NiaLena is a passionate and relentless advocate who doesn't take no for an answer and who has earned the reputation nationally as well as internationally as one of the top federal criminal defense lawyers in both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania and of not being afraid to separate her clients and fight individually, strategically, creatively, and relentlessly. Through her boutique law practice, she gives personal, undivided, and often 'round-the-clock attention to all clients in an effort to provide the absolute best defense possible. As a strong believer in Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," NiaLena often chooses to travel "the road less traveled by" and, as a result, many of her courtroom successes as a criminal defense lawyer have come in matters that others considered hopeless.
NiaLena is honored and humbled at her recent selection in 2012 as the only female criminal defense attorney in Pennsylvania invited to join the "Top 100 Trial Lawyers", where membership is obtained by special invitation from The National Trial Lawyers and extended only to those "Top 100" from every state who exemplify superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, stature, and profile as trial lawyers.(Please click on "Links / News Videos" on the left to visit NiaLena's profile in the Top 100 Trial Lawyers.) NiaLena concentrates her law practice primarily in federal criminal defense and in very serious state criminal cases. She has substantial experience in high-profile federal criminal cases and in extremely complicated federal criminal cases involving extensive electronic surveillance and wiretaps. Throughout the years, NiaLena has achieved successful results in difficult cases including but not limited to federal drug trafficking, federal firearms violations, state drug trafficking, arms trafficking, sex crimes, death penalty homicides, organized crime, RICO / racketeering, corrupt organizations, PCRA, federal habeas, federal grand jury investigations, conspiracy, fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, financial crimes, tax offenses, money laundering, white collar crime, political corruption, and federal sentencing downward departures.
NiaLena's federal criminal defense practice extends not only to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (including Philadelphia and its surrounding counties of Delaware County, Montgomery County, Bucks County, Berks County, Chester County, Lehigh County, Lancaster County, and Northampton County) and the Middle District of Pennsylvania (including Harrisburg, Scranton, Williamsport, and Wilkes-Barre), but also to the District of New Jersey (including Camden, Trenton, and Newark) and multiple jurisdictions in the United States. NiaLena's varied federal and state criminal clients have included the following:
Alleged kingpins of major drug trafficking organizations;
Alleged made members of La Cosa Nostra (LCN);
Medical doctors from various states in the U.S.;
A powerful politician;
Arab Americans, Russian-Ukranian Americans, and numerous other ethnic backgrounds;
CEO of an out-of-state mortgage company (Please visit Avvo.com by clicking on the "Links / News Videos" page of this website in order to read the full client review entitled "She Tamed The Beast" in which the client, the former CEO of his company, describes NiaLena as being "available to me 24/7 not 24/5 during the entire process" with "every decision she made [being] dead on, skillfully crafting my case to a very positive outcome ... more than I ever hoped for" while "she tamed the beast of a system that could have ended my life in prison");
Principal of nationwide advertising agency;
World-touring musician;
Olympic boxer hopeful;
Fellow Lawyers;
Police Officers;
Business Executives, Accountants, and Financiers;
University students (Please visit Avvo.com by clicking on the "Links / News Videos" page of this website in order to read the full client review entitled "A lawyer and a friend" in which the client, who expresses that he is "forever grateful for what she has done," describes NiaLena as "highly skilled and professional" who "went the extra mile and then some in dealing with my case" and made "sure not only me but my entire family knew what was going on every step of the way");
Many other fellow citizens.
Early in her career, NiaLena was the youngest and only female attorney to defend a reputed organized crime figure in the federal RICO prosecution of United States v. Joseph Merlino. Following a trial that lasted nearly five months and that marked the first time that an alleged mob boss, Ralph Natale, became an informant and testified on behalf of the government against his own alleged crime family, the jury acquitted her client, Frank Gambino, of attempted murder and racketeering charges. NiaLena's closing argument was subsequently selected among nationwide submissions and spotlighted as featured defense advocate by Center for Criminal Justice Advocacy in Houston and is also being used to this day as a teaching tool by professors nationwide. (Please click on "Links / News Videos" on the left to read excerpts from NiaLena's closing argument and also to view video clips of the news coverage from ABC News, NBC News, and Fox News of the Merlino / Gambino trial.)
She has since become lead counsel in serious multi-defendant federal and state criminal cases and was recently the youngest and only female member of the defense trial team representing Senator Vincent Fumo, long regarded as the most powerful politician in Pennsylvania, in his five-month high-profile white collar trial in federal court. At trial, NiaLena was the co-author of an emergency motion that made headline news in various local and national forums, including The New York Times and ABC News, regarding the request to halt the jury deliberations based upon the novel legal issue of social networking on Internet sites such as Facebook and Twitter by a juror during the Senator’s political corruption trial. (Please click on "Links / News Videos" on the left to read the New York Times and ABC News articles and also to view a video clip of the news coverage from ABC News of the Fumo trial.)
