Practice Areas

The most important decision you make in regard to a serious permanent injury or the death of a loved one is the attorney you choose. The legal landscape is saturated with advertisements, billboards, etc. In order to properly service a client, you need courtroom training including verdicts. The insurance companies know who will go the distance and who will settle. My experience and success in the courtroom are displayed. In the event you need to make such a decision I am available to review your case and share my experience in the courtroom.

You must understand one thing in regard to the criminal justice. The State is foremost concerned with winning a criminal case. As the Warren County Prosecutor for over eight years I know how to present all your defenses in an aggressive fashion to protect your freedom. I have had success as a criminal defense attorney as well as the County prosecutor in representing the State.

There is no substitute for courtroom success in this field. As an attorney you have to shoulder the burden and resolve the matter. The resolution could be by agreement or if necessary by trial. I welcome the opportunity to review your matter and discuss the alternatives with you. You will receive a complete and aggressive defense.

It is through the Municipal Courts that most citizens in the State come into contact with the judicial system, either as a defendant, a victim, or a witness. Since most citizens will never appear before another court, it is from their experience in the Municipal Courts that most people base their conclusions about the quality of justice in New Jersey.

The Municipal Courts in New Jersey are considered courts of limited jurisdiction, having responsibility for motor vehicle and parking tickets, minor criminal-type offenses (for example, simple assault and bad checks), municipal ordinance offenses (such as dog barking or building code violations) and other offenses such as fish and game violations. A Municipal Court usually has jurisdiction only over cases that occur within the boundaries of its municipality.

Many serious criminal cases such as robbery, auto theft, or assault start out as complaints filed in the Municipal Court but those cases are transferred to the Superior Court located at the local county courthouse.

Pennsylvania has magisterial district courts in all of its counties except Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have their own municipal court. Nevertheless, both function similarly as the other magisterial district courts throughout the state. Also to note, magisterial district court judges are elected officials, and the elected official does not have to be an attorney to be a magisterial district court judge.

Magisterial district courts are referred to as courts of limited jurisdiction as they are limited to certain matters. Nevertheless, magisterial district courts are involved in both the civil and criminal arena. For criminal matters, a magisterial district court judge handles summary offenses, preliminary hearings, and in some counties, arraignments. With respect to criminal matters, the magisterial district court judge is bound by the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Focusing on summary offenses, if a defendant receives an unfavorable result, that individual can, within 30 days from the date of the decision, appeal the magisterial district court judge’s decision to the court of common pleas. The court of common pleas is not bound by the magisterial district court’s decision and will review the case ad de novo (as new). Regarding preliminary hearings, a criminal defendant has two options before the magisterial district court judge. The individual can waive the preliminary hearing or have a preliminary hearing conducted. The preliminary hearing is the procedural step in the criminal process where the magisterial district court is determining whether there is enough evidence to bind the case over for a court of common pleas judge. This is also referred to as establishing a prima facie case. By waiving the preliminary hearing, an individual is not pleading guilty, he or she is simply allowing the case to be bound over to the court of common pleas.

New Jersey Workers Compensation Workers’ compensation is a “no fault” insurance program that provides the following benefits to employees who suffer job-related injuries or illnesses.

• Medical benefits
• Temporary Total Benefits
• Permanent Partial Benefits
• Permanent Total Benefits

It also provides death benefits to dependents of workers who have died as a result of their employment.

In cases of dispute between an injured worker and the employer and/or insurance carrier over entitlement to benefits, the worker may file either a formal claim petition or an application for an informal hearing with the Division of Workers’ Compensation.

Disputed issues may include whether the injury/illness was considered work-related, the type and extent of medical treatment and/or the payment of temporary benefits.

The Legislature finds and declares that domestic violence is a serious crime against society, that there are thousands of persons in this State who are regularly beaten, tortured, and in some cases even killed by their spouses or cohabitants, that a significant number of women who are assaulted are pregnant, that victims of domestic violence come from all social and economic backgrounds and ethnic groups, that there is a positive correlation between spousal abuse and child abuse, and that children, even when they are not themselves physically assaulted suffer deep and lasting emotional effects from exposure to domestic violence. It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to assure the victims of domestic violence the maximum protection from abuse the law can provide.