Zuckerman Law Firm, LLC

05/07/2026

Currently, a person convicted of Careless Driving Causing Unintentional Death under Section 3714(b) of the Vehicle Code faces a summary offense with a 90-day license suspension. Under SB 1286, this would now be charged as a misdemeanor criminal offense carrying a 2-year license suspension.

Use this digital hub to find your local Pennsylvania legislator, view past and upcoming session days, and view bills, amendments, statutes, and other legislative information.

05/06/2026

Paul Miller's Law goes into effect on June 5, 2026. While behind the wheel, you cannot hold a cell phone or use any part of your body to support a cell phone, even while stopped at a red light. Violators will be pulled over and subject to $50 fines, plus court costs.

PA’s Paul Miller Law Bans The Use of Hand Held Devices While Driving or Stopped at a Traffic Light In 2010, while reaching for his cell phone, a tractor-trailer driver struck and killed Paul Miller. In 2023, there were 11,262 crashes involving distracted driving. Pennsylvania’s Paul Miller law w...

05/02/2026

“I already had a hearing at the magistrate and…”
• “I missed my court date.”
• “I thought the DA would drop my charges.”
• "I thought I didn't need a lawyer because the victim wanted to drop the charges."
• “I thought the judge would cut me a break.”
• "I didn't know my license would be suspended for these charges."

We hear this every week — often 2 to 10 calls from people who tried to handle things on their own, and now things didn’t go as planned.

Here’s what we commonly see:
• Missed preliminary hearings → bench warrants issued
• Missed traffic hearings → convictions, points, and license suspensions
• Missed opportunities to reduce or withdraw misdemeanor and felony charges
• Missed chances to develop key trial or suppression issues

What happens at the magistrate level matters more than most people realize. Early decisions can shape the entire course of your case.

Trying to save money by going it alone can end up costing far more later. Once your case moves to the Court of Common Pleas, the stakes — and the costs — increase significantly:
• Summary appeals
• License suspension appeals
• Trial and litigation fees

Many of these expenses — and outcomes — can be avoided with proactive legal representation from the start. The best time to call a lawyer isn’t after something goes wrong. The best time to call a lawyer is when charges are filed against you.

At the Zuckerman Law Firm LLC, we provide:
• Free consultations explaining potential points, license suspensions, and penalties for criminal, DUI, and traffic charges
• Verbal and written hearing reminders to clients so you never miss a court date
• Proactive hearing reminders in the week leading up to each court appearance
📞 For a free consultation on criminal, DUI, or traffic charges, call Zuckerman Law Firm LLC at 412-447-5580.

03/24/2026

We see it all the time - driver is involved in a single vehicle accident, the investigating officer does not witness the crash, but cites the driver with Careless Driving.

The 2026 Griffin decision makes it clear that the mere occurrence of an accident does not rise to the level of Careless Driving. To convict of Careless Driving, the Commonwealth must prove more than "ordinary negligence."

Got into an accident and charged with Careless Driving? This may not be enough to convict. For a free consultation, call 412-447-5580.

03/22/2026

Driving Under the Influence of Kratom - or other impairing substances that are not defined as controlled substances - can lead to you being prosecuted and convicted of DUI in Pennsylvania.

If you are charged with a DUI for taking Kratom, you can be prosecuted under Sections 3802(d)(2) and (d)(3) of the Vehicle Code. For a free consultation, call 412-447-5580.

01/09/2026

If you have stolen from retail establishments and haven't been caught - stop now. If you continue, you will eventually be caught, charged with Retail Theft and banned from the store. To make matters worse, loss prevention officers will review past transaction records and surveillance footage to determine if you have committed past thefts, and prosecutors may charge you with additional offenses accordingly. Even minor retail thefts can remain on a person's criminal background check for a minimum period of 5 years, with more serious offenses remaining permanently. It's not worth it.

If you are detained or charged in connection with a Retail Theft incident, our firm can help. Call 412-447-5580 for a free consultation.

