Reading ARD Attorneys
Options for First-Time Offenders in Pennsylvania
If you are a first-time offender, you may be able to stay out of jail, avoid license suspension in the case of a DUI, and keep your record clean. This is possible through Pennsylvania's Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program. This program is a diversion program designed to keep first-time offenders out of the criminal justice system. Admission into the program is approved by the district attorney in the county where you were charged.
At Emkey Law Firm in Reading, our firm helps clients apply for ARD programs. We understand what the district attorneys in each county hope to see in applications.
Our Reading DUI defense lawyers help clients apply, making sure the case is compelling and persuasive.
Eligibility for ARD
First-time offenders facing most misdemeanor charges are eligible for ARD. People who successfully completed an ARD program more than 10 years ago may also apply. In addition, people who apply and are denied may apply for reconsideration. We have successfully helped clients in all these situations.
Benefits of ARD
People seek ARD to keep criminal convictions off their records for a variety of reasons, including increasing their job prospects. They may lose their license (after a DUI charge) for as little as one month, rather than the usual one year. After successfully completing an ARD program, they can honestly say that they have never been convicted of a crime.
In addition to benefiting many people charged with first-time DUIs, these programs can help people facing charges such as:
- Shoplifting
- Some traffic offenses
- Some drug possession offenses
- Disorderly conduct.
College students who make mistakes and face misdemeanor charges are often good candidates for an ARD program.
We Go the Distance for You
When choosing a lawyer to help with an ARD program, it is important to select one who will be available to you after you enter the program. Getting into the program is only the beginning; completing the program is another issue altogether. Our attorney is there for you throughout your time in the program. If problems arise that threaten your ability to complete the program successfully, we will help you. The skilled Reading DUI attorneys at Emkey Law Firm are here for you. We've got interpreters for all languages and accept most major credit cards.
Contact our office at (610) 200-6103 today to learn how we can help you get into an ARD program.
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"Thank you so much for all your help with my case. I can see why you are so well respected in your field."- C.M.
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"I definitely had a positive experience with the firm. Everyone was very professional and understanding. I appreciated the phone calls to remind me of court dates and also that I could talk to anyone if I had a problem or a concern about something. I'm very"- A.S.
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"Never met someone (let alone an attorney) so caring as Dan. You can tell the second you walk into his office that you are in the right place. He's got the nicest office around and his legal assistant was extremely polite. He cared about my family, and m"- G
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"I would absolutely recommend Attorney Emkey. He is very intelligent and compassionate. He answered my very early AM phone calls very graciously and spent a great deal of time explaining things to me that I didn't understand initially. He sensed my anxietie"- J.L.
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"Attorney Emkey has always done his best to help me as his client. He makes himself fully available at all times and gets back to you right away. He is genuinely a kind person who stands for what is right and what is wrong and does what he can to accommodat"- D.L.
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"He took the time to explain everything to my family and I. I am very pleased with my outcome. I'm so thankful I was referred to him,"- S.S.
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"Attorney Emkey and his staff was very understanding, quick to respond and knowledgeable. I was comforting due to Attorney Emkey's knowledge of the laws pertaining to my case. He was informative and non-judgmental."- J.S.
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"Attorney Emkey is the reason why I have my freedom. He was always available to answer my questions and never made me feel like I was bothering him...a true blessing and pleasure to have as an attorney!"- J.W.
