Preliminary Hearings

Pennsylvania Preliminary Hearing Attorney

The preliminary hearing is the first adversarial stage in the criminal process and could be the most important hearing in your case. You only have one shot to get charges dismissed at the preliminary hearing and it is imperative that you hire an attorney that can effectively cross-examine the Commonwealth’s witnesses if a hearing is held. I pride myself on cross-examination and have been fine tuning my skills over the past several years by conducting jury trials, bench trials, preliminary hearings, pre-trial motions, indirect criminal contempt proceedings and attending seminars by some of the top trial lawyers in the country to keep current on the latest techniques.

Ways I May be able to Help at the Preliminary Hearing:

• Have all of the charges dismissed because the prosecution failed to present a prima facia case
• Negotiate to have some of the charges dropped
• Strike a plea bargain at the preliminary hearing to plead guilty to a less serious offense at the Court of Common Pleas
• Waive the preliminary hearing for admission into the ARD program
• Waive the preliminary hearing for admission into an intermediate punishment program to avoid mandatory sentences and jail time
• Plead guilty at the preliminary hearing to a summary Disorderly Conduct offense
• Have the case dismissed as de minimus infraction.

Also, to help my lower income clients, if I believe I can have your charges dismissed or have you waive your hearing for admission into the ARD program, I may be able to quote you a one-time flat fee for the preliminary hearing only. This is a huge cost saver for some of my clients with less serious offenses. As part of my fee I will give you step by step instruction immediately after the preliminary hearing on how to represent yourself at the next level of court. Contact my office for more information.