former prosecutors and as insurance company defense attorneys, and that it handles DWI cases in the municipal courts of both Monmouth and Ocean counties. The same lawyers handle the traffic tickets that often accompany a DWI arrest, and the firm accepts several legal insurance plans, including MetLife and ARAG, as well as major credit cards.
2. Michael Rosas Law PC
- Attorney/Key Figure: Michael Robert Rosas, Founder
- Headquarters: 1 Tower Center Boulevard, Suite 1510, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 (additional office in Staten Island, NY, by appointment)
- Phone: 732-860-7669
- Website: michaelrosaslaw.com
- Practice Areas: DWI/DUI defense, state and federal criminal defense, white collar crime, homicide and violent crimes, criminal tax matters, internet crimes
- Firm Size: Boutique criminal defense firm (criminal defense exclusively)
Michael Rosas founded his East Brunswick firm after building trial experience as an Assistant District Attorney in the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office in New York City. He is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Criminal Trial Attorney and is a Life Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has tried criminal cases ranging from DWI charges to murder, including a 2022 acquittal in a murder trial in New Jersey Superior Court.
The firm lists Monmouth County DWI defense among its core work, and because it only handles criminal matters, a DWI case goes to a trial lawyer rather than a general practice. Mr. Rosas also represents government employees such as teachers, police officers and firefighters, for whom a DWI can carry professional consequences beyond the courtroom.
3. Marshall Criminal Defense & DWI Lawyers (Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall)
- Attorney/Key Figure: Jonathan F. Marshall, Managing Partner
- Headquarters: 82 Court Street, Freehold, NJ 07728 (additional Monmouth County offices include Red Bank, Middletown and Asbury Park)
- Phone: 732-462-1197
- Website: newjerseycriminallawattorney.com
- Practice Areas: DWI/DUI defense, drug crimes, violent crimes, sex crimes, federal crimes, juvenile defense, traffic offenses
- Firm Size: Large criminal defense firm with multiple attorneys; the firm describes itself as the largest criminal and DWI defense firm in Monmouth County
- Practice Area Page: Ocean DWI Lawyer
Jonathan F. Marshall has defended criminal and DWI cases in Monmouth County for more than 25 years and previously served as a municipal prosecutor in several Monmouth County towns. His firm publishes dedicated pages for Ocean Township DWI cases and for the Ocean Township Municipal Court, and says its attorneys appear routinely in that court as well as in Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold. Attorneys at the firm sit on the Monmouth County Bar Association’s criminal practice committee.
What sets the firm apart on DWI is the training under one roof: it says several of its lawyers are certified on the Alcotest and in field sobriety testing, and it has an attorney, Colin Bonus, whose practice is devoted exclusively to DWI and DUI defense. The trade-off of a large firm is that a client may work with several attorneys and staff members rather than only the name on the door.
4. Goldman Law Firm
- Attorney/Key Figure: Zachary A. Goldman, Founder
- Headquarters: 175 Monmouth Road, Suite 120, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
- Phone: 908-692-7745
- Website: hireashark.com
- Practice Areas: DUI/DWI defense, traffic tickets and municipal court matters, criminal defense, expungements, personal injury
- Firm Size: Small firm, licensed in New Jersey since 2016
Zachary Goldman founded his West Long Branch firm after earning his law degree at Rutgers Law School in Newark and being licensed in 2016. He is rated by Super Lawyers, and the firm handles DWI charges, speeding tickets, license suspensions and reckless driving cases in municipal courts across Monmouth and Ocean counties. Its office on Monmouth Road is in the same part of the county as Ocean Township.
The practical draws are access and structure: the firm advertises 24/7 availability, flat-fee pricing and Spanish-language service, which helps clients who were arrested late at night or who are more comfortable in Spanish. The firm also handles personal injury cases, so DWI is one practice among several.
5. Villani & DeLuca, P.C.
- Attorney/Key Figure: Carmine R. Villani, Founding Partner
- Headquarters: 703 Richmond Ave (Route 35 South), Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742 (Monmouth County office: 151 Bodman Place, Red Bank, NJ 07701)
- Phone: 732-820-1256 (Red Bank)
- Website: villanideluca.com
- Practice Areas: DWI/DUI defense, criminal defense, traffic offenses, family law and divorce, domestic violence, personal injury
- Firm Size: Mid-size full-service firm, founded in 1996
- Practice Area Page: Ocean Township NJ Lawyers
Carmine Villani and Vincent DeLuca founded the firm in 1996, and Villani leads its criminal and DWI defense work. His background includes service as a municipal prosecutor and a municipal public defender in numerous Ocean County and Monmouth County towns, so he has seen DWI cases from both sides of the municipal courtroom. The firm publishes a dedicated page for Ocean Township and lists its Red Bank office for Monmouth County clients.
