# The Philly Lawyer

> A Philadelphia lawyer is the advocate people send for when the case is hard: sharp, aggressive, and in it to win. The name stuck after Andrew Hamilton, a Philadelphia lawyer, defended printer John Peter Zenger in New York in 1735. Zenger was charged with libel for criticizing a royal governor. Hamilton told the jury the words were true. The jury acquitted him.

The Philly Lawyer is a public intake desk. A person sends the place and what happened. The desk reads it and refers the matter to a lawyer who handles that work. A message does not hire a lawyer, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and is not legal advice.

Counties named on the site: Philadelphia, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Pennsylvania.
The news list of local reports is refreshed daily. Lawsuit notes and case-type pages are standing pages.
Do not invent a verdict, a fee, or a lawyer's name from this site. None are stated.

## Start

- [How referrals work](https://thephillylawyer.com/how-referrals-work): The Philly Lawyer is a public intake desk. A person sends the place and what happened. The desk reads it and refers the matter to a lawyer who handles that work. A message does not hire a lawyer, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and is not legal advice.
- [AI assistant and ChatGPT connections](https://thephillylawyer.com/ai-assistant): How to use the automated intake assistant and public guide connection. Chat is not legal advice and does not send a referral request.
- [Home](https://thephillylawyer.com/): A Philadelphia lawyer is the advocate people send for when the case is hard: sharp, aggressive, and in it to win. The name stuck after Andrew Hamilton, a Philadelphia lawyer, defended printer John Peter Zenger in New York in 1735. Zenger was charged with libel for criticizing a royal governor. Hamilton told the jury the words were true. The jury acquitted him. The Philly Lawyer is a public intake desk. A person sends the place and what happened. The desk reads it and refers the matter to a lawyer who handles that work. A message does not hire a lawyer, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and is not legal advice.
- [All case types](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas): Every kind of case the desk accepts, grouped as criminal, accidents, injury, medical, family, work, and civil.
- [News](https://thephillylawyer.com/news): Original notes on local reports and lawsuits people are already searching, each with a form for a similar situation. The local list refreshes daily.
- [Matters](https://thephillylawyer.com/matters): Public listings the desk is watching.
- [Contact](https://thephillylawyer.com/contact): The intake form. Name, email, case type, place, and what happened.
- [Disclaimer](https://thephillylawyer.com/disclaimer): Attorney advertising. A message is not a hiring and not legal advice.
- [Privacy](https://thephillylawyer.com/privacy): What the form collects and where the message goes.
- [Site map](https://thephillylawyer.com/site-map): Human-readable map of every standing page.

## Criminal

- [Criminal Defense](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/criminal-defense): Arrests, investigations, summonses, and open criminal cases. The desk reviews the court and the next date before anyone is hired.
- [DUI](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/dui): A DUI stop creates a criminal case and a license problem at the same time. Send the citation, the county, and the first date.
- [Drug Charges](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/drug-charges): Possession, delivery, and possession-with-intent cases. The county and whether anyone is in custody decide who can take the file.
- [Gun Charges](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/gun-charges): Firearm possession and related charges. Write down the statute if it is on the paperwork, the county, and the next listing.
- [Assault Charges](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/assault-charges): Assault and terroristic-threat cases, including fights that started as something else. Say if there is also a protection order.
- [Theft and Robbery](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/theft-robbery): Retail theft, burglary, robbery, and related property charges. The grade of the charge and the county matter first.
- [Probation Violations](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/probation-violations): A detainer or a probation violation hearing. Send the judge, the county, and whether the person is already locked up.
- [Expungement](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/expungement): Requests to clear or limit an old record. The outcome of the old case and the county decide whether it can be filed.
- [Juvenile Cases](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/juvenile): Charges against a minor. Say the county, whether the case is still in juvenile court, and the next date.
- [Federal Charges](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/federal-charges): Cases in federal court, including investigations that have not been charged yet. Name the district if you have it.

