Case Results

Not long ago, a law student at Villanova found himself in legal hot water after drinking a little too much during a night out with some friends. The young man left a local bar to visit at a friend’s house but stopped on a park bench along the way. Unfortunately, he wound up falling asleep for a short period of time and was approached by police officers where he was charged with public drunkenness. This third-year law student had no prior criminal history and was very active in school and community. He did not want to see this lapse in judgment unnecessarily complicate his bright future; therefore, he retained the services of Attorney Michael Fienman for help.

In Lower Merion’s Magisterial District Court, Attorney Fienman used several letters of recommendation and his client’s status as a Law Center volunteer to speak to the young man’s outstanding character and negotiated with the judge to admit him into an Alternative Adjudication Program. After the conditions of the program were met, attorney Fienman filed for expungement of the public drunkenness charge. When this process was completed, the client was very relieved to have the expungement granted because this embarrassing incident was removed from his record.

The outcome of an individual case depends on a variety of factors unique to that case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any similar or future case.