Over 100 “5 Star Reviews”CATHOLIC PRIESTS CONVICTION THROWN OUT
Check out the enclosed article from the Legal Intelligencer. It shows how difficult it is to get and hold on to a criminal conviction in the case of a church administrator not directly involved in these heinous acts. The first Catholic Church administrative official convicted of endangering the welfare of children abused by other priests […]
THE DEATH PENALTY IN PENNSYLVANIA – YOUR OPINION
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has imposed a moratorium on implementation of the death penalty. Governor Wolf recently granted a reprieve or stay of an individual who was convicted of first degree murder, and was on death row. Pennsylvania has only had 3 executions in the last 30 years or so. The question for today’s blog […]
ARD – THE HOLY GRAIL
If you have been charged with a criminal offense, the first priority is to select an attorney. Then you need to see if your case is eligible for the ARD Program. ARD stands for Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition. It is a program for first-time offenders involving non-violent offenses. There are several qualifiers to be accepted into […]
Honey I Forgot To Duck
Everyone remembers Ronald Reagan’s famous quip to his wife after he had been shot in an assassination attempt. He said to this wife Nancy, Honey I forgot to duck. For a lot of Americans, that sealed it. After that, Ronnie Reagan was their President for good or bad. Well on a personal note, I had […]
PITTSBURGH TO DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA
Did you read that the City of Pittsburgh is about to decriminalize possession of marijuana for users of less than 1 ounce of marijuana? This is potentially a huge change in the prosecution of drug cases. It is, of course, the first step in that process. I am not sure how I feel about the […]
GUNS FOLLOW DRUGS – PART 1
OK, let’s play a game. Let’s see if you can figure out how the Courts decided this complex legal issue. Assume police use a confidential informant to make a controlled drug buy outside a house. The drug dealer then goes inside the house. A few minutes later the task force arrests the drug dealer inside […]
THE VALUE OF PERSISTENCE
The other day I was up in Indiana County to represent a client in a criminal case. He was charged with a host of crimes, including corruption of minors. My client is 19 years old and has no prior record. At the Preliminary Hearing, the Assistant District Attorney said that he could offer me no […]
JUDGE DOES THE RIGHT THING
In early February, 2011, I went up to the Armstrong County Courthouse for an ARD hearing for my client. ARD is for first time offenders with no prior record, where they are accepted into the program and, if they successfully complete the program, it results in a dismissal of the charges. Judge Pancik was the […]
ALLEGHENY COUNTY TAKES ENLIGHTENED APPROACH TO VETERANS’ PROBLEMS
Allegheny County, along with other surrounding counties, has taken an enlightened approach to dealing with Veterans charged with crimes as a result of issues related to their service to our country. For example, Allegheny County now has a court called Veterans Court. Veterans Court is a treatment Court designed to serve the ends of justice […]
LEGAL TECHNICALITIES – PART I
Is Burglary a crime of violence? The Pennsylvania Superior Court in Commonwealth vs. Gonzalez had to decide that issue. It is a very interesting opinion. The Defendant plead guilty to Possession with Intent to Deliver heroin. He was sentenced to 2-1/2 to 6 years in jail for the offense. The judge denied his request to […]