PCRA lawyer in Philadelphia
Post-Conviction Relief Act petitions, appeals, and federal habeas corpus for people convicted in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania. One practice area, handled personally.
What a Philadelphia PCRA lawyer actually does
A Post-Conviction Relief Act petition is not a second appeal. It is a separate proceeding, filed in the same Court of Common Pleas courtroom where the case was tried, that asks the judge to look at what the trial record does not show: what the defense lawyer failed to investigate, what the Commonwealth did not disclose, what evidence surfaced only after the verdict. The work is part investigation, part records review, and part writing. Most of it happens before anything is filed.
In Philadelphia that means pulling the CP-51 docket, ordering transcripts from the court reporters, obtaining trial counsel's file, tracking down witnesses who were never called, and checking whether any officer in the case has since been placed on the District Attorney's disclosure list. It means calculating the filing deadline to the day, because the petition is dismissed without a hearing if it is late. And it means writing a petition specific enough that the judge cannot dispose of it with a form order.
Why the practice is focused on this work
Post-conviction law has its own statute, its own rules of procedure, its own appellate case law, and its own habits in each county. A lawyer who handles it occasionally, between trials and preliminary hearings, is working against lawyers in the District Attorney's PCRA Unit who handle nothing else. Focusing on post-conviction, appellate, and federal habeas work is how a small practice matches that.
Cases we take from Philadelphia and the surrounding counties
- First PCRA petitions after a direct appeal is affirmed, or after no appeal was filed. These are the cases where the most can still be done.
- Ineffective assistance of counsel: uncalled witnesses, unfiled suppression motions, bad plea advice, unpreserved objections, abandoned appeals.
- Newly discovered evidence: recantations, co-defendant admissions, discredited police officers, undisclosed files.
- Appeals from PCRA denials to the Superior Court, including cases where PCRA counsel missed claims that can still be raised under Commonwealth v. Bradley.
- Second petitions where a timeliness exception is available.
- Federal habeas corpus in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania once state remedies are exhausted.
- Direct appeals to the Superior Court where the judgment of sentence is recent.
Cases from Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, and Chester Counties are handled the same way; the courthouse changes, the statute does not.
What a case review involves
Send the defendant's name, the county, the year of sentencing, and what happened on appeal. We check the public docket and calculate the deadline before anything else. If the deadline has passed, we tell you whether any exception plausibly applies. If time remains, we review the docket, the opinions, and any documents you have, and give you a direct answer: the case is worth pursuing, it belongs with a different lawyer, or a petition is unlikely to succeed and here is why. The fee for the review is quoted before it begins.
Families often reach us after being told by the trial lawyer, or by someone at the prison, that "nothing more can be done." That is sometimes true. It is more often a sign that no one has calculated the deadline or read the record with post-conviction claims in mind.
Where the cases are heard
Philadelphia PCRA petitions are filed with the Office of Judicial Records at the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert Street, and assigned to the trial judge where possible. Appeals go to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, which sits in Philadelphia at 530 Walnut Street. Federal habeas petitions are filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania at 601 Market Street. Our guide to how PCRA petitions move through Philadelphia explains the process stage by stage.
About John A. Julian
John Julian is a Pennsylvania attorney whose practice is focused on post-conviction, appellate, and federal habeas work. He has briefed and argued in the Superior Court and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, where he has won, most recently in In re Shepard Smith (Pa. 2026). He reviews every inquiry personally. J.D., Temple University Beasley School of Law; B.A., University of Pittsburgh; Pennsylvania Bar No. 332603.
Convicted in Philadelphia and not sure what is still possible? Send the basics and we will pull the docket and calculate the deadline. Request a case review or call (215) 568-0607.
Common questions
Do you only handle Philadelphia cases?
No. The practice covers convictions from any Pennsylvania county, with most cases coming from Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. The PCRA statute and appellate courts are the same statewide.
Can a family member start the case review?
Yes. Most first conversations are with a parent, spouse, or sibling. The person serving the sentence must sign the petition and any fee agreement, but family can gather documents and coordinate.
What does the case review cost?
There is a fee for the review, quoted before it begins. If the case goes forward, fees for the petition are set out in writing before any work starts.
How fast do you respond?
An attorney responds to every inquiry within one business day. If a deadline is days away, call rather than using the form.