Two Decades of Serious Criminal Defense in Portland, Maine
Maine law calls this offense OUI, Operating Under the Influence, but whatever term appears on your charging documents, a felony-level charge carries consequences that go well beyond a fine or a license suspension. Zerillo Law Firm has defended serious and felony-level criminal matters in Portland, Maine for over two decades, and we bring that same courtroom depth to every OUI case that reaches felony territory.
We serve clients throughout Cumberland County and across the state of Maine. Felony OUI falls squarely within the range of serious criminal work we handle, alongside federal drug charges, violent felony allegations, and complex multi-count cases.
Facing a felony OUI charge in Portland? Call (207) 618-6555 to schedule a same-day consultation.
What You Get When You Hire Zerillo Law Firm
Felony charges demand a different level of representation than a first-offense misdemeanor. When you work with us, you communicate directly with your attorney, not a receptionist or paralegal passing along messages. That access matters when your case is moving fast and decisions need to be made with full information.
Before we outline strategy, we listen. We want to understand your history, your goals, and what’s most at stake for you personally, whether that’s protecting a professional license, staying out of prison, or keeping your family stable. That conversation shapes everything that follows.
We approach these cases with a clear-eyed view of how prosecutors build OUI charges, including the risk of overcharging, and we push back where the evidence or the law supports it. We explain everything in plain language so you can make informed decisions about whether to accept a plea offer or go to trial.
A Track Record Built on Hard Cases
Our results come from cases that weren’t straightforward. We’ve secured dismissals on charges including aggravated trafficking, assault on an officer, and multi-count felony indictments. In one federal matter, 25 felony charges were reduced to a single misdemeanor. In a Class A Gross Sexual Assault case, the prosecution publicly called it unwinnable, and we secured a hung jury.
We measure a favorable result the same way our clients do: a dismissal counts, a hung jury counts, and a reduced charge counts. Not every case goes to trial, and not every trial ends in acquittal, but every case gets the full weight of our preparation.
Our lead attorney is the only lawyer in Maine elected to the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, an invitation-only national organization for the country’s top criminal trial attorneys. Membership requires a nomination and a vote; it isn’t applied for. The firm holds a 10.0 rating on Avvo and has been recognized by Super Lawyers and Best Law Firms. Those distinctions come from independent organizations that review attorney conduct and case outcomes, not from self-reporting.
Start Your Defense Today
A felony OUI charge in Maine moves quickly through the Cumberland County Unified Criminal Docket, and early action matters. Same-day consultations are available. Reach us by phone at (207) 618-6555 or through our website contact form. When you call, you’ll speak with someone who can get you in front of an attorney fast.
When an OUI Charge Becomes a Felony in Maine
Most OUI arrests in Maine are misdemeanors. A charge escalates to felony territory under two primary circumstances. First, a fourth or subsequent OUI conviction within a 10-year lookback period can be charged as a Class C felony. Second, an OUI that causes serious bodily injury can be charged as a Class B or Class C felony under Maine law.
The lookback period matters more than most people expect. Convictions from years ago can still count toward that threshold, meaning someone who hasn’t been in legal trouble for a long time may face felony exposure they didn’t anticipate. Understanding exactly how prior convictions are counted is one of the first things we examine in any repeat-offense case.
What a Felony OUI Conviction Can Mean
The stakes at the felony level are categorically different from a standard OUI. A misdemeanor OUI typically results in county jail exposure; a felony conviction in Maine can carry state prison exposure. License suspension periods are substantially longer, and reinstating driving privileges after a felony OUI may require an ignition interlock device, a breathalyzer installed in your vehicle that must register a clean breath sample before the engine will start.
Beyond the sentence itself, a felony conviction creates a permanent criminal record that can affect employment, housing, professional licensing, and civil rights. Those downstream consequences are part of what we factor in when we assess how to approach your case.
How We Defend Felony OUI Cases
Felony OUI defense requires the same preparation we bring to any serious felony matter. That means examining the traffic stop itself, the field sobriety testing procedures, and the blood alcohol concentration testing methods used, including how samples were collected, stored, and analyzed. Procedural errors and evidentiary problems in OUI cases are more common than most people expect, and we look for them systematically.
We draw on a network of investigators and forensic experts when a case warrants it. If a BAC result is questionable or field sobriety conditions were compromised, independent analysis can make a material difference in how the evidence reads at trial or in negotiation.
We don’t default to one approach. Some cases are strongest at trial; others resolve better through negotiated charge reduction. We weigh both paths honestly, explain the risks and realistic outcomes of each, and let you decide which direction fits your situation and what you’re willing to risk.
Appellate Options After a Felony OUI Conviction
A trial court conviction isn’t always the end of the road. If your case was mishandled, if evidence was improperly admitted, or if constitutional issues weren’t fully addressed, an appeal may be a viable path forward. Our firm has handled appeals before Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court, the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
That range of appellate experience means you don’t have to start over with a new firm if your case needs to move beyond the trial court. We already know your file, and we can evaluate post-conviction options without the learning curve that comes with switching counsel late in the process.
