While no two cases are exactly alike and outcomes can never be guaranteed, our firm prides itself in its strong track record of winning major cases.
While no two cases are exactly alike and outcomes can never be guaranteed, our firm prides itself in its strong track record of winning major cases.
The criminal justice system treats defendants like dirt. We fight this trend by aiming to treat all clients—and their family members—with respect and dignity.
While no two cases are exactly alike and outcomes can never be guaranteed, our firm prides itself in its strong track record of winning major cases.
The criminal justice system treats defendants like dirt. We fight this trend by aiming to treat all clients—and their family members—with respect and dignity.
Aaron Spolin is a former prosecutor and a published author of multiple books on criminal law, including Witness Misidentification in Criminal Trials and Fighting Federal Writs of Habeas Corpus. He handles criminal appeals, writs, and other forms of post-conviction relief in Texas, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and various federal courts in the jurisdictions listed. Aaron received his B.A. from Princeton University and his J.D. from U.C. Berkeley School of Law, where he was a member of the California Law Review.
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Please visit www.CriminalAppealsAdvocates.com for current information about the law firm and its staff.
Attorney Caitlin Dukes is a former prosecutor who handles criminal appeals, writs, and other post-conviction relief for the firm’s clients. She has a wide array of experience in state and federal courts. Besides having served as a Deputy District Attorney, her background includes work for multiple judges and government entities (including Federal District Court Judge James Knoll Gardner and the United States Department of Homeland Security) as well as private sector experience defending clients wrongfully accused of crimes.
Ms. Dukes’s primary goal on any given case is to identify the strongest arguments, clearly and succinctly present these arguments to the judge or fact-finder, keep the clients informed of the progress, and fight to win in court. One of her recent wins for Spolin & Dukes involved overturning a murder conviction for an innocent client. She received her J.D. degree from Widener Law School and her bachelor degree from the University of Buffalo. She is admitted to practice law in California, Pennsylvania, New York, and Texas.
Read the media coverage of Ms. Dukes’ promotion to partner and her track record in criminal appeals.
Lauren E. Allu, Esq. has been an attorney for over 20 years. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. Attorney Allu has vast courtroom experience and has been practicing criminal defense law for many years. She has significant appellate and post-conviction experience. She has filed appellate briefs in a dozen different jurisdictions. She graduated from Fordham Law School in New York City and Lehigh University in Pennsylvania for undergraduate. She is the Managing Attorney for Criminal Appeals Advocates in the New York and Pennsylvania region. She lives with her daughter and labrador retriever in Pennsylvania.
Kristen J. Mason brings a wealth of experience fighting criminal law cases up and down the state of California. She handles the California cases for Criminal Appeals Advocates. Before joining the firm she managed a regional office of a state-wide criminal law practice, which included a number of other attorneys. In addition to her experience, she brings to her cases a background fighting prosecutors and an understanding that our criminal justice system is woefully broken and regularly punishes or over-punishes those who are undeserving of such treatment.
Spolin & Dukes P.C. has a team of dedicated staff and third-party contractors who help deliver high-quality service to the firm’s clients. We are committed to achieving the highest possible success rate for each client while also treating all clients with respect and dignity.
Danie McCreary, the firm’s Law Office Manager, has over ten years of experience working as a trial assistant and office manager in a criminal defense law firm. She is extremely capable, organized, and committed to Spolin & Dukes’s goals of client service and maximizing positive outcomes. Michelle Runge, the firm’s case manager, also provides the same level of services and assistance with cases and clients.
Spolin & Dukes P.C.’s preferred investigators are Lisa DeBenedittis and Frank Mackey, who are independent contractors retained by Spolin & Dukes on a case-by-case basis. Mr. Mackey has testified in court for Spolin & Dukes P.C. clients on multiple occasions. He has over 30 years of experience investigating criminal cases and is a member of the Superior Court Panel of Licensed Investigators. Ms. DeBenedittis handles private investigation matters on various post-conviction cases throughout the country and is particularly skilled at locating and interviewing witnesses, collecting physical evidence, and drafting reports that can be helpful for writs of habeas corpus.
The criminal appeals lawyers at Spolin & Dukes P.C. contract with other outside investigators and experts when such help will strengthen a client’s case. Private investigators and analysts can examine crime scenes, interview witnesses, and analyze physical evidence to find material that the prosecution may have potentially withheld or material that can support an actual-innocence claim. Moreover, subject-matter experts (including, for example, psychiatrists or forensic accountants) can testify at hearings to counter the prosecution’s experts and provide a more balanced opinion of the issues at stake.
