Department Heads: Marit Anderson, Daniel Borgia, Beverly Beaver
We Are The Community's Legal Team
The Defender Association of Philadelphia uses a client-centered approach to achieve fair outcomes for our clients.
With our team of more than 500 attorneys, investigators, mitigators, social workers, and other staff, our practice units provide each client with high-quality representation and service.
Adult Trial Practice
The majority of Defender Association cases fall under the Adult Trial Practice Units: Municipal Court, Waivers, and Majors. The Municipal Court Unit handles preliminary hearings, misdemeanors, and some felony trials, the Waivers Unit handles most felony trials that go before a judge, and the Majors Unit represents clients whose cases are decided by a jury.
Appeals
Defenders in the Appeals Unit represent clients in Pennsylvania appellate courts and on occasion, the United States Supreme Court. Appeals attorneys have more than a century of combined practice experience.
Department Heads: Aaron Marcus, Peter Rosalsky
Mental Health Division
Through the collaborative efforts of our Mental Health Division, hundreds of cases have been monitored for treatment with prosecution eventually withdrawn. Other cases have had non trial dispositions requiring mental health supervision and treatment.
The unit represents most respondents at involuntary civil mental health commitment hearings and fights for the rights of the mentally ill in its appeals from administrative and trial rulings.
Department Heads: Luna Patella, Gregg Blender
Motions
Our attorneys appear in Miscellaneous Criminal Motions Court and represent defendants in a variety of matters including: Bail petitions, Return of property, Habeas corpus hearings, Writ of certiorari hearings, Extradition hearings, Other miscellaneous motions and petitions.
The services in our Motions division are not limited to the above list. Please contact us if you have a unique matter that requires legal action.
Department Heads: Jordan Barnett
Pre-Trial
Through innovative programs like Early Bail Review – a part of the MacArthur Safety and Justice Challenge, diversion programs, social services, and other connections, this team of lawyers, social workers, and other staff focus on reducing mass incarceration by supporting clients before trial.
Department Heads: Andrew Pappas, LaRue Worthy
Prison Advocacy
The Prison Advocacy Unit uses what we learn from our attorneys, our community partners, incarcerated people and their loved ones to advocate for prison reforms.
Department Heads: Thomas Innes
Probation, Parole, Alternative Sentencing
Through collaboration with criminal justice partners, the unit creates, improves, and expands diversionary programs as alternatives to mass incarceration.
Attorneys represent clients at county and state detainer hearings and at county and state parole or probation violation hearings before judges and before the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole. Defenders also support clients who currently on parole or probation.
Department Heads: Byron Cotter, Victoria Sanita
Special Defense Homicide
A highly-skilled team of trial lawyers, investigators, mitigation specialists, and administrative professionals make up the Defender Association Special Defense/Homicide Unit, which provides representation in high-publicity or complex cases as well as felony homicide and death penalty cases.
Department Heads: Daniel Stevenson
Children & Youth Justice
We ensure that the legal rights of children are protected and respected at every phase of the criminal justice process.
We recognize that children are different from adults and that they should be represented accordingly. Our specially-trained, multidisciplinary team of professionals work together to address the legal challenges and provide holistic representation.
Department Heads: Michael Sontchi, Chantelle Silverio
Child Advocacy
The Child Advocacy Unit (CAU) represents Philadelphia’s children from birth to twenty-one years old.
The CAU protects and promotes the legal interests of children and strives to serve their best interests. This unit works with children who have open dependent petitions in Philadelphia Family Court, victims of neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or abandonment, truancy cases, children facing mental health challenges, and children who need supports as they transition into adult life.
Department Heads: Doni Shaffer, Marni Gangel, James Haley
Juvenile Life Without Parole
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that with few exceptions, juveniles cannot be subject to a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Our Juvenile Life Without Parole/ JLWOP Unit provides intensive representation, comprehensive mitigation, and reentry service planning for Philadelphia clients sentenced to life without parole as juveniles.
Department Heads: Bradley Bridge, Paul Conway, Helen Levin
Juvenile Special Defense
Our Juvenile Special Defense Division / JSDD was created based on the recognition that representation of juveniles who were charged with complex or serious crimes, often with high publicity exposure, required more specialized attention.
A “Direct File Juvenile” is someone who is under 18, but at least 15 years old who has been arrested and processed as an adult, and who will initially be treated as an adult in the criminal justice system.
This specialized defense team is made up of: Experienced Lawyers; Three Social Workers; Two Investigators; Two Administrative Staff.
Department Heads: Michelle Mason
Policy
The Defender’s Policy Unit works with community groups and other stakeholders to identify and advocate for systemic changes to our criminal justice system and to ensure that client and community needs are reflected in criminal justice policy. Through our strong community partnerships, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and policy development work, the Defender supports better outcomes in the court room by pushing for necessary reform.
Police Accountability Unit
The Police Accountability Unit (PAU) litigates complex police misconduct issues, provides training and assistance to trial attorneys to improve outcomes for Defender clients, and works to effectuate policy and legal changes related to systemic police misconduct.
Police Accountability Staff: Michael Mellon, PAU Attorney; Paula Sen PAU Attorney; Becky Mer, PAU Policy Analyst; Julian Brubaker, PAU Data Analyst
Contact: PAU@philadefender.org
Social Services
Department Heads: Erica Berson