Family Law

• Child Custody and Visitation
• Adoption
• Child Abuse
  In many cases, the county Children and Youth Agency will determine these allegations are “Indicated†after half-hearted investigations. These findings can have very serious impacts on your life. You would not be able to coach your son’s soccer team, chaperone your daughter’s school trip, or work at a daycare. If you or a loved one are under investigation for a report of child abuse, do not delay. You need Buchanan Law to assert your rights and let Children and Youth know you intend to fight these scandalous allegations.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  W. Joshua Buchanan is an experienced litigator in all areas of criminal defense. Prior to opening Buchanan Law, Mr. Buchanan was a criminal attorney at Goldman Law Offices, one of the oldest criminal law practices in Bucks County, PA. There, Mr. Buchanan litigated cases in Bucks, Montgomery, and Lehigh Counties.
• DUI/DWI
  A growing number of DUI arrests in Bucks, Montgomery, and Lehigh County are related to the use of prescription medications. Just because you were lawfully prescribed medications does not mean that you can legally operate a vehicle. This includes medications received from your family doctor and medical marijuana. Nevertheless, the police and District Attorney would have you believe that you cannot drive a vehicle after taking any medications or using medical marijuana in the previous days. This is not true. You need a lawyer that knows medications (including medical marijuana), how they effect the body, the constantly changing law, and the toxicologist you will need to defend your case. If you have been charged with a DUI that involves prescribed medication or medical marijuana, MAKE IT COUNT with an experienced criminal lawyer from Buchanan Law.
• Traffic Violations
  Many people charged with traffic offenses simply plead guilty when they receive the citations. Most feel that they were speeding and do not want to take the time or spend the money needed to get a better result. Traffic offenses often have hidden consequences that can have serious impacts on your life.
• Sex Crimes
  The investigation of sex offenses generally takes longer than other criminal charges. In many cases, the investigation will be conducted by the District Attorney’s Detectives. This means they have nearly unlimited resources at their disposal. When possible, Detectives will try to arrange for a one-party consent wiretap. In these cases, the Detective ask the complainant to call you on a telephone and follow a “script†. The script usually calls for the complainant to get you to say you are sorry in exchange for not going to the police. This whole procedure is designed to get you to admit to the crime as the complainant has already went to the police. Detective’s will also use similar scripts for text messages as well. When you know there is a possibility that you are being investigated for a sex offense in Bucks, Montgomery, or Lehigh County, you must assume that anything you say or text is being heard and read by the District Attorney.
• Robbery
  (1) Except as provided under paragraph (2), robbery under subsection (a)(1)(iv) and (vi) is a felony of the second degree; robbery under subsection (a)(1)(v) is a felony of the third degree; otherwise, it is a felony of the first degree.
• Burglary
• Theft
• Misdemeanors
  (e) Failure to control or report dangerous fires - A person who knows that a fire is endangering the life or property of another and fails to take reasonable measures to put out or control the fire, when he can do so without substantial risk to himself, or to give a prompt fire alarm, commits a misdemeanor of the first degree if...
• Drug Crimes
  Drug offenses are some of the most commonly charged by law enforcement in Bucks, Montgomery, and Lehigh Counties. Because these charges almost always stem from searches and seizures, an analysis to determine whether the police violated your 4th Amendment rights must be conducted by a defense lawyer that is an expert in both criminal and Constitutional law. Because many narcotics officers aggressively pursue drug arrests, they will often violate your rights in the name of getting drugs off the street. If you are charged with a drug offense in Bucks, Montgomery, or Lehigh County, you need the experience and skill of Buchanan Law to defend your rights and make sure you are not wrongfully convicted
• Assault
  (b) Grading.-- Aggravated assault under subsection (a)(1), (2) and (9) is a felony of the first degree. Aggravated assault under subsection (a)(3), (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) is a felony of the second degree.
• Murder
  (1) A person convicted of violating the provisions of subsection (a)(2), murder of the first degree, shall be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without right to parole; a person convicted of murder of the second degree, pursuant to subsection (a)(2), shall be sentenced to life imprisonment without right to parole. Notwithstanding provisions to the contrary, no language herein shall infringe upon the inherent powers of the Governor to commute said sentence.
• Probation Violation
  At a hearing for violating your probation, you will appear before the Judge that imposed the original sentence. In the Judge’s mind, he or she cut you a break last time by giving you probation and you are now standing before them for violating that sentence. Only this time there are no guidelines restraining the sentence the Judge is about to impose. At a probation violation hearing, the Judge can sentence you to the statutory maximum sentence and you will have very little recourse.
• Homicide
• Arson
  (a.2) Arson of historic resource - A person commits a felony of the second degree if the person, with the intent of destroying or damaging a historic resource of another, does any of the following...
• Kidnapping
  (a) Offense defined - Except as provided in subsection (a.1), a person is guilty of kidnapping if he unlawfully removes another a substantial distance under the circumstances from the place where he is found, or if he unlawfully confines another for a substantial period in a place of isolation, with any of the following intentions...