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PRACTICE AREAS

CRIMINAL

For over thirty-eight years, Lewis C. Metzner has represented clients who are in need of a strong legal defense after being charged with a crime. Mr. Metzner aggressively defends his cases while providing a personal, honest, and reassuring approach to his clients and maintaining the highest level of ethical standards. He understands the serious consequences of being charged with a crime and the impact of the potential penalties on families and employment.  Relying on his years of experience and his passion for fairness and justice, Mr. Metzner will walk with you every step of the way and structure a defense specific to your situation.

Serious Felony Offenses

 

  • Murder and Manslaughter

  • Sex Crimes

  • Robbery and Carjacking

  • Drug Offenses

  • Firearm Offenses

  • Aggravated Assault

  • Major Theft and Fraud

 

Misdemeanors

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  • Simple Assault

  • Drug Offenses

  • Theft

  • Solicitation

  • Destruction of Property
     

DWI and Serious Traffic Offenses

 

  • Driving While Intoxicated

  • Reckless Driving

  • License Suspension and Revocation Offenses
     

FAMILY

Through years of representing clients in divorces, custody cases, domestic violence matters, and other family law issues, we understand just how emotionally and financially difficult these situations can be for our clients. We are committed to representing our clients’ interests effectively by balancing aggressive representation with common sense, honesty, and high ethical standards. Our goal is to advocate for you and protect your interests while attempting to minimize unnecessary and costly conflict.  

Often a client’s best interests can be reached most effectively and affordably by participating in negotiation and mediation.  When attempting to resolve a case through one of these processes, we work side by side with our clients to educate them in making informed decisions that will best achieve their goals and objectives.  We take the problem-solving approach to negotiation and mediation, recognizing that settlements reached through agreement after significant input from the participants are often ones with which the parties are most satisfied.

For those situations in which agreements cannot be reached and litigation becomes necessary, we will thoroughly and comprehensively prepare you and your case for trial. We recognize that our clients entrust us with significant responsibility in the courtroom, and we want you to feel confident in the placement of that trust.  We commit to return calls and emails from you in a timely manner, to provide you with copies of all correspondence and court documents, and to make ourselves readily available for office conferences at any point along the way in your case. When necessary, we work with accountants, financial planners, and mental health professionals to provide valuable insight and advice regarding your case. 

  • Divorce 

  • Separation Agreement

  • Alimony

  • Property Settlement Agreements

  • Visitation

  • Child Custody and Visitation Disputes

  • Child Support Disputes (Custodial and Non-Custodial)

  • Contempt

  • Adoption

  • Prenuptial Agreements

  • Postnuptial Agreement

  • Retirement & Pension Distribution

 

Medical Malpractice

Mistakes made by doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers can leave victims with significant pain and suffering, deformity, unending disabilities, and can even cause death. Making things more difficult is the fact that those healthcare providers are defended by large, powerful insurance companies and defense attorneys who work hard and expend tremendous amounts of money in an attempt to limit the compensation that you may receive for your injuries.

In order to fight those powerful insurance companies and hospitals for the compensation you deserve you need an experienced and aggressive attorney who will work hard on your behalf and stand up for what is right.

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The Law Office of Metzner & Houpt, and the attorneys in our network, would be honored to guide you through this complicated process and to fight for compensation on your behalf.  

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The Law Office of Metzner & Houpt, and the attorneys in our network, have handled many different types of medical malpractice cases. Regardless of your course of care, we are happy to review ANY potential case where a healthcare provider’s actions caused an unnecessary injury to a patient. 

Here are a few examples of some of the types of cases and injuries that we have handled: 

  • Wrongful death (a medical mistake, in any circumstance, leading to death)

  • Spinal cord injuries and other injuries leading to paralysis

  • Surgical errors

  • Nursing Home Abuse and Injuries

  • Medication errors

  • Emergency room errors

  • Infection/Sepsis/SIRS

  • Birth injury, including obstetrical and neonatal malpractice 

  • Amputation

  • Kidney injuries and other injuries to internal organs

  • Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

  • Gentamicin ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity

  • Stroke and failure to administer tPA

  • Improper management of high blood pressure

  • Failure to diagnose

  • Transient Ischemic Attacks

  • Cancer misdiagnosis

      
If you have been injured as a result of receiving (or not receiving) medical care, call us for a free consultation.     
 

