Legal Services

Delivering Results

Our principal attorney, John Leo Walter, has thousands of hours of litigation experience in the state of Maryland and is wholly dedicated to obtaining the very best result for each and every client.

Losing your driver’s license (revocation or suspension) will have a momentous impact on your life. John Leo Walter has the skill experience to give complete representation to people arrested or charged with all types of driving offenses and traffic violations: e.g., speeding tickets, driving suspended, driving without a license, and drunk driving (DUI / DWI), etc.

Personal Injury

A tort is an action or inaction, also known as negligence, that causes an injury and thus forms the basis of a civil lawsuit. As a part of civil law, tort law serves a purpose distinct from any concurrent criminal liability. Tort cases are intended to provide compensation to the injured party and to discourage the continuation or repetition of the injury-causing behavior. A court may grant an injunction to stop the problem from continuing, and it may award the victim financial compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical costs. Torts and personal injury claims may be brought on three different grounds:

This occurs when a person or company fails to prevent an injury by allowing for unsafe conditions or engaging in unsafe behavior.

This applies when the personal injury is the result of reckless, dangerous, or harmful behavior that the defendant recognized as such but continued anyway, resulting in injury to another.

This category applies to manufacturers whose products must meet certain standards of safety.
States are responsible for establishing tort law, both by decisions in specific tort law cases and through legislation.

Tort law consists of a body of rights, responsibilities, and responses that civil courts use in dealing with cases where the plaintiff is injured because of the defendant’s illegal behavior. If defendants are found to have legal liability, they may be obligated to pay for damages to the victim. Such damages may include compensation for medical expenses, lost pay, and emotional trauma.

In order for the plaintiff to win damages, the personal injury attorney must establish the following three elements:

  • 1 The defendant had a legal obligation to behave (or refrain from behaving) in a certain way.
  • 2 The defendant failed to fulfill this obligation by acting inappropriately.
  • 3 The plaintiff’s personal injury was caused because of the defendant’s legal breach of conduct.

Once these three critical statements are determined to be the case, the court may offer compensation to the injured victim of negligence or intentional misdeed.

Tort law serves four main objectives.

  • Compensating personal injury victims who sustain injuries due to the wrongful acts of another person or entity
  • Transferring the financial costs from the victim to the person responsible for the injury
  • Preventing the repetition of reckless or intentionally harmful action in the future
  • Defending the law and the rights of victims

Tort accomplishes its ends by awarding damages to victims who suffer injury through the fault of another.

Criminal Law

Eastern Shore Legal® has a reputation for presenting a strong and aggressive defense for each and every client. It's our primary goal to protect the rights of our clients; we do a thorough initial investigation, keep lines of communication open with the State’s Attorney, hold the police accountable for every allegation, and file complex Motions and Memorandums when appropriate.

Eastern Shore Legal® represents clients throughout the Eastern Shore (Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset) as well as Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties We provide legal representation for all criminal cases including, but not limited to, Traffic Citations, Possession CDS Marihuana and Non-Marihuana, DWI & DUI, Possession with the intent to distribute.

We have the knowledge and experience to successfully defend against all types of misdemeanor, felony, and other criminal charges. We represent clients in all administrative, district, and circuit courts. Eastern Shore Legal handles DUI and DWI cases (Transp. Code §21-902(a) and (b)) [with all related traffic offenses usually associated with such charges] as well as:

Losing your driver’s license (revocation or suspension) will have a momentous impact on your life. Eastern Shore Legal® has the skill experience to give complete representation to people arrested or charged with all types of driving offenses and traffic violations: e.g., speeding tickets, driving suspended, driving without a license, and drunk driving (DUI / DWI), etc. We will zealously advocate for our client's position, whatever the charge.

A conviction on any drug-related offense – be it possession, paraphernalia, or possession with the intent to distribute will have life-altering implications. Eastern Shore Legal® handles each criminal charge with the goal of a dismissal; if we don’t get a dismissal – we present the Court with the appropriate mitigating factors in order to get the best result for our clients.

Violent crimes include those such as domestic violence, murder, assault, and battery.

