Over the years, we have represented many families going through the joys of adoption and the pain of conflict. Our initial goal in handling distressed marriages is mediation, restoration and re-establishment of a healthy family unit. We have been involved in the full range of domestic matters, including child and spouse support, custody and visitation, separation, alimony, and division of marital property.
Adoption
Spousal Support
Child Abuse
Tom is a trial attorney practicing in the areas of criminal defense, domestic, personal injury and general litigation. He also counsels churches and other non-profit organizations regarding various legal issues including child abuse reporting, liability reduction and in reviewing organizational policies and practices. Tom became a partner of the firm in 2004. Prior to joining the firm, he worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Montgomery County where he gained extensive trial experience, handling a variety of cases including homicide, narcotics and DUI. While there, he served as chief of the juvenile division, and was named as a trial team captain. He also served as law clerk for former President Judge, the Honorable S. Gerald Corso. Tom has participated in more than 30 jury trials in various counties, including Montgomery, Bucks, Lehigh, Philadelphia and Monroe.
At Drake, Hileman & Davis can help you determine whether your legal issue involves civil law, criminal law, or both.
DUI/DWI
A trucking company’s hiring and training procedures must receive comprehensive review. For example, did the driver have a record of drunk driving or other traffic violations?
Wrongful Death
When a loved one dies because of another’s negligence or wrongdoing, your first concern may not be seeking compensation for your loss. In time, however, grief often turns to worry about your financial future. You don’t have to face the legal challenges of a wrongful death or catastrophic injury claim alone.
Traffic Violations
Sex Crimes
Peter Hileman is a former Deputy District Attorney in the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. Serving there, he won more than 30 jury trials. As a prosecutor, he coordinated the office’s trial list and handled a wide range of major felony cases including homicide, rape, armed robbery and narcotics. For the past 20 years, he has led a wide-ranging number of criminal defense cases, including major trials and appeals.
Robbery
Tom Blackburn served as a prosecutor in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office for 5 1/2 years. In this capacity, he gained far-reaching trial experience, prosecuting in a wide scope of criminal matters including burglary, robbery, DUI, narcotics, white-collar crime and homicide. As a prosecutor, Tom was appointed Chief of the Juvenile Division. He also worked as Trial Team Captain for one of two narcotics units. As a criminal defense lawyer, Tom’s practice has been focused in Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton and Montgomery Counties, but it has also included Philadelphia, Delaware, and Chester counties.
Burglary
White Collar Crimes
Theft
Assault
Homicide
Yes. Some defendant behaviors constitute violations of both civil law and criminal law. For example, assault, battery, and even homicide can be punished both civilly and criminally. The
Hit and Run
Are you a pedestrian who was injured by an automobile? Were you hit by a car in a crosswalk or shopping center parking lot? Did you lose a loved one in a fatal pedestrian accident? Did the car stop or was it a “hit and run”?
The backbone of our practice is the close working relationship we maintain with our varied business clients, including small and large corporations, partnerships and sole proprietorships. We provide counsel in a variety of business contexts, including incorporation of new or existing businesses, shareholder agreements, acquisitions, buy/sell agreements, commercial leasing, financing, collection and commercial litigation. Our firm’s considerable background in banking law has been a great benefit to our business clients seeking financing. Our goal is to develop personal relationships with our clients and encourage them to develop internal procedures and policies designed to prevent the occurrence of major legal problems.
Business Formation
From our Doylestown Office, we also provide many additional legal services to individuals, local businesses and religious organizations. Often our first contact with a client is the preparation or revision of a will or trust. We also provide counsel in a variety of business contexts, including business formation, shareholder agreements and buy/sell agreement, in addition to commercial litigation. These services are either provided on an hourly or fixed fee basis. If you have a need in any of the areas below, we encourage you to contact us so that we might determine if we can provide legal counsel and advice for your particular legal concern.
Commercial real estate matters. We have been involved in real estate development, representation of municipalities, zoning matters and tax assessment appeals. We are licensed title insurance agents and are able to prepare all necessary loan documentation.
