Underage Drinking

For many high school, college and university students under 21 years old, drinking alcohol is a rite of passage. Unfortunately, underage drinking in Pennsylvania is a criminal offense and being arrested and convicted often brings serious consequences. Representation by an experienced, knowledgeable defense lawyer like Alex Silow can help to avoid the large fines, costs, loss of your driver’s license (yes, that’s right!), social stigma and potential suspension or expulsion from your school. Alex is a criminal defense lawyer with years of experience working as an Assistant District Attorney and many more years providing clients with outstanding defense representation and that means that an arrest does not always have to lead to a conviction and the life changing consequences that follow.

Alex has represented clients charged with underage drinking throughout Chester County and its surrounding areas and is qualified and licensed to represent clients in each of the 67 counties that make up the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Call 610-441-9310 to schedule a free case evaluation. With your upcoming court date, every minute without an experienced criminal defense lawyer places you into danger.

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It is no secret that young men and women consume alcohol. Studies show that 80% of college age students and young adults consume alcohol. The problem is that few who are under 21 years old, know or appreciate the consequences and long term damage to their reputation, to their education, to their job and to their career that are the result of an underage drinking criminal conviction.

For starters, an underage drinking conviction in Pennsylvania will result in a 90 day license suspension whether the person was caught drinking while walking down the street or in their home or while operating a vehicle – the penalty is a 90 day license suspension. Many are surprised to learn that you could lose your license for criminal conduct that has nothing to absolutely nothing to do with driving. Unfortunately, most people don’t know about this penalty until after they have either pleaded guilty or have been found guilty and subsequently receive a notice from PennDOT notifying them that they have to turn-in their driver’s license and begin serving a very lengthy suspension. This penalty, in itself, is life changing: how do you get to school? How do you get to your job? What about your social life?

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In addition, and quite possibly to an even bigger effect, the conviction itself is a blemish on your record and prevents or hinders your ability to obtain many employment opportunities. Employers in industries like teaching or child care may shy away from a potential employee who they feel may have alcohol issues. A DUI conviction or an underage drinking conviction could be a signal to the potential employer that the person has a drinking problem. The employer may not be willing to hire someone that they don’t feel that they can trust. Furthermore, many schools have policies that do not tolerate underage drinking and you can find yourself expelled from your school, thus losing your tuition payments, and find it hard to gain admittance to a comparable school.

If you are facing an underage drinking charge, call Alex Silow at 610-441-9310 right now to schedule a free consultation to discuss the facts and circumstances surrounding your situation. There are alternative and lesser punishments if you take action as soon as possible – don’t wait, underage drinking is a serious crime and the charges won’t just go away!

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