Why us?

Steve Rice started his career at the public defender’s office. That is where he learned the ropes. On August 7, 2003, his birthday and the last day of his third year, Steve left to start his own firm. He bet the farm on the only thing he knew how to do: criminal defense. He has been at it over 20 years now.

In 2006, Steve had the good fortune to connect with David Erhard, our other full-service criminal defense lawyer. David was a law student at the time and president of his school’s Trial Advocacy Honor Society. David joined the firm that year, after he had graduated from school. He has been at is over 15 years.

In our world, where there is a revolving door of lawyers flirting with criminal defense work, where many of them still don't know what kind of lawyers they want to be when they grow up — 15, 20 years of doing one thing is a long time. Well north of the 10,000 hour rule.

What’s more, criminal defense is all we have ever done. We don’t know what it is like to be a prosecutor or a general practitioner. We went all in on day one and never looked back. It’s not just what we do. It’s who we are.

You can verify how much experience Steve and Dave have by going to the “Look up Attorney” page on the Disciplinary Board of Pennsylvania’s website. Click/tap link.

Please consider doing this for other lawyers you are evaluating.

How do you measure skill? You don’t. You ask people who do, who know how to, people who know the difference. Sure, you can ask your friends or read reviews, and you should. But sometimes you should go to another lawyer or an expert for a referral.

Enter the National Board of Trial Advocacy. The NBTA is an agency approved by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to help people like you in the selection of legal representation through a process called board certification.

The NBTA has given its stamp of approval to Steve Rice, the leader of our firm. He isn't just a criminal defense attorney. He is a Board Certified Criminal Trial Advocate. 1 of about 15 lawyers in the state with that credential.

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You can verify Steve’s board certification by going to his page on the NBTA’s website. Click/tap link.

You can also verify it by going to the “Find a Board Certified Attorney” page on the NBTA’s website. Click/tap link.

Please consider doing this for other lawyers you are evaluating.

It depends on where you are talking about and what you are talking about. What we can say with confidence is that we are a leader. The term “best” we don’t get near. Too puffy. Too subjective. Plus, when you’re the best, you don’t need to say it. And don’t. At least if you have any class. Let the public decide who’s the best.

Leadership based on objective facts, that’s a different story. Let’s look at the most recent year, 2021:

• We were hired for more private criminal cases (i.e., cases where lawyer was paid by a client or someone other than the government for representation) than any other firm in Adams County, PA. Same for Franklin County, PA. We are the leader in this regard.

• But not for Cumberland County, PA. We’re a top-10 player there, but not the volume leader by any stretch.

More means more. It doesn’t mean better, right? Absolutely. It just happens to be one of the few verifiable metrics out there by which to compare law firms and lawyers. And it says something when more people who can afford to hire a lawyer choose your firm than any other firm.

How about results? They probably matter more than anything. The problem is, it is hard to get verifiable data on results, particularly ones that may be relevant to your case. Many law firms and lawyers are like gamblers or people who play the stock market. They only talk about their wins, not their losses.

Steve Rice will offer you both. In the “Verify” section below, you will find a link to the results of all of his jury trials, from the day he started as a lawyer through the present date. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

There are other metrics out there, to be sure (e.g., referrals, reviews, word of mouth), and we intend to write about them in due course. For now, suffice it to say that it is tough trying to find the right lawyer. We hope that the information on this website helps you to do that, even if you do not choose not us.

If there is a best lawyer for you, it is the one you are most comfortable with, after doing your homework and listening to people you trust. Let your mind guide you, but go with your gut. Your sixth sense will know more than your mind ever will.

PRIVATE CRIMINAL CASES

Go to the Case Search page of the Web Portal for the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Click/tap link.

You can search for the data by attorney and time period. Then you can add together the numbers for each attorney in a firm to come up with firm totals.

Some data is not publicly available (e.g., the records have been expunged or are subject to limited access).

JURY TRIALS

For a list of all of Steve’s jury trials, click/tap this link.

This information is regularly updated. Steve promises that the list is complete and accurate and that you can reasonably rely on it as complete and accurate in making a decision about his services.

If you want to compare the performance of Steve Rice Law and other firms, go to The Rank Report.

That is our blog for tracking leadership data about our firm and other firms.

We also include more detailed guidance on how to do a case search and verify the numbers in our reports.

Go to the Rank Report >