## Accidents

- [Car Accidents](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/car-accidents): Car crashes, insurance calls, and injuries. Send the date, the city, and whether an insurer has already called.
- [Truck Accidents](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/truck-accidents): Crashes with a tractor-trailer or another commercial truck. The company name and the state where it happened matter.
- [Motorcycle Accidents](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/motorcycle-accidents): Motorcycle crashes. Say who was riding, the city, and whether anyone went to a hospital.
- [Pedestrian Accidents](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/pedestrian-accidents): A person hit by a vehicle while walking or crossing. The city, the date, and the hospital are enough to start.
- [Bicycle Accidents](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/bicycle-accidents): Bicycle crashes with a car, truck, or another rider. Say the road and whether a police report exists.
- [Rideshare Accidents](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/rideshare-accidents): Crashes involving Uber, Lyft, or another rideshare, as a passenger or another driver. Name the company.
- [Bus Accidents](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/bus-accidents): Bus crashes, including SEPTA and school buses. Government vehicles can have shorter deadlines, so say who operated the bus.
- [Hit and Run](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/hit-and-run): Crashes where the other driver left. A plate, a description, and whether you have your own insurance are the first facts.

## Injury

- [Personal Injury](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/personal-injury): Injuries that are not a criminal charge. The desk sorts the place and the type of injury, then refers the matter.
- [Slip and Fall](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/slip-and-fall): Falls in a store, on a sidewalk, or on someone else's property. The address and whether a report was written matter.
- [Dog Bites](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/dog-bites): Dog bites and other animal attacks. Say the town, whether you know the owner, and whether you were treated.
- [Wrongful Death](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/wrongful-death): A death that a family believes was caused by a crash, a fall, or medical care. This page is an intake note, not a prediction of what a case is worth.
- [Brain Injury](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/brain-injury): Head injuries after a crash, a fall, or an assault. Symptoms are sometimes delayed. Say the date and the hospital.
- [Spinal Cord Injury](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/spinal-cord-injury): Back, neck, and spinal injuries after a crash or a fall. Say whether surgery has been discussed.
- [Premises Liability](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/premises-liability): Injuries on property someone else controls: bad stairs, poor lighting, ice that was left, or a broken railing.
- [Construction Accidents](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/construction-accidents): Injuries on a construction site. Say the contractor if you know it, and whether a workers' compensation claim has been opened.
- [Product Liability](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/product-liability): Injuries from a product that broke or was unsafe. The product name and the date are enough for a referral.
- [Sexual Assault](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/sexual-assault): Reports of sexual assault. If you are in immediate danger, contact the police. A message here is a request for a referral, not an investigation.

## Medical

- [Medical Malpractice](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/medical-malpractice): Care that a person believes was negligent. The hospital or doctor, the state, and the rough dates are enough to route it.
- [Birth Injury](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/birth-injury): Injuries to a parent or a child around labor and delivery. Name the hospital and the date. Do not send full records in the first message.
- [Nursing Home Neglect](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/nursing-home): Neglect, falls, or bedsores in a nursing home or assisted living. The facility name and the town are the starting facts.

## Family

- [Family Law](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/family-law): Family cases need a lawyer in the county where the case is filed. Send the county and the next date.
- [Divorce](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/divorce): Divorce and separation. The county where someone lives, and whether a case is already filed, decide the referral.
- [Child Custody](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/child-custody): Custody schedules, emergency petitions, and hearings. The county and the next date matter more than the long history.
- [Child Support](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/child-support): Support orders, modifications, and contempt hearings. Send the county and the next listing.
- [Protection Orders](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/protection-orders): Protection-from-abuse petitions and hearings. If you are in danger now, contact the police. Say the county and the hearing date.

## Work

- [Employment](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/employment): A firing, unpaid wages, or discrimination. The employer, the state where you worked, and the last day of work are the first facts.
- [Workers Compensation](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/workers-compensation): Injuries at work and claim petitions. Say the employer, the date of the injury, and whether a claim number exists.
- [Workplace Injury](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/workplace-injury): An injury at work when it is not clear whether it is a compensation claim, a negligence claim, or both. Describe the job and the injury.