John Leo Walter Esquire is committed to advocating for all clients charged with any type of felony, including arson, armed violence, carjacking, escape, kidnapping, and theft, robbery, and extortion.

Eastern Shore Legal® will provide you with a defense on any and all types of misdemeanors, including criminal property destruction charges, disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice, probation violations, resisting arrest, trespassing, and weapons charges.

What We will do for you.
We will review and research necessary statutes and caselaw, contact the prosecutor, prepare defenses and determine mitigating factors.

  • 1 Telephone consultation with the client;
  • 2 Office consultation with the client, if requested;
  • 3 Preparation of letter of representation to the Court;
  • 4 Preparation of letter of representation to the State’s Attorney;
  • 5 Preparation of statement to provide legal services;
  • 6 Provide Copies of all correspondence to the client;
  • 7 Opening of file. If the client comes to our office, they may have a free consultation
  • 8 Review of necessary statutes and case law;
  • 9 Determine defense and mitigating factors;
  • 10 Travel to Municipal Court;
  • 11 Negotiations with the State’s Attorney and Representation in Court.
  • 12 Preparation of End of Case Letter and client questionnaire.
  • 13 Follow up telephone advice;
  • 14 Hold and maintain file for seven years in storage as free client service.

Other Legal Services.

You and Eastern Shore Legal may make additional agreements to provide for legal services not covered by the Agreement.

Traffic Violations

Our office helps people with traffic violations, including, but not limited to, driving while under the influence, driving while suspended, and speeding. We provide representation on most Maryland traffic cases. Motor vehicle violations and criminal charges can cost you.

Please call us immediately if you need experienced legal representation in a traffic matter.

We request all potential clients fill out a Traffic Violation Information Sheet.
You also need to bring in, or fax or mail us:

  • 1 Copies of the ticket and any hearing notice.
  • 2 A check or money order.

Once the fee is paid, we will prepare a Letter of Representation to the Court, State’s Attorney, and you. We recommend our clients meet with us once prior to the court date.

Medical Malpractice

Medical Malpractice is just another word for negligence; A medical injury,” the term which appears both in § 3-2A-02 (a) and in the effective date clause of the Act, is defined in § 3-2A-01 (f) to mean “injury arising or resulting from the rendering or failure to render health care.” See Oxtoby v. McGowan, 294 Md. 83, 87 (Md. 1983).

Medical Malpractice

A doctor commits medical malpractice when he/she fails to meet the standard of care that a reasonable doctor would meet under the same or similar circumstances. If the doctor’s failure to work at the proper standard of care is the legal and proximate cause of a personal injury – the result is malpractice.

MPJI – CV 19:11 – Negligence is “doing something that a person using reasonable care would not do, or not doing something that a person using reasonable care would do. Reasonable care means that caution, attention or skill a reasonable person would use under similar circumstances.”

The general principles which ordinarily govern negligence cases also apply in medical malpractice claims. Benson v. Mays, 245 Md. 632, 636, 227 A. 2d 220 (1967); Sub. Hospital Ass’n v. Mewhinney, 230 Md. 480, 484, 187 A. 2d
671 (1963). In a medical malpractice case, the burden of proof rests upon the plaintiff to show a lack of the requisite skill or care on the part of the doctor/defendant. Id. But, whereas the conduct of the average layman charged with negligence is evaluated in terms of the hypothetical conduct of a reasonably prudent person acting under the same or similar circumstances, the standard applied in medical malpractice cases must also take into account the specialized knowledge or skill of the defendant. W. Prosser, Torts § 32 (4th ed. 1971); See Shilkret v. Annapolis Emergency Hospital Asso., 276 Md. 187, 191 (Md. 1975).

Historically, Maryland, as well as the majority of jurisdictions, applied the “date of the wrong” (or time of injury) rule to pinpoint the date that triggered the running of the statute of limitations. Note, Poffenberger v. Risser: The Discovery Principle Is the Rule and Not the Exception, 41 Md.L.Rev. 451, 453, n. 25 (1982) (hereinafter The Discovery Principle). Because some injuries are latent or otherwise difficult to discover, the “date of the wrong” rule could have the effect of barring some claims before plaintiffs could discover that a wrong or a resulting injury had occurred.