Previously retained to represent a Washington D.C. senior executive of a Fortune 500 financial company as well as aNew York Arab-American, both of whom faced criminal charges, NiaLena has been described by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Philadelphia Daily News as a "deliberate," "sincere," "extremely thorough," and "tireless advocate" with "courtroom poise" who "allows no legal issue to escape her attention" and by one of the most respected and recognized crime reporters in the country, George Anastasia, in The Last Gangster as "no-nonsense." Her efforts to always leave no stone unturned were also acknowledged on the record at the end of May 2010 during her representation of the principal of a nationwide advertising agency in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania when the Honorable Paul S. Diamond stated, “You’ve gone to an enormous … you’ve put an enormous amount of work into this. I want you to know how much I appreciate all the work you’ve done. I certainly hope your client appreciates it as well.”
After being recognized by her peers and featured by Philadelphia Magazine and also Law & Politics Magazine as a "Pennsylvania Rising Star Super Lawyer"in the field of Criminal Defense in both 2005 and 2006, she was also featured in articles in The Hellenic Voice and Hellenic Communication Service, LLC, publications devoted to issues of interest to the Greek-American community. Recently, she was also profiled in "Top Lawyers 2009" in Main Line Today. NiaLena then also rose to repeated recognition as a "Pennsylvania Super Lawyer" and is the only female lawyer in private practice in Philadelphia recognized by her peers in 2011, 2009, and 2008 as a "Pennsylvania Super Lawyer" in "Criminal Defense" and featured by Philadelphia Magazine and also Law & Politics Magazine. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. As a "Pennsylvania Super Lawyer," NiaLena's profile was also included among the "Influential Philadelphia Area Lawyers" profiled in "The Power Fifty" November 2009 edition of the Philadelphia Magazine. (Please click on "Links / News Videos" on the left to access NiaLena's profile on SuperLawyers.) NiaLena has achieved the highest professional rating for legal ability and ethical standards (AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated) by Martindale-Hubbell for every year from 2003 until 2012 as well as the recognition of a Top Federal Crime Lawyerwith aSuperb rating (10.0 out of 10) by Avvoin 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Additionally, NiaLena's law firm is not only among the 5% of law firms in America listed in the Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers™, but also she is recognized among the most elite women in the legal industry through her inclusion in the Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers™.She has also been recognized as a "Top Northeast Lawyer" for Criminal Defense by Avvo and featured in the November / December 2011 issue of Avvo's Arrive Magazine. (Please click on "Links / News Videos" on the left to access NiaLena's Avvo profile and Top Northeast Lawyers selection as well as her Martindale-Hubbell AV-Rated profile and video .)
NiaLena is also very honored that her law firm has been recognized among "the world's leading law firms and lawyers in an array of countries and continents across the globe" through her selection byCorporate INTL Magazineas aGlobal Awards Winnerand"Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year" for 2011 as well as"Pennsylvania Law Firm Of The Year in Criminal Law & White Collar Crime"for 2010. Both awards "commemorate those who have been active over the past 12 months and who have shown excellence not only in expertise but in service and during a difficult global economic downturn." As the award winners were ultimately selected by an independent awards panel which consisted of a senior partner of a global law firm, a senior partner of an international accountancy practice, the president of a global legal network, the chief executive of a multi-international business, an in-house lawyer for a large regional business, and the managing editor of Corporate International Magazine, both the 2011 Global Awardsand the 2010 Legal Awards "therefore merit leading firms in their chosen specialisms throughout the world."(Please click on "Links / News Videos" on the left to read excerpts of the Corporate INTL Magazine editions featuring the 2011 Global Awards Winners and the 2010 Legal Awards Winners.)
Moreover, NiaLena very much appreciates all of the wonderful reviews posted by clients as well as endorsements posted by colleagues on Avvo, some of which are highlighted above and also on the Quotes by Others and Case Examples pages of this website. All website visitors are invited to read the full client reviews and endorsements by other lawyers by clicking on "Links / News Videos" located on the left.
Law Office Of NiaLena Caravasos, LLC 926 Public Ledger Building, 150 S. Independence Mall West 620 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 Office Telephone: 215.925.5200 Email: NiaLena4Defense@gmail.comandNiaLena4Defense@aol.com Website: www.nialenacaravasos.com