PERSONAL INJURY

Nobody plans to be injured, and certainly nobody wants to be injured, but personal injury will happen from time to time and a lawyer is needed.

 

Whether the personal injury is caused by someone else's negligence, or a combination of disabling injuries that occur over time the law provides certain forms of recovery in many situations.

 

The main goal of our firm in handling personal injury claims in Hagerstown, Maryland and throughout the State of Maryland is to provide our clients with the answers to their questions: to educate clients on the process that they are undertaking.

If you have been injured or disabled in one of any of the following ways, call and speak to a personal injury lawyer in Maryland at (301) 739-7400 to discuss and schedule a free consultation.
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  • Auto Accident Injury

  • Work Injury

  • Medical Malpractice Injury

  • Disability

  • Slip and Fall Injury

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With law offices in Hagerstown and partner firms in Baltimore, our firm is capable of handling personal injury matters throughout the State of Maryland. To speak to a personal injury lawyer in Maryland, call (301) 739-7400 to discuss scheduling a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer in one of our offices, your home, workplace or even a visit to the hospital if it is more convenient.

We focus on providing clear, knowledgeable advice to clients of all ages and situations in planning for the future and ensuring that their final wishes are accomplished after they are gone.  We will answer your questions, give sound legal advice, and prepare such documents as a last will & testament, financial power of attorney, living will, advanced medical directive, and guardianship petition.  We strive to ensure that our clients thoroughly understand the advantages and disadvantages of the various options available to them. Our objective is to provide our clients with the knowledge to make informed decisions concerning these options and to feel comfortable with the plans they make for matters in the future and after they are gone.

TRUSTS &
ESTATES

General Estate Administration

 

  • Powers of Attorney

  • Advance Medical Directives

  • Wills

  • Revocable Living Trusts

  • Charitable Planning

  • Buy-Sell Agreements

  • Planning for Children with Special Needs

 

Lifetime Wealth Transfers

 

  • Gifts to Family mambers and Charitable Organizations

  • Intra-Family Loans

  • Sale/Gift of Business Interests

 

BANKRUPTCY

For years, bankruptcy has had a negative social stigma attached to it. Many large financial companies have lobbied and spent tremendous marketing dollars on spreading the idea that filing for bankruptcy is a "cop out" or for lazy or irresponsible people.

The fact is, financial situations change, and often times due to this what we once budgeted for is no longer a reality.

The true reality is that bankruptcy law and filing for personal bankruptcy is a way to get out of the debt, and in many cases pay all, or just a reduced amount of the old debt, but to do so in a way that makes sense for everyone involved.

 

Our office and our partner offices handle bankruptcy cases throughout Maryland.

Most people have been told that filing for bankruptcy will destroy your credit, when in fact most cases result in better credit score recovery in a quicker time frame,

 

It is best to have your individual situation evaluated by an experienced Maryland bankruptcy attorney to determine the best course of action for you.

 

In Maryland there are two basic types of personal bankruptcy filings:

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  • Chapter 7

  • Chapter 13

 

In general, filing for either personal bankruptcy can help with some or all of the following:

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  • Keep your house after bankruptcy

  • Keep your car after bankruptcy

  • Restructure house or car payments

  • Stop creditor harassment (calls and letters)

  • Stop paycheck garnishment from the IRS

  • Stop bank account levies

  • Stop most civil lawsuits immediately

  • Rebuild your credit


If you are in financial trouble due to a change in situation or any other reason and want to take a look at a responsible fresh start bankruptcy filing may be for you. Contact a bankruptcy lawyer today at 301-739-7400 to schedule a consultation and discuss the available options to you.

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