As many teenagers do, my son was recently charged with Possession and Paraphernalia of marijuana. Because my son was eighteen, it made the case more complicated in that he was legally and adult even though he was still in high school.

Not really knowing what to do, I contacted the Allegheny Bar Association and received a recommendation to contact Justin as he was an expert in these types of cases. I contacted Jason and he set up our first meeting with my son. Justin was very clear with my son about the seriousness of the charges and told him specifically what he needed to do if he wanted the charges reduced or dropped. He specifically told him that he would have to enroll in a drug treatment program that would on a weekly basis check for any drugs in his system and counsel him. This was approximately 5-6 weeks before the hearing. My son did his part and followed Justin’s instructions to a tee.

When the hearing date arrived, my son and I were still very nervous about the potential outcome. My son had just been accepted to a prestigious college program and having one big mistake like this happen could ruin his future. Justin was able to meet with the arresting officer outside the hearing room and work out a plea bargain whereby the Possession and Paraphernalia charges were reduced to Disorderly Conduct. We had to pay court costs but walked out of the court room with a huge sigh of relief.

We can’t thank Justin enough for what he did for us. He truly understands that young people make stupid mistakes but that should not define who they are for the rest of their lives. Lastly, Justin did one other thing for us and that was to get the initial charges expunged from my son’s record so that it doesn’t stay on his record when he is out of college looking for work.

My son is off to college next week and he is very aware that he is one lucky guy!