Zak T. Goldstein, Esq.

Zak T. Goldstein is a Philadelphia criminal defense lawyer who will take ownership of your case and fight until he obtains the best possible result for you. Most importantly, Mr. Goldstein is a lawyer who is not afraid to take a difficult case to trial. He has tried hundreds of cases before judges and juries, and he has successfully defended thousands of clients in both state and federal court. He has won critical pre-trial motions including motions to suppress evidence such as drugs, guns, and confessions. He has also won full acquittals for his clients in both bench trials and jury trials in cases involving charges as serious as murder, aggravated assault, rape, fraud, and robbery. When the circumstances of the case call for it, Mr. Goldstein is a skilled negotiator. On many occasions, he has been able to obtain favorable non-trial resolutions to his clients' cases, including the dismissal of charges, entry into diversionary programs like ARD, and negotiated pleas to significantly reduced charges and sentences. Mr. Goldstein is widely considered to be one of Pennsylvania’s top appellate litigators for criminal appeals. He has successfully represented clients in criminal appeals, post-conviction relief act litigation, and federal habeas corpus petitions under 28 U.S.C. § 2544. He has obtained new trials for clients who were convicted of charges as serious as first degree murder and sexual assault and convinced appellate courts to overturn life sentences on appeal. He has argued before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and litigated writs of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court. He has also obtained relief for clients in numerous PCRA and federal habeas corpus matters, including winning an exoneration based on prosecutorial and police misconduct for a client who spent 33 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Zak Goldstein started his own criminal defense practice because he is passionate about defending the constitutional rights of the accused and helping victims of police misconduct obtain justice. He is an experienced advocate who will fight hard for your rights in order to make sure that you have every possible advantage when dealing with the power of the police and the prosecutor. Attorney Goldstein handles all types of charges, from misdemeanors like DUI and simple possession to serious felonies including aggravated assault, robbery, gun charges, possession with intent to deliver, sex crimes, and criminal homicide. Prior to starting his own defense firm in Center City Philadelphia with attorney Demetra Mehta, Zak Goldstein was an Assistant Defender with the Defender Association of Philadelphia; one of the most well regarded and highly trained public defender offices in the country. As a defender, he gained the trial experience needed to fight for his clients and get results, representing thousands of people charged with offenses ranging from summary matters to the most serious and complex felonies. After leaving the Defender Association, Zak Goldstein worked for a time as an associate for a nationally recognized AmLaw 200 law firm specializing in complex civil litigation.