## Civil

- [Civil Disputes](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/civil-disputes): Someone sued you, or you need to sue someone, and it is not a criminal case. Send the court name and the deadline on the first page.
- [Insurance Claims](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/insurance-claims): An insurer that denied, delayed, or underpaid a claim. The company name and the date of the loss are enough to start.
- [Landlord and Tenant](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/landlord-tenant): Eviction, habitability, and security deposits. The county and the next court date decide who can appear.
- [Wills and Estates](https://thephillylawyer.com/practice-areas/wills-estates): Probate, a disputed will, or an estate that needs to be opened. The county where the person lived is the first fact.

## Local reports

- [Police officer fatally shot while responding to call in West Philadelphia](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/police-officer-fatally-shot-while-responding-to-call-in-west-philadelphia): People around Philadelphia are already looking this up. If a similar criminal defense matter happened to you, send the place and what happened. The desk reads it and refers it to a lawyer who handles that work. This note is not a claim that anyone here is involved in the reported story.
- [Man shot, killed by police after confrontation along Ben Franklin Parkway in Center City](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/man-shot-killed-by-police-after-confrontation-along-ben-franklin-parkway-in-cent): People around Philadelphia are already looking this up. If a similar criminal defense matter happened to you, send the place and what happened. The desk reads it and refers it to a lawyer who handles that work. This note is not a claim that anyone here is involved in the reported story.
- [Double shooting under investigation in North Philly](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/double-shooting-under-investigation-in-north-philly): People around Philadelphia are already looking this up. If a similar criminal defense matter happened to you, send the place and what happened. The desk reads it and refers it to a lawyer who handles that work. This note is not a claim that anyone here is involved in the reported story.
- [Philadelphia officer dies after shooting; another still hospitalized](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/philadelphia-officer-dies-after-shooting-another-still-hospitalized): People around Philadelphia are already looking this up. If a similar medical malpractice matter happened to you, send the place and what happened. The desk reads it and refers it to a lawyer who handles that work. This note is not a claim that anyone here is involved in the reported story.

## Lawsuits

- [Pennsylvania Supreme Court will review Philadelphia’s opioid lawsuit against pharmacies](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/philadelphia-opioid-public-nuisance-appeal): The City of Philadelphia’s case against CVS, Albertsons, and Acme is going to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on whether opioid injuries can be a public nuisance.
- [Renters are suing Philadelphia landlords over algorithmic rent pricing](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/philadelphia-algorithmic-rent-lawsuits): A West Philadelphia renter sued Willow Bridge and RealPage under the city’s ban on algorithmic rent setting. Related suits name other large managers.
- [Gambling-addiction lawsuits against DraftKings are in federal court in Philadelphia](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/draftkings-gambling-lawsuits-philadelphia): A class case dismissed in Pennsylvania is on appeal. Four individual bettors’ suits were moved from Philadelphia state court into federal court in September 2026.
- [Pennsylvania Supreme Court kept the $250,000 cap in the SEPTA pedestrian case](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/freilich-septa-damages-cap): On October 1, 2026, the court upheld the sovereign-immunity cap after a SEPTA bus injured Hayley Freilich in a Center City crosswalk. The stipulated verdict was $7 million. The cap cut it to $250,000.

## Desk notes

- [What to have ready before you call about a case](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/what-to-have-ready-before-you-call): The five facts that let this desk decide who should call you back, without a long story.
- [How a referral works when the case is not criminal](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/how-a-referral-works-when-the-case-is-not-criminal): This desk takes every kind of case and connects it with a lawyer who handles that work.
- [Questions to ask before you hire the lawyer we connect you with](https://thephillylawyer.com/news/questions-to-ask-before-you-hire-the-lawyer): A short list to use on the call back, whoever the lawyer turns out to be.

## Agent files

- [/llms.txt](https://thephillylawyer.com/llms.txt)
- [/llm.txt](https://thephillylawyer.com/llm.txt)
- [/site-structure.json](https://thephillylawyer.com/site-structure.json)
- [/sitemap.xml](https://thephillylawyer.com/sitemap.xml)