Reviews

I was accused of harassment and this was my first encounter with the law. I had no knowledge of the court system or what I was supposed to do in the situation. Matt McClenahen informed me of the entire process and how the case would be handled. I was very distraught because I would be finishing school and looking to start my career. Matt helped me feel better about the entire predicament. At the trial, Matt was very effective in his actions. His experience and knowledge of the law was far superior to the arresting officer. He went beyond all of my expectations and I was found not guilty. I was extremely satisfied with his professionalism, knowledge and abilities in the courtroom. I highly recommend him to anyone.

Our son was charged with an underage drinking violation. I was very distraught because our son has a CDL that he could not lose. He is enrolled in a community college program where it is a requirement that he have his CDL. I called Mr. McClenahen's office on a Sunday thinking that I would have to leave a message for him. To my surprise, he actually answered the phone and gave me advice. The same day, the day after the incident took place, the officer from BLCE contacted me and told me that I had a son that I should be proud of, that he was very respectful of the officer and that he would agree to change the charge to a Disorderly Conduct for him and work with him. 1 1/2 days before my son was scheduled to go before the district magistrate, Mr. McClenahen contacted me to inform me that the BLCE officer had contacted him and told him that "the policy changed" and he was unable to change the charges. Basically, we had two options, my son could plead guilty and lose his license for a minimum of 90 days (nobody had information on how long his CDL would be supsended if this happened) or he could go to trial. We decided to go to trial before the district magistrate. The BLCE officer was unbending and would not agree to change the charges even though he knew how detrimental it would be to my son's career. During the trial, the BLCE officer gave his testimony. The district magistrate asked Mr. McClenahen if he had anything to which he replied that he didn't. I was so angry at this point because it seemed to me that he wasn't trying to plead my son's case. The BLCE officer gave his closing remarks with the suggestion of the Youth Offender's Program (which would have imposed a minimum 90 day license suspension). When the district magistrate asked Mr. McClenahen for his closing remarks, he requested that my son be found not guilty since the officer had not stated HOW he came to find out that my son was, in fact under the age of 21. The officer tried to explain himself but Mr. McClenahen interrupted and told him he had already given his testimony and closed. The district magistrate had to find my son "Not Guilty" -which in fact came with no fines or costs and no license suspension! Thank goodness Mr. McClenahen was aware of the fact that BLCE had to prove how they knew my son was underage. This is the only thing that saved his career because, without his CDL, he would have been removed from the college program. Thank you, thank you, thank you Mr. McClenahen for everything you did. Our son has certainly learned his lesson and now knows how close he came to losing a career that he LOVES. In closing I'd like to just point out that many people mistakenly believe that a charge of Underage Drinking "is no big deal" and feel that they don't need attorney representation. Too many people do not consult with a defense attorney and instead take legal advice from the officer or the court staff. Such people may intend to provide good advice, but they often are not aware of all aspects of a case to fully advocate for the client's best interests, or the "policies change" and when the time comes to go before the court, you think you don't have any options. I highly recommend Mr. McClenahen for anyone in a similar situation as my son's.

From the moment I received a referral from a professional colleague until present day, Matt has been very sincere, knowledgeable, trustworthy, approachable and highly professional. I highly recommend him, especially for DUI cases.

I had a difficult case of a second DUI, driving with a suspended license, and children in the car. Starting with the first phone call Matt took the time to explain everything, to thoroughly explain my options, and to calm me down and assure me that we would get the best possible outcome. He is very knowledgeable on PA laws and has a great relationship with the DA's and the judges in Centre County. He was able to negotiate a plea deal and then arrange for me to have house arrest for 4 months when I could have spent years behind bars. I will be forever grateful and I strongly recommend that anyone with a DUI or related charges to seek his help. My family and I were very impressed with his presence in court and his overall demeanor. I am now able to save my employment and provide for my family instead of sitting in a jail cell.

Matt recently represented me in my hearing to terminate probation early. He was upfront about my chances, took me step-by-step through the process, and molded an effective argument for early termination. Matt was patient with my myriad questions and quick to return my phone calls. Matt made a process that would have otherwise been very stressful as painless as it could be. And, of course, I couldn't be more pleased to have a successful outcome in my case. I highly recommend Matt's services.

This past year, I had the unfortunate task of having to find a Criminal Defense Attorney for my son. After checking around and talking to some people I decided to set up an appointment with Matt McClenahen. At the appointment, he spent time going over the charges and most importantly explaining exactly what they meant. Not having any idea about the law and the way the court system worked, Matt patiently answered my questions and did so in a way that I could understand. Anytime I had questions he got back to me right away and he never left me waiting. In the court room, I got to see how he performed; I was not disappointed. He did not back down from the older lawyers who had been around the block and they did not intimidate him for one second. Matt was able to get my son into the ARD program, even after they had denied him initially. I am so thankful for all that he has done for my family. I would recommend him to anybody who is looking for a good Criminal Defense Attorney.

Matt worked hard to help me out with the case and was able to get my charges dropped. Always kept me informed of everything detail going on with the case. I highly recommend to use his services.

My son was charged with underage drinking while visiting a friend at Penn State. He would have lost his driving license but Matt worked out an arrangement that was acceptable with everyone. My son can now continue to drive to school and keep his job.

From the very start, Mr McClenahen was upfront, honest, and knowledge about the details of my case. He explained the punishments I was facing, and helped me through each step. I also appreciated his mention of "Goose Day" during one of the hearings, because it showed that he had a personality, and it also helped ease at least a little bit of the tension in the courtroom that day. I would definitely recommend you hire Mr McClenahen for your criminal case.

I retained Mr. McClenahen for a DUI case. He was immediately engaged in the case, providing a spirited defense. He shared his knowledge and experience and patiently listened to & answered all of my questions and concerns then provided a clear direction forward, staying in close contact and working with me during the whole process. From making clear to me the facts of my case, and the law, through laying out a series of steps we would take with the goal of a fair and reasonable sentence, he provided calm, clear, everyday-language guidance even when I was in a panic. I will gladly recommend his services to any one I find who is in need.

Mr. McClenahen was retained in connection with a criminal citation issued by the State College Police. In addition to making himself available immediately to handle the case, he was extremely knowledgeable, experienced, articulate and practical....everything you want in a criminal defense attorney. Moreover, he has been extraordinarily responsive, and kept me fullyinformed every step of the way. I am particularly impressed with his follow-up. Mr. McClenahen is a first-rate criminal defense attorney.

We live 1,000 miles from State College and sent a great kid to PSU on an academic scholarship to the Engineering school. He was a varsity athlete, honor roll student, did community service and was very involved in school so when he was arrested at PSU I was not only shocked but never saw it coming. I found Matt McClenahen and others on the internet. The reason I hired him was because he picked up the phone late at night and returned every single call for a week while I was panicking. He assured me he would help get my son to various locations and followed through on every commitment he made to me. In the state of PA when arrested with alcohol (in his dorm room) and you are under the age of 21 you automatically lose your driver’s license in PA. Fast forward to his community service date which arrived in mid-summer (6+ months after the incident) and the parole officer would NOT move the date. Matt stepped in AGAIN. He sent a petition to the judge and went back to court to have the date moved to a more reasonable time when our son would be returning to school. Our son not only could not drive to State College he had no place to sleep and Matt had to go to bat for him again. I hope we never need Mr. McClenahen but if we did I would not hesitate to hire him again!