Steven B. Epstein

Mr. Epstein is widely recognized as one of the foremost DWI attorneys in the country and has focused his career on representing clients accused of DWI, vehicular homicides and other criminal offenses. Mr. Epstein has successfully defended individuals accused of vehicular homicides, DWI/DUI and has tried over 100 jury cases to verdict. Mr. Epstein is a founding partner at Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP and is the partner in charge of the firm's DWI and Vehicular Crimes group. Mr. Epstein has more than 33 years of experience in the field of criminal defense and is admitted to the New York State Bar, First Department, 1992; Connecticut Bar, 1992; United States Supreme Court, 1993 and United States District Court S.D.N.Y., N.D.N.Y. and E.D.N.Y, 1993.

Mr. Epstein currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is the Immediate Past President of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Epstein was appointed by the Governor of New York to serve on the State’s Commission on Forensic Sciences which is empowered to, among other things, develop minimum standards and a program of accreditation for all forensic laboratories in New York State. Mr. Epstein was awarded the President’s Award by the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for outstanding service and has been named a New York metro area Super Lawyer every year since 2014. Mr. Epstein has served on the Board of Trustees for Hartwick College for the past six . Epstein is the Head of the Steven Epstein DWI Defense Institute, where attorneys learn the substance of what is needed to defend a DWI case as well as how to apply that knowledge to prepare for and conduct a DWI trial. 

Mr. Epstein proudly serves as a Faculty Member of the National College for DUI Defense. 

Mr. Epstein is a nationally recognized and much sought-after lecturer at continuing legal education seminars for other attorneys and has been relied upon as the principal instructor for the Legal Aid Society of New York City in DWI defense for over 28 years. In addition, he also does the training programs for most of the New York City area public defender offices, as well as CLEs throughout New York State and the nation on the topic of DWI defense and trial skills. In total, he has trained well over three thousand attorneys in DWI defense and trial skills. He has also served as an adjunct professor of law at Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University since 1998 where he teaches trial practice. Mr. Epstein is the author of numerous published articles relating to trial techniques, legal challenges to scientific evidence, legal updates and other criminal and DWI defense related issues.

In two notable cases, Mr. Epstein was able to obtain a dismissal of all charges against a client charged with vehicular homicide in Suffolk County, and was successful in convincing the Westchester County District Attorney to decline to prosecute another client for vehicular homicide despite the existence of sufficient facts to initially accuse him of criminality. Both results were due to Mr. Epstein’s thorough investigation, expertise, and knowledge of all aspects of vehicular homicide cases.

Mr. Epstein drafted changes to discovery amendments that were submitted to the NYS Legislature and resulted in substantial changes to the way discovery will be conducted in DWI cases throughout the State with regard to expanding the scope of what types of records are now discoverable, expanding the time period relevant to discovery and codifying a landmark decision from one of his cases, Singas v Engel, 155 A.D.3d 877 (App. Div. 2d Dept. 2017) making Gas Chromatography records related to the certification of simulator solutions used in breath testing discoverable.

Mr. Epstein was appointed by the United States Department of Justice as a peer reviewer for National Institute of Justice Grant applications to conduct research that examines criminal justice tools, protocols, and policies concerning drug trafficking, markets and use, and the effects of drug legalization and decriminalization on law enforcement, applicable to State, tribal and local jurisdictions.
Mr. Epstein successfully completed the NHTSA DWI/SFST practitioner course; a 24- hour course recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and has successfully completed coursework on the use and maintenance of breath testing devices.