Premises Liability
From dangerous ladders to snow accumulation during cold Pennsylvania winters, pedestrians, workers, patrons, and guests on others’ property face countless risks that can lead to devastating injuries. If you were injured at work, at a neighbor’s house, or while out on the town, the premises liability attorneys at Drake, Hileman & Davis are here to help you fight for just compensation.
Construction Litigation
Real Estate Transactions
With her extensive business law background and experience, Stephanie is passionate about helping business owners achieve their goals while overcoming operational and market challenges. Stephanie advises businesses and individuals regarding real estate sales, purchases, leases, and other transactions, both residential and commercial.
Land Use and Zoning
Landlord-Tenant Disputes
After graduating law school, Jeremy joined Drake, Hileman & Davis. Since then he has handled personal injury claims as well as other general civil litigation matters. These range from dog bites and car accidents, to contract disputes, landlord-tenant matters, and bad faith claims against insurance companies. During this time, Jeremy has successfully presented cases before juries, judges and arbitration panels. He has practiced law at both the county and federal levels throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 2014, he accepted a position as a shareholder in the Firm.
With offices in Easton and throughout Eastern Pennsylvania, the attorneys at Drake, Hileman & Davis, PC have been fighting for your neighbors for more than 30 years. Our team of personal injury lawyers is trial advocates who are committed to securing full, completed, and just compensation for accident victims and their families, whether that means skillfully negotiating an insurance settlement or pursuing an aggressive case strategy in court. A traumatic accident can have consequences that last for years to come, and if you have been injured or lost a loved one, it is critical that you seek experienced legal representation. Our Easton personal injury lawyer has spent decades fighting for individuals and families who have suffered losses due to...
Medical Malpractice
People injured by medical malpractice may be entitled to substantial compensation for pain, suffering, medical expenses and other damages. Medical malpractice liability, however, is difficult to prove. To prevail, an injured person must...
Auto Accidents
Dog Bites
If a dog has bitten you, your child, or another family member in Stroudsburg, your family may be entitled to financial recovery. We have helped many local families recover just compensation, and we can use our experience to take legal action on your behalf if warranted.
In addition to his achievements as a litigator, Jonathan has conducted public seminars on proper estate planning and wealth management. Within the local community, Jonathan has served and continues to serve on the boards of various non-profit organizations. Additionally, he was a member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges for fifteen years.
Wills
We offer a wide range of estate planning services to meet every need from simple wills and trusts to complex estate planning. Our attorneys prepare wills, revocable and irrevocable inter-vivos, charitable and testamentary trusts, foundations, living wills, and power of attorneys. In addition, we have the legal knowledge and expertise to help with creative estate planning, such as anatomical gift provisions, lifetime gifting arrangements, and family estate partnerships.
Trusts
Irrevocable trusts are an effective way of moving assets out of your taxable estate, though it can reduce your financial flexibility (i.e., you cannot directly control the assets). This not only helps with qualifying for Medicaid but can help you minimize certain tax and debt liabilities.
Power of Attorney
The attorneys at Drake, Hileman & Davis, P.C. provide estate planning services to clients in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Doylestown and surrounding areas of Bucks County and the Lehigh Valley. Whether you need an estate attorney to help prepare or revise a will, trust, or power of attorney, our attorneys create an estate plan that is tailored to the specific needs and goals of the client or family.
The new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“2017 Tax Cuts Act”) P.L. 115-97, doubled the Estate and Gift tax “Applicable Exclusion Amount,” from $5 million to $10 million, for gifts made, and estates of decedents dying, after December 31, 2017, and before January 1, 2026. (These amounts were previously adjusted for inflation.) By increasing the applicable exclusion amount, the new law automatically increases the Generation Skipping Tax (“GST”) exemption. Code Sec. 2631(c). See my prior article entitled, “The 2017 “Tax Cuts Act” and its Impact on the Federal Estate and Gift Tax Law.”