NiaLena Caravasos

A driving cornerstone of NiaLena's success is her passionate advocacy and her belief in traveling "the road less traveled by" made so famous by the poet, Robert Frost. Spotlighted by Super Lawyers in a feature article entitled "Fierce" and honored repeatedly in the "Top 50 Women" and "Top 100" and "Top 100 Philadelphia", NiaLena is the only criminal defense lawyer ever featured on the Super Lawyers cover in Philadelphia Magazine. Differing from most of her colleagues, NiaLena has tremendous compassion and focuses first on her clients as people. She utilizes a unique all-encompassing approach in an effort to help them during their representation because she realizes that clients who have been caught in the crosshairs of a criminal investigation are typically also dealing with a variety of other serious issues that transcend the confines of their specific legal case. Differing again from most other criminal lawyers, NiaLena is a graduate from the renowned Wharton School and also has work experience in the international business world. Consequently, she is also able to identify with many of the challenges facing white collar crime defendants in a manner that her colleagues cannot. Often setting her own course, NiaLena is known for always putting her clients' interests first: that reputation was initially earned when she was the youngest and only female attorney representing a high-ranking organized crime figure in the federal RICO trial of U.S. v. Joseph Merlino and yet did not hesitate to separate her client, Frank Gambino, and go against the old-boys network of other criminal lawyers representing mafia co-defendants. Her client who emerged from the trial victorious through his acquittals of attempted murder and racketeering charges was the beneficiary of NiaLena's individual courage, relentlessness, and strategic creativity. NiaLena was also the youngest and only female attorney representing Senator Vincent Fumo, long regarded as the most powerful politician in PA.

Boston University School of Law

J.D. | Law, Juris Doctor

1990 - 1993

Honors: (1) Commencement Award (BNA Law Student Award); (2) American Jurisprudence Award (Criminal Trial Practice); (3) Edward F. Hennessey Scholar; and (4) Commencement Speaker to the Faculty)

University of Pennsylvania

B.S. | Multinational Management and Marketing

1984 - 1988

Honors: The Wharton School (Graduated cum laude; Bachelor of Science degree in Economics)

Owner

Law Office Of NiaLena Caravasos, LLC

2009 - Current

Philadelphia Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer

"Ineffective Assistance of Counsel"

The Philadelphia Lawyer

"Ineffective Assistance of Counsel"

The Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

Frequent guest speaker over the past decade on white collar crime as well as ethics in Leadership programs

Management Department at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Lecturer in multiple CLE seminars

Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) Criminal Law Symposium

Teaching Forensic Psychiatry (Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania)

White Collar Crime & Business Ethics , Leadership Programs, Management Department

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

The Growing Intersection Between Forensic Psychiatry And Federal Criminal Defense , Forensic Psychiatric Fellowship Training Program

Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Civil Rights And How To Best Exercise Those Rights , National Youth Rights Association

University of Pennsylvania

Criminal Defense

Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) Criminal Law Symposium

Admitted to Practice

Massachusetts State Bar

Admitted to Practice

Pennsylvania State Bar

Admitted to Practice

3rd Circuit Court of Appeals

Admitted to Practice

US District Court, Eastern District of PA

Admitted to Practice

US Supreme Court

Top 100 Trial Lawyers

The National Trial Lawyers

2020

Highest professional rating (AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated)

Martindale-Hubbell

2020

Client Distinction Award

Martindale-Hubbell

2020

Superb rating (10.0 out of 10)

Avvo

2020

Best Attorneys Of America Lifetime Charter Member

Rue Ratings

2020

American Society of Legal Advocates

Member (by invitation only)

Current

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia; Section on Medicine, Ethics & the Law

Member (by invitation only)

Current

American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys

Member (by invitation only)

Current

Federal Bar Association, Criminal Law Committee

Member

Current

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Member

Current

Massachusetts

Since 1993

Pennsylvania

Since 1994

U.S. District Ct, Eastern District of PA

Since 1997

3rd Circuit

Since 1997

U.S. Supreme Court

Since 1997

• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Fees are specific to every case.

• White Collar Crime
• Criminal Law

• Federal Criminal Defense