DUI & Traffic
Defense against driving under the influence and related offenses, including ARD eligibility and challenges to stops and chemical testing.
Criminal Defense
Overview
A practice rooted in care and clarity.
Sometimes good people make bad choices that lead to devastating consequences. For more than 25 years I have provided solid defense strategies for people who find themselves on the wrong side of the law — and I have learned that the people behind a charge are almost always more than the charge itself suggests.
I strive for the best possible outcomes for clients facing a wide range of criminal situations, including DUI, PFA proceedings, trespassing, theft, drug offenses, and other charges in Lackawanna County and Northeast Pennsylvania.
From the first phone call through every appearance, you'll have an experienced attorney at your side — explaining what's happening, protecting your rights, and working toward the best resolution your case will allow.
Who needs this
Anyone charged with a crime in Lackawanna County or surrounding Pennsylvania jurisdictions — first-time offenders, parents of accused juveniles, and people facing PFA proceedings.
When to consider it
Immediately. The earlier I'm involved, the more options exist — from how to handle preliminary hearings to whether charges can be reduced or diverted.
The process
A measured, transparent journey.
Every engagement follows a deliberate cadence — so you always know where we are and what comes next.
- 01
Confidential consultation
We discuss the charges, the facts as you understand them, and the realistic path forward — honestly.
- 02
Case investigation
I review discovery, examine evidence, and identify weaknesses in the prosecution's case.
- 03
Strategy & negotiation
Where appropriate, we pursue dismissal, reduction, or diversion. Where trial is the right path, we prepare thoroughly.
- 04
Representation in court
From preliminary hearing through resolution, you have an experienced advocate at every appearance.
Key components
What's included in your engagement.
01
DUI defense
Defense against driving under the influence charges, including challenges to traffic stops, field sobriety, and chemical testing.
02
PFA proceedings
Representation in Protection from Abuse hearings — both defending against and pursuing PFA orders where appropriate.
03
Theft & retail theft
Defense for misdemeanor and felony theft charges, with attention to first-offender programs where eligible.
04
Drug offenses
Possession, paraphernalia, and related charges — including diversion options like ARD where available.
05
Trespassing & disorderly conduct
Defense against summary, misdemeanor, and felony charges with consideration of long-term consequences.
06
Preliminary hearings
Strategic representation at the critical early stage that often shapes the entire case.
Client story
A first offense that didn't define a future.
A young professional was charged with a first-offense DUI that threatened her career and a job offer she had just accepted. We pursued admission to the ARD program, addressed every requirement carefully, and kept her record clean.
Outcome
Charges dismissed and record expunged — and a career that continued forward exactly as planned.
Common questions
Answers to what we hear most.
Don't talk to police without an attorney present, and call as soon as you can. Early intervention often opens options that disappear later.
First-time DUI cases in Pennsylvania may qualify for the ARD (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition) program, which can result in dismissal and expungement upon successful completion.
A Protection from Abuse order is a civil order with significant criminal consequences if violated. It can affect housing, custody, firearm rights, and employment. Both sides deserve careful representation.
Most criminal cases resolve without trial — through dismissal, diversion, or negotiated resolution. But thorough trial preparation often produces the best plea offers, so we prepare every case as if it will be tried.
The first 48 hours
The earliest decisions are the ones that shape everything else.
What you say — and what you don't say — in the first hours after a charge can quietly determine the trajectory of the entire case. Officers are trained to gather statements; defendants rarely are.
A short call to an attorney before any interview, any signed form, or any plea is the single most consequential step you can take. From that point forward, every conversation runs through someone whose only obligation is to you.
Charges we defend
From a first-time mistake to the most serious accusations.
Every charge has its own defenses, its own pressure points, and its own diversion options. These are the matters most often handled in this practice.
PFA & Misdemeanor
Protection from Abuse hearings, theft, disorderly conduct, and other misdemeanor matters with serious long-term consequences.
Felony & Hearings
Drug offenses, felony charges, and preliminary hearings — the critical early stage that often shapes the entire case.
Know your rights
Pennsylvania law gives you protections worth using.
Every defendant in PA carries rights that exist precisely because they protect the innocent and the misunderstood. Knowing how to invoke them — and when — is part of every defense we build.
- The right to remain silent — at the scene, in custody, and during questioning
- The right to an attorney before any interview or statement
- The right to challenge the basis for a stop, search, or arrest
- The right to a preliminary hearing and to confront the evidence against you
- The right to consider diversion programs where eligible
After resolution
A case ends. The record doesn't have to follow you.
Pennsylvania offers expungement and limited-access remedies for many resolved cases — particularly first offenses, dismissed charges, and successful diversions. The right step at the right time can quietly close the door on a chapter that no longer needs to define you.
We talk through every available option at the close of a case so the resolution is the resolution — not a footnote that lingers on background checks for years.
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