12/26/2025

On 12/22/25, Governor Shapiro signed House Bill 1615 into law. This law creates a new type of DUI offense under Section 3802(h) of the Vehicle Code entitled DUI Following Diversion, allowing those who accrue DUI charges within 10 years of completing ARD to receive enhanced mandatory minimum and statutory maximum sentences. To learn more about the new DUI provision, please check out our website.

If you completed ARD for a DUI within the last 10 years, and are charged with a new DUI offense, you will be charged with DUI Following Diversion.

11/23/2025

As the holiday season approaches, a busier social calendar often leads to an increase in DUI-related arrests throughout November and December—and a corresponding surge in DUI cases for Pittsburgh DUI Attorneys in January and February. Before you head out for Thanksgiving Eve celebrations or visit any holiday pop-up bars, keep the following in mind:

1. If you consume more than two light beers, two 4-oz glasses of wine, or two ounces of liquor, do not drive.

In Pennsylvania, you can be charged with DUI even if you don’t feel “drunk.” It is unlawful to drive, operate, or be in actual physical control of a vehicle with a BAC of .08% or higher, or if alcohol has substantially impaired your normal physical or mental abilities. It doesn’t take much to cross the .08% threshold.

2. Expect heightened DUI enforcement during the holidays.

State and local police increase visibility through campaigns like 2024’s “Operation Safe Holiday,” which included roving DUI patrols and sobriety checkpoints. Between Thanksgiving Eve and New Year’s Eve in Pennsylvania, there were 857 alcohol-related crashes, 307 drug-related crashes, 31 fatalities, and 809 suspected serious injuries.

3. Driving buzzed or drunk is not worth the cost—or the risk.

Even if you make it home safely, you may save only $56–$90 by avoiding an Uber during surge pricing. If you are charged with a first-offense DUI and enter the ARD program, the fines and court costs alone equal the price of 33–52 peak-price Uber trips. With attorney’s fees factored in, that number rises to roughly 55–89 trips.

4. If you are stopped for suspected DUI and asked to submit to a blood or breath test, take the test.

Refusing a chemical test is almost always the worst option. When you refuse a chemical test, (a) you face a 12-18 month license suspension, (b) you will still be charged with DUI, and (c) you will face an additional suspension of 0-18 months for DUI if you are convicted or admitted into a diversionary program.

If you are arrested for DUI this holiday season, call 412-447-5580 for a free and confidential consultation.

06/05/2025

1st-time DUI Offenders will no longer receive diversionary programs in certain Pennsylvania counties. Washington and Westmoreland counties are no longer offering ARD to those facing 1st offense DUI’s in the highest tier (BAC above .16% or controlled substance cases). Butler County is no longer offering ARD to any DUI offenders.

On 5/30/25, the PA Supreme Court declared that the portion of Section 3806 of the Vehicle Code, which treats the acceptance of ARD as a "prior offense," is unconstitutional. As a result, the acceptance of ARD cannot be used to enhance mandatory minimum or statutory maximum sentences on future DUI offenses.

This decision helps repeat offenders and hurts first-time offenders. In response, many DA's offices throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are simply refusing to offer ARD at all to 1st-time DUI offenders. In their political calculations, it is worth ruining many people's careers in order to punish a small percentage of those who reoffend.

The legislature can fix this issue by creating a new type of diversionary program - one that requires an admission of guilt without a formal conviction on one's record (i.e. Georgia's First Offender Act).

Learn more about how the landmark ruling in Commonwealth v. Shifflett may impact your DUI case in Western Pennsylvania.

05/30/2025

Beginning next week, you may be stopped by law enforcement for holding or reaching for your phone while driving, even if you are stopped at a traffic light.

PA’s Paul Miller Law Bans The Use of Hand Held Devices While Driving or Stopped at a Traffic Light In 2010, while reaching for his cell phone, a tractor-trailer driver struck and killed Paul Miller. In 2023, there were 11,262 crashes involving distracted driving. Pennsylvania’s Paul Miller law w...