The firm says its DWI attorneys are available around the clock, and its size lets a client with a DWI and a connected family law or injury matter keep everything in one place. Because the practice is broad, DWI is one of several areas rather than the firm’s only focus.
6. The O’Mara Law Firm
- Attorney/Key Figure: Peter M. O’Mara, Founder
- Headquarters: 600 Broad Street, Suite 2, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702
- Phone: 732-530-5305
- Website: omaralawfirm.org
- Practice Areas: DWI defense, criminal defense, narcotics offenses, municipal court and traffic matters, expungements
- Firm Size: Solo practice, practicing since 1993
- Social Profiles: Avvo
Peter O’Mara has been defending New Jersey criminal and DWI cases since 1993 and is a founding member of the National College for DUI Defense. He completed advanced DWI trial advocacy studies at Harvard Law School through that organization and has lectured on DWI defense for the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, including seminars on defending Alcotest 7110 cases. He serves as a trustee of the Monmouth County Bar Association and has been named a Super Lawyer for twenty years.
DWI is the cornerstone of the practice, and O’Mara carries an Avvo rating of 10.0. As a solo practitioner, he handles the case personally, though a one-lawyer office has no bench depth if his calendar is full.
7. The Law Office of Tara Breslow-Testa
- Attorney/Key Figure: Tara Breslow-Testa, Founder
- Headquarters: 25 Monument St, Freehold, NJ 07728 (additional offices: 130 Maple Ave #WB5, Red Bank; Seaside Heights; Beach Haven; Princeton by appointment)
- Phone: 732-784-2880
- Website: breslowdefense.com
- Practice Areas: DWI defense, drug crimes, domestic violence, assault, expungements, traffic offenses, personal injury, workers’ compensation
- Firm Size: Small firm with offices across central and shore New Jersey
- Practice Area Page: Monmouth County DWI Lawyer
- Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Justia
Tara Breslow-Testa has more than ten years of experience defending DWI and other charges in Monmouth County, first as a public defender and now in private practice. Her website says she has appeared before every judge in the county’s municipal courts numerous times, and she begins each DWI case with an independent review of the State’s evidence, looking for weaknesses in the stop, the field sobriety tests and the breath test.
The firm’s Freehold and Red Bank offices put it close to the Monmouth County courthouse and several municipal courts, and its published guides on DWI defense and penalties give clients a clear picture of what the charge means before the first consultation. Because the practice also covers personal injury and workers’ compensation, DWI is one of several areas rather than the sole focus.
8. Cherry Law Firm
- Attorney/Key Figure: Anthony L. Cherry Jr., Founder
- Headquarters: 1 Main Street, Suite 305, Eatontown, NJ 07724
- Phone: 732-305-0494
- Website: cherry.law
- Practice Areas: DWI/DUI defense, drug crimes, assault and violent crimes, domestic violence, first-time offender representation, expungements, traffic violations, white collar crime
- Firm Size: Solo-founder criminal defense firm, admitted to practice in 2019
- Social Profiles: Instagram
Anthony Cherry founded the firm after serving as an Assistant Deputy Public Defender with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, where he handled motions, negotiated with prosecutors and prepared serious cases for trial. He now represents clients in both Superior Court and municipal court, and Super Lawyers lists him under criminal defense and DUI/DWI.
The firm’s focus is first-time offenders, young adults and working professionals who are worried about their record and their career, and it offers subscription and tiered pricing options, which gives clients a predictable way to budget for a case. The Eatontown office is in the heart of Monmouth County. The firm is the newest on this list, so its track record is shorter than that of the longest-established practices.
9. Law Office of Michele Alcalde
- Attorney/Key Figure: Michele Alcalde, Attorney
- Headquarters: 331 Newman Springs Road, Building 1, Suite 143, Red Bank, NJ 07701
- Phone: 732-784-1822
- Website: lomacrimmigrationlaw.com
- Practice Areas: Immigration, DUI/DWI defense, criminal defense, municipal court litigation, real estate
- Firm Size: Solo practice, licensed in New Jersey since 2001
- Practice Area Page: DWI Defense
Michele Alcalde has worked as a municipal court prosecutor, a public defender and a private defense attorney, which gives her a view of a DWI case from all three sides of the courtroom. She has been selected to Super Lawyers in 2024 and 2025, and her DWI work includes dealing with the police departments, prosecutors and the Motor Vehicle Commission.
