Criminal
The area of criminal law in Pennsylvania is constantly evolving. An example
of the changes in Pennsylvania Law is the change in the driving under
the influence laws enacted by the Pennsylvania legislature and made effective
on February 1, 2004. The change dramatically changed the previous law
in implementing a three tiered level of blood alcohol (BAC) levels with
specific penalty provisions for people caught driving while impaired.
DUI penalties
Mr. Gottlieb keeps up with all of the current changes in Pennsylvania
and Federal criminal statutes and case law. With many years of experience
in criminal trials, his efforts to provide the best criminal defense for
his clients are thoroughly backed. He strives to maintain a high degree
of professionalism, through knowledge of the intricacies of state and
federal criminal laws, and his years of experience in the field to best
serve his clients.
Firearms Rights
Do you want to own a firearm? Do you want a concealed carry license? The
appeal process from these denials is complex and confusing to many people,
even to some lawyers. Mr. Gottlieb has successfully litigated these cases
against the State Police resulting in restoration of firearms rights to
his clients.
Personal Injury
Mr. Gottlieb has vast experience in handling personal injury cases including
auto accident cases, motorcycle accident cases, slip and fall cases, and
products liability cases. He has the knowledge and experience you can
count on to properly evaluate your case, prepare your case for trial,
and professionally and competently present your case at trial. He will
aggressively advocate for you and see to it that you are adequately compensated
when you are injured by the negligence of others.
He will not attempt to settle your case for less than it is worth and
you can be confident that he will advocate zealously with your interest
in mind. Mr. Gottlieb routinely confers with experts so that you can rest
assured that he will secure the best possible result in your case.
When Mr. Gottlieb consults with you about your personal injury case, the
initial consultation is free of charge. If you decide to retain him as
your lawyer in your personal injury case, you will not be required to
pay unless he is successful in obtaining a recovery for you. He encourages
you to contact him at your convenience to discuss your case. Your confidence
means a great deal to Mr. Gottlieb and he will fight for your rights to
secure that assurance in our handling of your case.
Family Law
Mr. Gottlieb has successfully litigated many child support, child custody,
equitable distribution, and divorce cases. His office is conveniently
located directly across the street from the Montgomery County Court House
and next door to the Family Court of Montgomery County. Because the hourly
rates he charges are very competitive with other family law practitioners,
and because of the unique location next door to Family Court and across
the street from the Court House, his family law clients often pay less
in counsel fees than the other party in the litigation.
Mr. Gottlieb realizes that someone who is going through a separation and
divorce is quite possibly dealing with the most difficult time in one's
life and that emotions run high. He promises to advocate zealously on
your behalf, but he will not recommend extensive and often expensive litigation
in a case in which it is not required. Mr. Gottlieb's goal in representing
you is to provide the best proper legal representation at a time when
you may be emotionally vulnerable, while at all times attempting to minimize
your expense, embarrassment, and the devastating effects the a separation
and divorce may have. Mr. Gottlieb is an experienced trial attorney and
has the ability to litigate vigorously on your behalf, if the circumstances
call for it.
Support - Issues of child support,
spousal support, and alimony arise in virtually all domestic cases. These
issues are governed by the Pennsylvania Support Guidelines. You should
have an experienced advocate, such as Mr. Gottlieb, who understands how
to decipher the Pennsylvania Support Guidelines on your side to protect
your rights as you go through the support proceedings.
Custody - Issues of child custody
can be the most emotional and acrimonious problems that the parties to
a divorce will encounter. The standard for child custody disputes is the
"best interest of the child." Mr. Gottlieb is experienced in
resolving child custody cases where possible and in effectively litigating
a custody case where it is necessary.
Divorce - In Pennsylvania, grounds
for a no-fault divorce are either two years of separation, or mutual consent
of the parties. Difficult conflicts often arise in determining how the
marital assets are divided. The process is called equitable distribution.
There are many factors that are considered in determining an appropriate
division of property in a divorce, and Mr. Gottlieb is skilled in recognizing
the issues and crafting arguments to serve your interests.
Workers Compensation
If you have been injured at work, you may have thought that your employer
would have taken care of you because of your years of devoted work for
them. Don't be surprised when, after a work injury, your employer is now
treating you like you are a stranger. Mr. Gottlieb knows what you are
facing because he has helped people just like you, who have been in the
same position, facing the same problems that you are now facing. Don't
let your employer or your employer's worker's compensation insurer take
advantage of you. They do not have your best interest in mind.
If you are injured at work in Pennsylvania, you have rights under the
Pennsylvania Worker's Compensation Act. Under the Pennsylvania Worker's
Compensation Act you have the right to have your medical bills for treatment
of your work injury paid and you have the right to wage loss benefits
if you are unable to work because of your work injury. In certain circumstances
you may be entitled to specific loss benefits and payments if you are
disfigured.
If you are already receiving workers compensation benefits because of
a work injury and your employer, or its worker's compensation insurance
carrier, sends you to see one of their doctors, they may be trying to
terminate your benefits, which will leave you without any income. The
term IME stands for independent medical examination. If the IME is scheduled
at the request of your employer's worker's compensation insurance carrier,
it may not be independent. In some cases these physicians are selected
by the insurance company to give them the opinion they need to terminate
your worker's compensation benefits. You should contact Mr. Gottlieb's
office to find out what your rights are when this happens. Usually, an
IME requested by the employer's insurance company will result in the filing
of a Petition to Terminate Worker's Compensation Benefits, which must
be litigated before a Worker's Compensation Judge.
It is important that you speak with an experienced attorney, such as Mr.
Gottlieb, early in the process so that your rights are not compromised.
Business Law
Mr. Gottlieb represents a number of local small businesses. If you want
to start a small business, Mr. Gottlieb can assist you in this regard.
He can explain to you the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating,
forming a limited liability company, establishing a partnership, or sole
proprietorship. He can also assist you in dissolving your business whether
by agreement or forced dissolution. Mr. Gottlieb's experience in these
areas can help you through all phases of forming, maintaining, or dissolving
a small business.
Municipal Law
For a period of over fifteen years, Mr. Gottlieb was involved with municipal
work under the tutelage of Paul C. Vangrossi, the long-time Solicitor
of the Borough of Norristown. In this capacity, he was involved extensively
in reviewing and approving land development plans, zoning problems, building
code enforcement, municipal legislation and other real estate concerns.
Wills & Trusts/Orphans Court Litigation
Mr. Gottlieb has a great deal of experience in preparing wills and trusts.
Most people want to have a will so that when they die their property will
be divided among their family members as they wish. A trust is where your
property is being held by a third party when you die for the benefit of
one of your heirs. This can be desirable when the person receiving the
gift is very young.
Orphan's Court litigation arises when there is a dispute over the terms
of a will or the circumstances of how the will was prepared and signed.
There may have been "undue influence" over the decedent at the
time the will was prepared and signed. Mr. Gottlieb can explain what these
terms mean and what the consequences are when this happens.
If the executor of the will is not complying with the terms of the will
or is "self dealing," there are things you can do to stop this.
Contact Mr. Gottlieb to see what remedies are available when this is happening
to you.
