Pennsylvania Criminal Defense

You want to do what’s best for your kids. That’s just part of being a parent. It’s not always easy to know what’s best, though. We hear a lot about “tough love,” for example. If your child winds up...

An arrest can be an overwhelming incident in your life. You might wonder how to move forward, how to regain control over your person. Have you ever heard of a “growth mindset?” Do you know that it can help you change your life...

A recent headline reading ‘Bam Margera Wants Everyone to Forget About This Relationship With an Ex-Fiancée caught the eyes of Pennsylvanians for a couple of reasons: One, Margera is a fixture in Chester County, and two,...

As a recent case in Warrington shows, if you have two family members with active PFA orders against you, then you have twice as many opportunities to land yourself in legal trouble. 29-year-old Damon McKie, Jr. was found guilty of...

Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS) surely did not intend for its ChildLine to put well-intended educators at risk of losing their jobs and even facing jail time. Yet, the case of a principal in Pittsburgh who...

Bad Roommates Happen Netflix’s scary new Worst Roommate Ever documentary series teaches viewers the power of a Pennsylvania protection from abuse order but also their limits and perils. The series documents three individuals...

Multiple national and local press reports reveal the story of a prominent primary candidate for Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governorship successfully challenging a temporary PFA order, resulting in the case’s dismissal....

Pennsylvania protection-from-abuse (PFA) orders deserve strict compliance and due respect. The restrained party who violates a PFA order can face indirect criminal contempt charges. Those charges, if established by admission or...

In 2017, a bill was introduced to the PA General Assembly, which would grant judges the ability to require electronic monitoring of people with Protection from Abuse (PFA) Orders against them in high-risk cases. Nearly five years...

According to a press report, Congress is considering a bill that would expunge the criminal records of trafficking victims for crimes that resulted from their trafficking. The bill has bipartisan support, although there is no...

We all know how much pets can mean to their owners and caretakers. Pets can seem like another member of the family. Unfortunately, when a household harbors domestic violence, pets can become both the victims and the pawns...

We understand: a Pennsylvania protection from abuse proceeding can be a rollercoaster of roiling emotions. Learning that a spouse or other intimate partner plans to ask the court to restrain you, even to evict you from your house...

Helping another is generally a good thing. But helping another do what it would be illegal for them to do on their own is usually not a good thing. And when that assistance is to obtain a firearm for that other person who cannot...

Learning that an estranged spouse or intimate partner has gotten a Pennsylvania protection-from-abuse (PFA) order against one can be extremely upsetting. Usually, though, the PFA plaintiff who got the order is nowhere near when...

If you have a PFA order filed against you, you quickly find out there are a lot of things that you’re no longer able to do. A PFA is a “protection from abuse” order, also known as an order of protection. It’s...

Getting served with a PFA is a very serious issue. A PFA is a protective order that orders the respondent to stay away from the petitioner who requested the order. PFAs, also known as orders of protection, are granted to...

One of the most important things in the world when it comes to a PFA is the belief that being in possession of one helps protect the person who filed for the order (the petitioner) from the person they’re seeking protection...

One of the most contentious parts of the American justice system is the cash bail system. Cash bail is money that defendants have to pay as a deposit so that they can stay out of jail until their trials. The problem with cash bail...

A PFA is a protective order that someone files when they fear harm from another person. The PFA stipulates that the respondent may not approach, contact, or communicate in any way with the petitioner. These types of orders...

Domestic violence is one of the most devastating crimes facing our country today. It rips apart families, and it destroys everyone involved on physical, emotional, and mental levels. When you add alcohol and drugs into the mix,...