The distinguishing feature here is crimmigration: for a non-citizen, a DWI charge can raise immigration questions that a standard criminal defense lawyer may not be set up to answer, and Alcalde’s main practice is defending foreign nationals in immigration and removal matters. For residents with a visa, green card or pending application, that combined background is the reason to call. DWI sits alongside immigration as one area of a small practice.
10. Levow DWI Law, P.C.
- Attorney/Key Figure: Evan M. Levow, Managing Partner
- Headquarters: 1415 Marlton Pike East, Suite 400, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 (serves Monmouth County including Freehold and Englishtown)
- Phone: 877-593-1717
- Website: newjerseydwilawyer.com
- Practice Areas: DWI and DUI defense exclusively
- Firm Size: Boutique, DWI-only firm
- Social Profiles: LinkedIn, Facebook
Evan Levow’s practice is, in his words, 100 percent DWI and DUI defense. He was the first attorney in New Jersey qualified as an instructor in field sobriety testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and he has argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court about the reliability of the Alcotest breath-testing machine. He was the first president of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association and joined the faculty of the National College for DUI Defense in 2014.
Levow also represented the lead defendant in State v. Chun, the New Jersey case that shaped how the Alcotest is used, and holds Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer rating, AV Preeminent. The firm is headquartered in South Jersey and travels to Monmouth County courts, which means less day-to-day presence near Ocean Township than the Red Bank, Freehold and Ocean Township firms on this list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which court hears a DWI arrest in Ocean Township, NJ?
A DWI in Ocean Township, Monmouth County is handled by the Ocean Township Municipal Court, 399 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst, NJ 07755 (732-531-5005), before a judge and without a jury. More serious companion charges go to Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold. There is also a separate Ocean Township in Ocean County, so check the municipality on your summons. Weisberg & Klauber, whose office is in Ocean Township, handles DWI cases in the municipal courts of both counties, and Marshall Criminal Defense & DWI Lawyers publishes a dedicated page on the Ocean Township court.
What are the penalties for a first DWI in New Jersey?
Penalties depend on blood alcohol concentration. At 0.08 percent to under 0.10 percent, a first offense carries a three-month license loss, fines of $250 to $400 and up to 30 days in jail. At 0.10 percent or above, the license loss rises to between 7 months and a year. Every first offense also brings a $1,000 insurance surcharge for three years, additional fees, and 12 to 48 hours at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, and a reading of 0.15 percent or higher requires an ignition interlock device. Second and third offenses carry a two-year and a ten-year license loss, with mandatory jail time for a third.
Can a DWI conviction be expunged in New Jersey?
No. New Jersey treats DWI as a traffic offense rather than a crime, and expungement applies to criminal charges, so a DWI conviction stays on your driver history abstract permanently. That makes the outcome of the original case especially important. Attorneys with a prosecution background, such as Carmine Villani of Villani & DeLuca, who served as a municipal prosecutor and public defender, and former public defenders like Anthony Cherry Jr. of Cherry Law Firm, know how these cases are evaluated on both sides.
Can I plead down to a lesser charge or get a work license after a DWI?
New Jersey does not allow plea bargains that reduce a DWI to a lesser DWI penalty, and it does not offer hardship or work licenses to people who have lost their driving privileges. That is why defense strategy centers on challenging the stop, the field sobriety tests and the Alcotest reading rather than negotiating a lower sentence. DWI-only practices such as Levow DWI Law, P.C., and veteran trial lawyers such as Peter O’Mara, have built their reputations on that kind of evidence-focused defense.
Does it matter if I am not a U.S. citizen?
Yes. A DWI arrest or conviction can raise immigration questions about visas, green cards and pending applications, and the answer depends on the specific facts. Attorneys who combine criminal defense with immigration knowledge, such as Michele Alcalde in Red Bank, are set up to address both sides of the case together.
How quickly should I contact a lawyer after an Ocean Township DWI arrest?
As soon as possible. A DWI arrest also triggers a separate Motor Vehicle Commission process on your license, and evidence such as police video and breath test records is easiest to request early. Firms that advertise round-the-clock availability, such as Goldman Law Firm in West Long Branch, can start that process right away, and firms with Monmouth County offices close to the courts, such as the Law Office of Tara Breslow-Testa in Freehold and Red Bank, can meet with you quickly.
This article is published for general informational purposes only. It discusses driving while intoxicated (DWI) charges in Monmouth County, New Jersey, and the penalties, procedures and defense strategies described here are summaries, not a statement of the law as it applies to your case. DWI cases turn on specific facts, including the reason for the stop, how field sobriety and Alcotest testing were administered, your driving history and the charges actually filed. Nothing here should be treated as a substitute for advice from a licensed New Jersey attorney who has reviewed your situation.
