Since graduating from the University of Tennessee Law School in 1980, Mr. Oberman established himself as a national authority on the intricacies of DUI law. Early in his practice, Mr. Oberman developed an extensive knowledge of defending those charged with the crime of driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Due in large part to his background in the sciences, Mr. Oberman has a unique perspective in defending those accused of DUI. As a Tennessee DUI attorney, Mr. Oberman has successfully represented over two thousand clients charged with this and other, related crimes. In 2006, Mr. Oberman became the first DUI lawyer in Tennessee to be recognized by the National College for DUI Defense as a Board Certified Specialist in the area of DUI Defense Law.

Steve is the author of DUI:The Crimes & Consequences in Tennessee; and since 2003, has also co-authored the national treatise, Drunk Driving Defense with Lawrence Taylor of Long Beach, California.  Both texts are widely relied upon by judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers. In fact, Drunk Driving Defense has been referred to by the U.S. Supreme Court in multiple cases.

In 1995, Mr. Oberman became a founding member of The National College for DUI Defense, Inc., was elected Dean of the College in 2009, and served on their Board of Regents from 1999 through 2011. Additionally, Mr. Oberman is a frequent contributor to and serves on the Advisory Board of The Champion, the official publication of The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Steve is honored to be one of only a few lawyers in the nation who have been certified as an instructor of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.

Mr. Oberman has defended cases in the lowest state courts, General Sessions Court, all the way to the Tennessee Supreme Court.  In 2008, Mr. Oberman argued a DUI case before the Tennessee Supreme Court where the Court unanimously agreed with Mr. Oberman’s legal analysis and dismissed the case. To read the Court’s opinion, please click here.

Business Tennessee Magazine, a statewide publication, named Mr. Oberman to Tennessee’s Best Lawyers List each year since 2004 when the list was first published. Recognizing Mr. Oberman for his contributions to the field of DUI defense, it described him as the:

“‘Godfather statewide in the area of DUI.’ With his treatise on DUI in Tennessee, which debuted in 1991 and has appeared annually since then, stays at the forefront of drunk driving defense in the state. Represents high-profile clients in Knoxville and across the eastern part of the county. ‘Brilliant lawyer, great teacher.’ Well-regarded trial attorney with ‘professorial’ demeanor. . .” Alexei Smirnov, Best Lawyers in Tennessee, Business Tennessee Magazine, p. 50 (January 2004).

Mr. Oberman has been an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee Law School since 1993 and has received prestigious awards for his faculty contributions. Mr. Oberman maintains the highest rating from the renown Martindale-Hubbell™ rating system and has been awarded many accolades from the major lawyer rating publications in the U.S.  For more details about Mr. Oberman’s background and experience, you may review his résumé/vitae here.

Tennessee DUI lawyer Steve Oberman is a popular speaker at seminars throughout the United States on various topics relating to DUI defense. His audiences have included seminar attendees of the National College for DUI Defense, Inc., the American Bar Association, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Oberman has lectured over 200 times to various bar associations and organizations in more than thirty states, the District of Columbia, and ten foreign countries. Host organizations include the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The National College for DUI Defense, various agencies of the United States Federal Government, The Police Academy of the Czech Republic, multiple law schools and many state bar associations.

As noted, Mr. Oberman not only educates defense lawyers and the judiciary, but also the prosecution, having lectured in training seminars for The Great Smoky Mountain National Park Rangers, and for the Tennessee District Attorney Generals Conference. He has also had the honor of lecturing at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA on the topic of courtroom testimony.

Of all his honors, however, Steve is most proud of being selected to teach American Criminal Law and American Trial Advocacy (how to try cases) for a semester as a Fulbright Scholar Visiting Adjunct Professor on two separate occasions.  According to U.S. News & World Report, the Fulbright Scholars Program is “… one of the most widely recognized and prestigious international exchange programs in the world … .”  Steve first served in this capacity at the University of Latvia Faculty of Law in 2019 and later at the largest law school in Slovenia, the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Law in 2024.  Steve also taught the same courses by an independent invitation for a semester in 2023 at the oldest and largest university in Hungary, Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Law, in Budapest.

Regardless of whether you or a loved one is charged with DUI, another criminal offense, or needs assistance with a civil case, Mr. Oberman will be happy to consult with you.  He will consider accepting your case, or refer you to a more qualified lawyer in the event the case is not within his field of expertise.  Above all, he believes that, “Your Future Is Our Present Concern.”