Educational Background
Gettysburg College
Bachelor of Arts, May 1991
Departmental Honors in Political Science
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Juris Doctor, May 1994
Received Highest Class Grade in Criminal Procedure
Clerked for a Firm Involving Complex Litigation Involving Nuclear Engineering Matters
Court Admissions
Admitted to Practice in Pennsylvania in November of 1994 (Top Five-Percent Bar Exam Score). Admitted in Middle District, Eastern District, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Pennsylvania’s Federal Courts.
Work Experience
Criminal Experience
Attorney Wilson began practicing law in Central Pennsylvania in 1994 where he worked for a solo practitioner and concentrated on criminal defense. While there, Attorney Wilson handled numerous DUI cases, assaults, and drug offenses. Working at that firm also introduced Attorney Wilson to practicing in numerous Central Pennsylvania Counties.
In 1996, Attorney Wilson was hired at the Dauphin County Public Defender’s Office. From the early stages of his work in that office, Attorney Wilson was assigned numerous serious cases, He handled thousands of criminal files including multiple homicide cases (two involving the death penalty), sexual offenses, drug offenses, and hundreds of cases involving DUI and traffic violations. While an assistant public defender, Attorney Wilson was a part of numerous jury and bench trials and handled a number of appeals.
Many of Attorney Wilson’s cases received significant media attention, but Attorney Wilson also handled numerous less serious cases in which he was able to obtain significant reduction of charges and sometimes complete dismissal of cases at the preliminary hearing or pretrial stage.
In 1997, Attorney Wilson won his first fully litigated appeal which resulted in the remand of a case and the ultimate dismissal of charges in a case involving a significant mandatory minimum.
In 1998-1999, Attorney Wilson was assigned as lead counsel on two death penalty cases. In both cases, the death penalty was avoided.
In 1999, Attorney Wilson was hired at a Central Pennsylvania litigation firm, which focused on civil litigation. This experience gave Attorney Wilson the opportunity to handle cases in nearly 20 different Pennsylvania counties. It also exposed him to significant medical training, which benefits his practice in both criminal and civil matters. Attorney Wilson learned to provide efficient, cost effective representation on complex legal matters.
Experience at PennDOT
In 2001, Attorney Wilson was appointed as an Assistant Counsel at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Early in his career at PennDOT, Attorney Wilson was tasked with updating the existing prequalification codes, which had been challenged by a contractor on a bid protest. Due to Attorney Wilson’s efforts, the prequalification codes were significantly expanded to provide more specific work descriptions for many codes. Attorney Wilson also worked with the prequalification office to determine consistent standards for awarding contractors additional codes or determining whether a firm should be prequalified. Attorney Wilson also represented PennDOT on most suspension and debarment matters that occurred from 2002 through 2011.
That experience with prequalification, bid protests, and suspension and debarment matters puts Attorney Wilson in a truly unique position compared with other attorneys. When your ability to do business is at stake, retaining experienced counsel is paramount.
While counsel for PennDOT, Attorney Wilson litigated numerous other types cases before various administrative, trial court, and appellate level tribunals. Seven of his cases resulted in published opinions. Three of those cases resulted in publication in national construction law journals and have been referenced in numerous law review articles and subsequent cases (including numerous case references beyond Pennsylvania). During his time with PennDOT, Attorney Wilson also litigated more bid protests than any other Commonwealth attorney.
Criminal Experience at PennDOT
Attorney Wilson assisted both the Attorney General’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office on criminal matters involving construction fraud and bid rigging. He provided background materials to assist the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the largest Disadvantage Business Enterprise fraud prosecution in U.S. history.
In 2011, Attorney Wilson was concurrently appointed to three Chief Counsel Positions: Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of State Fire Commissioner.
While serving as a Chief Counsel at PEMA, during Tropical Storm Lee, Attorney Wilson provided critical legal guidance in order to obtain for Pennsylvania, the first Presidential Major Disaster Declaration in the United States (out of approximately 15 states and jurisdictions) and was instrumental in Pennsylvania opening the first disaster recovery centers in the United States dedicated to those affected by Tropical Storm Lee.
Return to Private Practice
In January of 2012, Attorney Wilson returned to private practice where he has used his significant criminal defense and PennDOT experience to assist numerous clients. He has obtained positive results on numerous occasions in a variety of criminal cases from minor to major.
Services include assisting numerous contractors in obtaining initial prequalification (or additional prequalification codes), assistance on bid protests, DBE certification, and claim preparation (usually avoiding a claim and resulting in positive results such as time extensions “in the field”). Attorney Wilson has also represented municipalities with construction issues, and has handled numerous cases of interest including representing an engineering firm on a major case involving allegations of bid rigging and fraud.
Since early 2012, Attorney Wilson has also provided counsel to numerous criminal defendants in both jury and judge trials and has handled numerous appeals including receiving relief for clients in multiple appellate cases.
Attorney Wilson has also helped many clients resolve criminal cases through ARD, significant charge reduction, or through outright dismissal. He has assisted many of these clients with the expunging of criminal records so that any arrest or charge no longer has the same impact for employment or other personal matters.
Attorney Wilson has also assisted multiple clients (both DUI clients and non-DUI clients) with PennDOT related license suspension issues. In numerous cases, he reduced or avoided license suspensions because of his effective advocacy.
Aside from criminal and construction matters, Attorney Wilson has received positive attention for other cases where he has significantly assisted clients in various types of litigation.
Personal Background
In his personal life, Attorney Wilson is married with a daughter and is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus. He is also a Past President of the Penn Gardens Lions Club.
Attorney Wilson has held numerous local political party positions and has worked on multiple successful political campaigns. In those areas, he has received multiple awards for his dedicated involvement.
About Our Firm
Our firm prides itself in providing clients individual attention and experienced counsel. Experience matters when choosing an attorney – and timely legal advice is also critical. We believe that whether you’re dealing with a minor criminal matter or something much more serious, you should be able to count on an attorney to provide sound legal guidance at every stage. This is precisely why we make ourselves available to all our clients 24/7 and we do not charge for most phone calls from our clients. We also team with other qualified counsel with appropriate experience when warranted.
We accept multiple forms of payment including credit cards.