Legal Experience That Stands Out
Drew is an experienced trial attorney in both state and federal courts. Prior to rejoining the Firm, he served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office for five years, eventually promoted to Chief of the Major Crimes Unit. As an assistant district attorney, Drew prosecuted violent offenders for criminal homicide, aggravated assaults, burglaries, and robberies as well as major thefts and frauds. He secured several First-Degree Murder convictions during his tenure and developed a specialty in self-defense prosecutions. While at the firm, Drew continued his service to the Luzerne D.A.’s Office as pro bono special counsel securing First-Degree Murder convictions in two trials held in 2023 (Com. v. Roberto Torner, CP-40-CR-0002079-2020, and Com. v. Alberto, CP-40-CR-0004311-2021).
Before becoming a lawyer, Drew worked as a communications aide for the former mayor of Wilkes-Barre, between 2010 and 2014, and for a state senator, between 2016 and 2017, while finishing up his third year of law school and studying for the bar exam.
Drew was one of the lead prosecutors in Com. v. Reynaldo Mercado, CP-40-CR-0004049-2018—a trial that was held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township in November of 2020 because of social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drew also has litigated trusts and estate matters in Orphans’ Court. He served as both trial and appellate counsel defending an executor and an estate in a will contest asserting that the will was the product of weakened intellect. The Pennsylvania Superior Court resoundingly affirmed the trial court’s verdict upholding the validity of the will. Drew also has represented student-athletes and their families before district committees and appeals boards of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (“PIAA”).
Representative Matters
- Successfully represented a municipality in a federal civil rights case on appeal before the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Four plaintiffs asserted Monell claims against the municipality, which were dismissed by the trial court on statute of limitations grounds. On appeal, plaintiffs asserted that the statute of limitations did not begin to run until they were aware of each of the other plaintiffs claims after being informed by their counsel of their existence. The Third Circuit affirmed dismissal rejecting plaintiffs’ expansive view of statute of limitations jurisprudence.
- Counsel for a school district in a personnel investigation regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate communications by a teacher with his former students.
- Counsel for a student-athlete who had been suspended from regular and post-season athletics because of allegations that his transfer between high schools was athletically motivated. In two separate appeal hearings, the PIAA Appeals Board reinstated the student-athlete’s regular and post-season eligibility in unanimous votes.
- Represented an off-duty police officer sued for assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The complaint was dismissed on the first round of preliminary objections and was not refiled against the police officer.
- Served as a special prosecutor in Columbia County in a joint prosecution of the Luzerne and Columbia County D.A.’s Offices against a defendant who intentionally drove through a crowd at a fundraiser and then bludgeoned his mother to death with a hammer in a single criminal episode in both jurisdictions. The defendant pled guilty to two counts of First-Degree Murder and was sentenced to two consecutive Life sentences plus a consecutive sentence of 123-300 years on 19 counts of attempted murder.
- Pro bono trial counsel for an indigent federal inmate who alleged that prison officials were deliberately indifferent to his medical needs in violation of the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
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