Dale Marie Merrill, Esq.

Attorney Merrill became an attorney in 1998 and continued to work for an internet technology firm for two years prior to opening her own law practice. Since 2000 she has practiced primarily criminal defense. Currently she handles criminal misdemeanor, felony and appellate cases, both in Florida and Massachusetts.

Her prior experience in technology is of particular importance to clients who are charged with internet/technology crimes, as well as any case in which evidence is produced by a computer or transferred on the internet.

Serious cases require a serious attorney:

Attorney Merrill will do a careful analysis to determine if any of the evidence against you or statements made can suppressed. This is important because if evidence or statements are suppressed, then they will not be able to be used against you. In some cases suppression of the evidence or statements can lead to charges being dropped altogether.

Attorney Merrill has extensive experience in technology, particularly dealing with computers and the internet. This knowledge gives her important insights into how to creatively defend matters involving technology.

Since Attorney Merrill has an M.B.A. degree and has worked with executives from numerous fortune 500 firms, she is particularly suited to defend clients charges with white collar crimes.

High Technology Experience:

Prior to practicing law, Attorney Merrill worked the high technology areas of computer software, database, cd-roms, and the internet. While she personally wrote many software programs, she also assisted corporations both domestically and internationally in defining and solving their technology problems, and over saw the development and implementation of numerous computer applications in organizations including many Fortune 100 corporations. Upon becoming an attorney, she began to practice high technology law.

Technology in Criminal Defense:

While Attorney Merrill’s knowledge of computer technology and the internet is critical to her ability to defend people who are charged with such crimes as distribution or possession of child pornography over the internet, computer knowledge is fundamental to many other types of offenses. For example, in drunk driving cases the breathalyzers used to measure the defendant’s alcohol level are driven by computer software, so a knowledge of how software works is critical to effectively cross examination of the officer who administered the breathalyzer. Similarly, many technological instruments used in laboratories, to test human samples such as DNA, also involve the use of computer technology. Sometimes the ability to effectively cross examine a cell phone technician regarding the underlying software used to transfer cell calls or to store data on a cell phone can also be critical in winning a case.

Sex Defense:

If you have reason to believe that the state or federal government may be investigating you for a sex offense, you should call and schedule an appointment. The government seriously prosecutes sex offenses, and it is important that you know your rights immediately. It is not unusual for the state to want a defendant to serve a life sentence in certain sex cases. As a result, you need a lawyer who understands this area of the law and who is prepared to fight for you.

Not only does the state try to impose tough sentences for people who are convicted of a sex offense, but such a conviction can require you to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life. Even when released, many people who have been charged with sex offenses must live with monitoring through the use of a GPS system that constantly reports their every move to the officials.