Caroline Donato was my criminal attorney. She was by far the smartest and most insightful person in the court room. She was also a delightful person and a pleasure to work with. Caroline handled everything that came her way in a complex case with an exceptional level of confidence and discernment. Her attention to detail, academic excellence, and commitment to her clients shined brightly from the beginning, and she sustained that level of promise to the end. Caroline delivered on all of her promises, was responsive in all of our communications, and came more than prepared to every meeting. She maintained utmost professionalism and poise in the courtroom and was always ten steps ahead of the opposing counsel. Whenever the situation called for it, she was as fierce as a lion on my behalf. Her closing arguments were on point; they deserved a standing ovation if not for the serious context of the case at hand. Any claims from opposing counsel were addressed and put to rest thanks to Caroline’s preparedness and noteworthy eloquence in speaking. As a result of her efforts, justice was served. Caroline is who you want by your side in a crises. I highly recommend her services to anyone who needs a criminal attorney.
Caroline G. Donato
I respect and appreciate her.
Caroline was referred to me by a well respected fellow attorney. Her level of professionalism, timeliness, organization, responsiveness, knowledge and ability to navigate the legal system was excellent. She made a challenging situation navigable. I respect and appreciate her. Highly recommend.
Second Chance at Life
I brought on Caroline to help me battle a felony along with two misdemeanors extending from several mistakes that I made. She is extremely knowledgeable and was beyond helpful throughout the entire mitigation process and in a little under 9 months was able to negotiate me a deal to keep me out of jail and give me a second chance at life. Words don’t express the gratitude I have for Caroline and the rest of her team. Hands down the best lawyer out there.
Corporate Compliance and Internal Investigations
White Collar Defense
- Bribery
- Tax evasion
- Counterfeit crimes
- Embezzlement
- Environmental law violations
- Public corruption
- Money laundering
- Insider stock market trading
- Organized crime (not including acts of violence)
- Intellectual property theft
- Antitrust violations
Our attorneys have achieved successful resolutions of “White Collar” cases in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and successfully positioned potential “targets” or “subjects” in avoiding Indictment altogether. These cases are intellectually challenging, between navigating the complex Federal Statutes and Sentencing Guidelines. Our attorneys embrace the challenge of defending these cases while never losing sight of the fact that they are particularly traumatic for the client, as the stakes are generally very high.
If you would like to schedule a consultation, please call the firm at 610.436.0100 or submit the contact request form.
DUI and Homicide by Vehicle Defense
The Pennsylvania DUI Statute penalizes driving while impaired (“…imbibing a sufficient amount of alcohol such that the individual is rendered incapable of safely driving…”) and additionally penalizes 3 “Tiers” of driving with Blood Alcohol Contents (“BAC”).
- Tier 1 includes BAC’s of .08% to less than .10%.
- Tier 2 includes BAC’s of .10% to less than .16%.
- Tier 3 includes BAC’s of .16% and above.
The Statute also prohibits driving with any amount of certain controlled substances and/or metabolites of certain controlled substances in an individual’s blood, driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs to a degree rendering them incapable of safely driving, driving under the influence of a solvent or noxious substance. Finally, minors (those under 21 years of age) are prohibited from driving with BAC’s of .02% or greater.
Blood or breath samples must generally be taken within two hours of driving, or being in “actual physical control” of the vehicle (one example: behind the wheel, car running…there are other scenarios). Fun fact: a bicycle qualifies as a “vehicle” for purposes of the DUI statute, however, one can ride a bicycle and not run afoul of the Driving Under Suspension Statute.
Examples of successful DUI defenses we have employed include the inability of the Commonwealth to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the client was operating the vehicle, faulty testing procedures, or questionable test results, or the inability to prove impairment in the event of a “refusal” to give a blood or breath sample (generally not recommended, as this subjects the individual to a one-year suspension separate and apart from any suspension related to the DUI allegation).
Typically, first offense DUI’s are resolved by way of a county’s ARD Program. We often describe ARD to clients as an expensive “do-over.” Successful completion of ARD means no conviction, and also allows for Expungement (destruction) of the non-conviction criminal records. The notable exception to expungement is that the individual’s driving record will maintain the ARD disposition for 10 years, which is the “look back” period in Pennsylvania. While ARD is not a conviction for any other reason, it will be used to enhance any subsequent DUI incurred within 10 years of the date of the ARD disposition. Standard conditions of the ARD probation (again, probation without any verdict or admission of guilt) are a Court Reporting Network interview (“CRN”), Alcohol Highway Safety School (“AHSS”…we’re big on acronyms in the criminal justice system), a drug and alcohol evaluation, a license of up to 3 months and community service.
DUI’s not disposed of by way of ARD (examples: a first offense involving a fatal accident or accident resulting in serious bodily injury or incurred while a passenger under 14 years of age was in the vehicle or, a second or third offense within 10 years) are subject to graduated penalties (based primarily on the number of offense and the level of the BAC) ranging from probation to very short periods of incarceration (2 or 3 days), all the way up to one year in prison. Most counties also have Intermediate Punishment, which programs reduce otherwise mandatory terms of incarceration by substituting electronic home confinement (“house arrest”) and/or residential drug and alcohol treatment.
If you would like to schedule a consultation, please call the firm at 610.436.0100 or submit the contact request form.