Mark Oakley
Mark W. Oakley is an established litigation attorney concentrating on civil litigation, personal injury, construction law, and criminal and traffic defense. He also advises business clients, negotiates and drafts contracts, and handles a variety of litigation matters at all levels of the state and federal court systems. Mr. Oakley is trained and certified in the collaborative practice of law. Mr. Oakley is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law (J.D. 1987), and the University of Maryland, College Park (B.A. 1984). He is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the District of Columbia Bar, and the Bar Association of Montgomery County. He is admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals of Maryland, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Authored the winning brief in the case of 1986 Mercedes v. State of Maryland, a precedent-setting decision limiting the State’s power to forfeit private property.
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Appeals, Drug Crimes, Expungement, Fraud, Gun Crimes, Internet Crimes, Sex Crimes, Theft, Violent Crimes
- DUI & DWI
- Family Law
- Adoption, Child Custody, Child Support, Father's Rights, Guardianship & Conservatorship, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Restraining Orders, Same Sex Family Law
- Personal Injury
- Animal & Dog Bites, Brain Injury, Car Accidents, Construction Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Premises Liability, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death
- Construction Law
- Construction Contracts, Construction Defects, Construction Liens, Construction Litigation
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Business Law
- Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Finance, Business Formation, Business Litigation, Franchising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnership & Shareholder Disputes
- Free Consultation
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Credit Cards Accepted
Visa, MasterCard, Discover -
Contingent Fees
I handle personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis, meaning if there is no recovery, you do not owe me a legal fee.
- District of Columbia
- District of Columbia Bar
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- Maryland
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- University of Maryland - Baltimore
- J.D. (1987) | Law
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- University of Maryland - College Park
- B.A. (1984) | English
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- District of Columbia Bar
- Member
- - Current
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- Maryland State Bar Association
- Member
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- Bar Association of Montgomery County
- Member
- - Current
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- Q. I have a child support order (never married to my child's mother) and am currently in arrears for court ordered
- A: 12 years for a court order/judgment.
- Q. I recently discovered I have a son. I would like to establish a relationship and be on the birth certificate.
- A: You can file a petition to establish paternity. You say you're doing this for your son, but are you are really doing this for yourself? Your son has no idea that you exist or that the man he knows as his father is not his biological father. Have you considered the potential harm and emotional shock and trauma you may cause to this child by suddenly forcing your way--a complete stranger--into his life? What disruption this might have on his current family and home life--would his emotional bond to his current father be destroyed? What will be the reaction of the husband/father? Will it lead to divorce, worse? Are you hoping for that in order to rekindle your relationship with the mother? How will your 14 year old son navigate and respond to this blow-up of his family, home and life, and how will it affect his self-confience and self-worth? 14 is a very volatile and vulnerable age. It could derail his academic performance at the very least. What exactly do you expect to achieve by this? You will not necessarily be granted any immediate visitation or direct contact. He may in fact refuse to have anything to do with you. The best interests of the child will be of utmost importance to the court in any such action. I mention these considerations not to discourage your setting a past wrong right, but to give you pause to think before you jump, and evaluate what is in the best interest of the child and whether your proposed action will further that interest or cause more harm than good. If you do this against the clear wishes of the mother, then I think you will have a very contentious and ugly litigation ahead of you, for all involved. It's a difficult situation, and I am sorry you were lied to so long ago, and you were denied knowing your own son, and he his true father. But I think you need to carefully think this through from the child's perspective before making a decision to act, and you may wish to consult with some professionals in the field as to the best way to proceed if you do proceed so as to minimize the harm.
- Q. Are bank account maintance fees constutional?
- A: They are not unconstitutional.
