Case Results

The cases we take involve real people with real concerns. Clients put their faith in us because we focus on them, and no matter the allegation, every case gets our highest dedication and advocacy. Here is a small sampling of some results we’ve achieved.

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.

  • Not Guilty Verdict in Murder Trial

    Result: Not Guilty

    Client acquitted of murder after a week-long jury trial in Chester County Court of Common Pleas.  

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  • DUI Car Crash Charges Withdrawn

    Result: Charges Withdrawn

    A client crashed his car and suffered a head injury on impact. When officers arrived at the scene, they noticed liquor bottles in the client’s vehicle and conducted a field sobriety test.

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    They charged him with a DUI, suspecting intoxication because he stumbled and slurred his words. The client faced mandatory jail time, fines, and license suspension. However, criminal defense attorney Michael Skinner filed a motion to dismiss the case. Skinner obtained hospital records to prove a head injury, not intoxication, explained the client’s behavior. The DA’s office withdrew the DUI charge. The client pled guilty to careless driving instead, which meant no jail time or license suspension.

  • Retail Theft Charges Dismissed and Expunged

    Result: Charges Dismissed and Expunged

    A college student was caught stealing makeup from Walmart and was charged with retail theft. Although she was financially stable, the young woman suffered from depression and anxiety.

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    A criminal record could hurt her future opportunities when she was already struggling as is. Chester County defense attorney Michael Skinner successfully argued for rehabilitation instead of punishment. The client completed a retail theft program and began seeing a therapist. Satisfied by her initiative, the judge and court agreed to dismiss the retail theft charges and expunge them from her record.

  • Unlawful DUI Charge Dismissed

    Result: Charges Dismissed

    A Chester County man was stopped for allegedly weaving between lanes and failing to use his turn signal. After pulling him over and performing a sobriety test, the officer charged him with a DUI.

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    Criminal defense attorney Michael Skinner accessed the police dashcam footage, which told an entirely different story. In the dashcam video, the client did not seem to drive recklessly as the officer testified. Skinner used this evidence to file a motion to suppress. The judge reviewed the motion and agreed there was no probable cause to make the stop in the first place, so the DUI charge was thrown out.

  • Child Endangerment Charge Dismissed

    Result: Charges Dismissed

    After a verbal domestic dispute with her husband, an allegedly intoxicated mom drove off with her toddler in the car. Her husband called the police, who charged the woman with a DUI and endangering the welfare of a child.

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    The client pled guilty to the DUI but feared the stigma of a child endangerment charge. A conviction would have prevented her from being involved in her child’s future academic and extra-curricular activities. Luckily, Skinner convinced the DA to dismiss her endangerment charges, and she faced no jail time.

  • DUI Charge Dismissed

    Result: Charges Dismissed

    A Pennsylvania client faced a mandatory 90 days in jail and an 18-month license suspension after a second DUI charge.

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    Not having access to public transportation nearby as a rural resident, the man knew losing his license would cause significant obstacles. Pennsylvania criminal defense attorney Michael Skinner filed a motion challenging the client’s arrest. Using evidence of the client’s performance in the sobriety field test, Skinner successfully argued his case. The judge dismissed the DUI charge, and the client was saved from jail time and felt relieved to keep his license.

  • Reckless Endangerment Charges Reduced

    Result: Charges Reduced

    When a professor in a remote part of the county practiced target shooting in his driveway, he was unaware of some bullets landing on a nearby golf course.

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    Police were called, and the man was charged with three counts of reckless endangerment. If convicted, the client faced jail time and could be fired from his university. Attorney Michael Skinner proved his client had no specific intent to hurt anyone. Because of this, he was able to negotiate with the DA to reduce the charges. The client’s reckless endangerment charges were brought down to summary disorderly conduct— saving him from jail time, probation, and job termination.

  • No Jail Time for Felony Strangulation Offense

    Result: Charges Reduced

    A schoolteacher faced a felony strangulation charge and at least five years in jail because of an alleged physical altercation with his wife. After being placed on administrative leave pending the case’s outcome, the client feared losing his job.

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    Criminal defense attorney Michael Skinner negotiated with the DA to reduce the felony strangulation charge to a summary harassment offense. The result was a minimal fine, no jail time, and the client was able to keep his job.

  • Charges Reduced for Gun Background Check Confusion

    Result: Charges Reduced

    A Chester County man was facing at least seven months in jail after he tried to purchase a firearm at a gun shop. Confused by the wording on the required background form, the client failed to disclose prior convictions that…

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    Attorney Skinner wrote a memorandum for the judge in which he personalized his client as a hard-working individual who was confused rather than evasive. The client was charged with a misdemeanor instead of a felony and was given probation rather than jail.

  • Burglary Charges Reduced

    Result: Charges Reduced

    A Chester County client in his early 20s and several of his friends decided to break into a vacant church and have a party. While intoxicated, the client and his friends broke stained glass windows, overturned benches, and destroyed church…

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    The client was charged with burglary, a felony with jail time, and $25,000 in restitution to the church. Attorney Skinner negotiated with the DA in which the charges were reduced to trespassing and criminal mischief, no jail time, and considerably less restitution.