Best Philadelphia PA Criminal Defense Lawyers

Why These Philadelphia Criminal Lawyers?

We help connect consumers with top-rated criminal defense attorneys in Philadelphia. To determine which are the best of the best, we scored each criminal defense attorney or law firm across a half-dozen metrics covering three categories. Each firm or attorney’s results were analyzed to bring you a handpicked list of the very best criminal defense lawyers in Philadelphia.

• Attorneys reviewed: 21
• Top picks: 5

If you or a loved one have been arrested, do not delay seeking the assistance of an attorney. The sooner an attorney can get involved in your case, the better your chances of having a strong defense.

The attorney you hire may start right away, studying the authorities’ against you, doing legal research, and preparing legal motions. That’s why the sooner they begin, the better, as they work to chip away at the prosecution’s case against you.

Skilled criminal defense attorneys in Philadelphia handle everything from DUIs to simple misdemeanors to white-collar crimes to violent felonies. Get the best legal defense in Philadelphia by choosing from this list of best criminal defense attorneys.

Read the profiles below and choose the attorney or law firm that best aligns with your needs.

Best Philadelphia Criminal Defense Lawyers

Here are the best criminal defense law firms and attorneys in Philadelphia:

1. SKA Law Group
2. Lento Law Firm
3. Marni Jo Snyder
4. Fienman Defense
5. Wimmer Criminal Defense

Best Philadelphia Criminal Defense Lawyers for 2021

If you or a loved one are looking for an outstanding criminal defense attorney in Philadelphia, these lawyers are the best of the best.

SKA Law Group

1518 Walnut St #808

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Phone: (267) 265-4553

The two attorneys of SKA Law Group have a combined 25-plus years of experience in criminal legal practice, and they are highly rated on Avvo, SuperLawyers and other legal ratings organizations.

Primary practice areas for SKA Law Group attorneys and staff include harassment, assault, arson, indecent exposure, criminal mischief, burglary, theft, criminal trespass, drug possession, and weapons possession. In addition to serving Philadelphia, the firm’s attorneys practice throughout Bucks, Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties.

Visit law firm website: https://www.legalphilly.com/

Visit law firm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Ska-Law-Group-LLC-Philadelphia-Office-1974086076035133/

Lento Law Firm

1500 Walnut St, St 500

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Phone: (215) 535-5353

Attorney Joseph D. Lento has nearly 20 years of experience in criminal law practice, spending his entire career focused solely on defending those accused in criminal cases. The firm’s primary office is in Philadelphia, but Lento also practices in Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Berks, Lancaster, Lehigh, and Northampton counties, as well as operating offices in Pittsburgh and New Jersey.

His primary practice areas include juvenile offenses, probation violation, DUI, traffic offenses, marijuana charges, weapons and firearms charges, violent crimes, theft, white-collar crime, cybercrime, and record expungement.

Visit law firm website: https://www.josephlento.com/

Visit law firm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PhiladelphiaCriminalDefense/

Marni Jo Snyder

100 S Broad Street, Suite 1910

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Phone: (215) 515-3360

Attorney Marni Jo Snyder began her career in the Philadelphia Public Defender’s Office before branching out into her own private criminal defense practice. Her primary practice areas involve defending cases in which clients are charged with felonies, misdemeanors, drug crimes, robbery, assault, gun and weapons charges, juvenile cases, DUI, and more.

She also has a special focus on advocating for students with special needs by pursuing litigation against educational organizations that are in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Visit law firm website: https://www.snyderlawyer.com/

Visit law firm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SnyderLawyer/

Michael H. Fienman

1608 Walnut St Ste 900

Philadelphia, PA 19103-5451

Phone: (215) 839-9529

Attorney Michael H. Fienman defends clients in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, and Chester counties, and almost all of his practice is focused on criminal defense. He has a 10.0 rating on Avvo and was named a SuperLawyer in 2019.

Fienman’s primary practice areas include assault, fraud, drug charges, arson, theft, sex crimes, juvenile charges, and weapons charges. In addition to his primary office in Philadelphia, Fienman has offices in Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery counties.

Visit law firm website: https://www.philadelphiacriminalattorney.com/

Visit law firm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Fienman-Defense-LLC-1485116031522721/

Lauren Wimmer

505 South Street

Philadelphia, PA 19147

Phone: (215) 712-1212

Attorney Lauren Wimmer has observed the legal system from multiple sides. While she now focuses on criminal defense, her early career was spent as a clerk in the Philadelphia court system, and this experience gave her deep expertise in how the system functions — or doesn’t.

Wimmer’s primary criminal law practice areas include juvenile offenses, drug trafficking, DUI, money laundering, stalking, organized crime, assault, disorderly conduct, weapons offenses, and white-collar crime.

Visit law firm website: https://wimmercriminaldefense.com/

Visit law firm Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WimmerCriminalDefense/

What Types of Crimes Are Most Common in Philadelphia?

Just under 64,000 crimes were reported in the city of Philadelphia in 2018, the most recent year for which full data has been published for the city. Among those incidents, more than three in four consisted of property crimes like burglary and auto theft, and 58 percent of all crimes were classified as larceny-theft. Property crime being considerably more common in Philadelphia than violent crime is typical, as it’s the case in every other major city and all states.

On a population-adjusted basis, that means violent crimes occurred in Philadelphia at a rate of about 900 per 100,000 residents, while property crimes happened at a 3,100 per 100,000 rate. Both of those figures are much higher than the overall national rates of 367 per 100,000 people for violent crimes and about 2,100 per 100,000 for property crimes. Most big cities have considerably higher crime rates than the nation as a whole.

Crimes in Philadelphia, by number and per 100,000 people

Among the 10 largest cities in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia ranks in the top half for every crime category. And it’s first in murders, rapes, robberies, motor vehicle thefts, and overall property crimes. However, when the greater metro area, which includes portions of multiple states, is compared to the 60 other major U.S. cities, Philadelphia ranks in bottom half for all but two crime categories — murder and robbery (13th for both).

Like many other American cities, Philadelphia has seen many types of crimes rise since the start of the pandemic. In 2020, the city experienced more murders than it did in 2013 and 2014 combined, with homicides rising 40 percent compared to the previous year. And 2021 doesn’t appear to be letting up, with the city recording 300 killings in the first half of the year, which is the first time that’s happened in Philadelphia history.

It’s important to note that police- and FBI-reported data does not cover closed cases or incidents for which a person was convicted.