About Stephen P.
Stephen P. Shepard earned his J.D. from Appalachian School of Law in 2012 after completing undergraduate work at Cabrini College, where he studied criminology and philosophy and received a B.A. in 2009. He moved quickly from law school into practice. Early academic choices pointed him toward criminal justice and courtroom work.
He opened The Law Office of Stephen P. Shepard, LLC, in 2013 and has served as its principal since. That same year he joined the Maryland Office of the Public Defender roster as a panel lawyer. Two years later he was appointed a defense lawyer with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, handling cases assigned by the state and representing clients in a range of misdemeanor and felony matters.
His practice has a steady record of courtroom work. He is Lead Counsel-rated in state criminal law and in DUI defense. Those ratings mark him as someone who regularly tries cases and defends clients at trial. He has memberships in a number of professional organizations tied to criminal defense and DUI practice. Those include the American Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, and the Maryland Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He is also a founding member of the American Association of Premier DUI Lawyers.
Shepard’s professional affiliations extend to national groups. He joined the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 2020 and was a member of the National College for DUI Defense from 2017 through 2020. Earlier in his career he belonged to the Maryland Association for Justice from 2013 to 2016. He is also listed with the Baltimore County Bar Association.
Colleagues describe him as practical in court and direct in argument. He moves through routine procedural work quickly and reserves a careful eye for evidence issues and constitutional protections. His background as a public defender informs the way he approaches client interviews and case strategy. He has handled a mix of traffic-related offenses, DUI matters, and more serious criminal charges in Maryland trial courts.
He continues to run his firm in Maryland and takes appointments through the public defender system when assigned. He practices criminal defense and DUI law at The Law Office of Stephen P. Shepard, LLC, representing clients in state court matters.
