Being charged with a crime is one of the most life altering experiences any of us will ever face. However, just because you have been charged does not mean that the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
The criminal justice system favors the rights of individual citizens. You are innocent until the government proves otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt. It is the government’s burden to prove their case; you have no obligation to prove anything. In making their case, the government may not violate your constitutionally protected rights including your protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, and your right to due process of law including your right to review the government’s evidence, your right to a speedy trial and your right to confront your accusers.
In addition, depending on your particular circumstances you may be eligible for programs which may resolve your case without a conviction such as the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program or Probation Without Verdict (PWV). Admission to and successful completion of these programs result in your case being closed without a conviction on your record after you complete typically a period of supervision, payment of fines, costs and restitution, and community service.
I spent five years working as a Deputy District Attorney in Harrisburg and in that time I handled over one thousand adult and juvenile cases including criminal homicides, felony drug cases, simple possession cases, arsons, DUIs, assaults, burglaries, robberies, thefts, and sex offenses. I know the law, how the system works and how to get results.
As an experienced criminal attorney I will fight to protect your rights, hold the government to task on the myriad of constitutional and procedural safeguards intended to protect your rights, ensure that you have the benefit of all programs available to you to mitigate any harm that may result to your life, your liberty and your livelihood.