The discovery rule is an exception that has evolved to avoid this harsh result. Under the discovery rule, a cause of action accrues at the time the plaintiff first knows or reasonably should have known of the alleged wrong. Poffenberger v. Risser, 290 Md. 631, 636, 431 A.2d 677, 680 (1981). See Newell v. Richards, 323 Md. 717, 723 (Md. 1991).

Although not all medical negligence results in a “medical malpractice” claim – all proven medical malpractice arises out of negligence. Know your rights – call us today. It is essential that if you or a loved one believe that you have been the victim of medical malpractice – you must seek the advice of an attorney as soon as possible. Evidence (documents, testimonials, witnesses) is often fleeting – and therefore, time is of the essence.

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Contract Dispute

A contract is basically an agreement between two or more people which creates an obligation to do or not do something.
The agreement creates a legal relationship of rights and duties. If the agreement is broken, then the law provides certain remedies.

There are three factors necessary to create a contract:

  • 1 An Offer
  • 2 Acceptance
  • 3 Consideration.

One party makes an offer, the second party must accept the offer, and there must be consideration exchanged. Consideration has to be something of value.

Legal answers at FreeAdvice.com’s contract law section If one side fails to stick to his/her/its part of the bargain, there is a breach. A breach occurs when: one party to a contract makes it impossible for the other parties to the contract to perform; a party to the contract does something against the intent of the contract; or a party absolutely refuses to perform the contract.

Not all breaches of contract are necessarily “contract killers,” which would end up in a lawsuit.

Much would depend on whether the breach is “material” or “immaterial” and who the parties are. If the breach is immaterial, you may have the option to: ignore or excuse the defect and continue on as if nothing occurred; point out the problem to the responsible side and give it/she/him an opportunity to fix it, refuse to pay anything more until it is fixed; or, correct the work yourself and deduct the cost from any payment.

What makes sense for you will depend on the facts.
Where the matter is substantial, the advice of an attorney can help you.

a divorce that is granted on the basis of marital misconduct or a finding that the relationship is no longer workable (also known as no-fault divorce). In an absolute divorce, the marriage is completely dissolved, and both parties are legally unmarried again.

a separation of the two parties that terminates cohabitation. In a limited divorce, the marriage is not dissolved, and the parties remain married to one another. A limited divorce is also known as “separation.”

Another way to dissolve a marriage is an annulment.
When an annulment is granted, it treats the marriage as though it never existed. Grounds for annulment include:

  • Misrepresentation or fraud – this can include: lying about already being married.
  • Concealment – examples of concealment include: concealing a felony conviction, concealing an addiction, and concealing a sexually transmitted disease.
  • Inability (or refusal) to consummate the marriage
  • Misunderstanding – an example of a misunderstanding would be that one party thought that the other wanted children when, in fact, they did not.

Family Law

A divorce is defined as the dissolution of a marriage by judicial decree. There are two types of divorce: absolute divorce and limited divorce.

Real Estate

Real estate law deals with real estate or real property.
This encompasses anything permanently affixed to lands, such as buildings, fences, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, or other items that would be personal property if not attached. Elements found beneath the land (such as gas, oil, minerals) are also considered permanently attached and are included in the definition of real property.

Real Estate

A wide body of federal statutes and state statutory and common law governs real estate transactions.
Attorneys and/or real estate brokers are employed at the behest of the seller in order to obtain a buyer for their property (this refers to the concept of agency). The Federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in real estate transactions on account of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Real estate brokers are specifically prohibited from discriminating by the act.

The agreement to sell between a buyer and seller of real estate is governed by the general principles of contract law.
The Statute of Frauds requires that contracts for the real property be in writing. It is commonly required in real estate contracts to convey good and marketable title to the property. This requires that the seller have proof of title to all the property he or she is selling and that third parties not have undisclosed interests in the title. Title insurance companies or attorneys are usually employed by the buyer to investigate whether the title is, indeed, marketable. Title insurance companies also insure the buyer against losses caused by the title being invalid.
In order to pass title, a deed with a proper description of the land must be executed and delivered. Maryland requires that the deed be officially recorded to establish ownership of the property (recordation also provides subsequent purchasers of the transfer of real property).

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