Steven F. Fairlie Esq. - North Wales, PA
Attorney at Fairlie & Lippy, P.C.
Criminal Law Lawyers in North Wales, PA
1501 Lower State Rd. Ste. 304 North Wales, PA 19454
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
31
Years
Experience
North Wales Criminal Law Lawyer
Updated: 05/04/2026
Areas of Practice
- Criminal Law 50%
- Personal Injury/Civil Litigation 50%
Attorney Information
Overview
Steven F. Fairlie has been named one of Pennsylvania's "Rising Stars" as published in Philadelphia Magazine in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He is also one of just a handful of attorneys with offices in the Philadelphia Suburbs to be named a "Lawyer on the Fast Track" by The Legal Intelligencer in 2006.
He has successfully handled numerous civil (slip and fall, auto accidents, land development litigation, etc.) and criminal trials (narcotics, DUI, capital murder, robbery, rape, etc.). Prior to private practice, he worked on the Narcotics Team and the Major Crimes Team of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office from 1996 to 2000. He successfully argued for the death penalty in 1999 and was lead prosecutor in a case involving $55 million of cocaine. Subsequently, as a defense attorney, he took the appeal of a client sentenced to death and convinced the prosecutor to vacate the death sentence. He used forensic tire print evidence to prove another client not guilty of attempted murder. In yet another case he uncovered evidence which reduced the offer on a robbery case from 25–50 years down to 2 years probation. He represented one individual charged with 3 separate charges of DUI and had the first case dismissed at the Preliminary Hearing, the second accepted into the A.R.D. program, and the third case dismissed after a trial judge granted suppression of all evidence in the case. Mr. Fairlie has obtained not-guilty verdicts in major jury trials involving shootings, burglaries, etc. despite positive eyewitness identifications of his clients. On appeal, he has successfully argued for reversal of a death sentence in one case and a sentence of 70 years in another case.
In 2007, Mr. Fairlie went to trial on a case involving more than $50 million of land transactions and settled the case in the second week of trial. He has obtained six-figure settlements in numerous personal injury cases.
Mr. Fairlie often serves as a speaker for various organizations such as the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Annual (2007–2009) Criminal Law Symposium in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He also teaches numerous other continuing legal education seminars for lawyers every year.
He earned his B.A. in Government and Law from Lafayette College in 1991 and his J.D. from The Dickinson School of Law in 1995 where he was a member of the Appellate Moot Court Board, the Environmental Law Journal, and a Chairman of the Student Bar Association. He has been Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Montgomery County Bar Association's Criminal Defense Committee since 2001, a member of the Montgomery County Bar Association's Trial Lawyers' Section, a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Professionalism Committee and Civil Litigation Section, a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Hotline Panel of Experts Committee, and an Associate Member of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Mr. Fairlie's areas of practice include civil litigation, personal injury, criminal law and construction litigation.
Mr. Fairlie enjoys scuba-diving, hunting, fishing and coaching youth sports.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- First Attorney Ever Awarded the Montgomery County District Attorney's Medal by District Attorney Bruce Caster, 2000
- Pennsylvania's "Rising Star" Published in Philadelphia Magazine, 2005 - 2007
- "Lawyer on the Fast Track" by the Legal Intelligencer, 2006
- Top 100 Lawyers in Pennsylvania, published in Philadelphia Magazine
- Top Rated Attorneys in Philadelphia, published in the Wall Street Journal
- Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer”, published in Philadelphia Magazine
- Top 100 Trial Lawyers, by The National Trial Lawyers
- Top 100 Lawyers, by the American Society of Legal Advocates
Other Sources of Feedback About Steven F. Fairlie Esq.
Included on the 2026 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2011 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2010 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2007 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2006 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2005 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
Education
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Legal Education
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The Dickinson School of Law,
Carlisle,
Pennsylvania, 1995
J.D.
Honors: Member, Appellate Moot Court Board
Honors: Member, Student Bar Association
Law Journal: The Dickinson School of Law Journal of Environmental Law & Policy, Member, 1994 - 1995
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The Dickinson School of Law,
Carlisle,
Pennsylvania, 1995
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Non Legal Education
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Lafayette College,
Easton,
Pennsylvania, 1991
A.B.
Honors: Dean's List
Major: Government & Law -
University of Sydney,
Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia
Honors: With Distinction
Major: International Government
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Lafayette College,
Easton,
Pennsylvania, 1991
Past Positions
- Abeln Law Offices, Associate, 1995 - 1996
- Montgomery County District Attorney, Assistant District Attorney, 1996 - 2000
Classes and Seminars
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Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Annual Criminal Law Symposium; Harrisburg
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Search and Seizure for Police Officers, Montgomery County District Attorney's Office
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Criminal Law for the Family Lawyer, Montgomery Bar Association
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Criminal Consequences of Protection From Abuse Litigation, Montgomery Bar Association
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Advanced Issues in Criminal Law, Montgomery Bar Association
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Everything You Need to Know About the New DUI Law, Montgomery Bar Association
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Mike Marino’s Killer Cross-Examination Techniques, Montgomery Bar Association
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Recent Developments In Pennsylvania Sentencing, Montgomery Bar Association
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Everything You Need to Know About the New Montgomery County Drug Court, Montgomery Bar Association
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Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Law, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Harrisburg
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How to Run a Criminal Law Practice, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Harrisburg
- Should My Client Testify?, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Harrisburg
Pro Bono Activities
- Volunteer Attorney, The Innocence Project
- Senior Adult Activity Center in Indian Valley, 2000
- Coach, Mount Saint Joseph's Academy Mock Trial Team (Montgomery County Champions), 2001 - 2004
- Court-Appointed Murder Cases
Published Works
Articles
-
"The New Greenfields Legislation: A Practitioner's Guide to Recycling Old Industrial Sites" (Co-Author), 5 Dick. J. Law Envt'l 77 Pol'y, Mongomery County Criminal Law Handbook, 1996
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Co-Author, Montgomery County Criminal Law Handbook.
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania, 1995
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1996
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2000
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 2007
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2002
Other Affiliations
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, 1995 - Present (Member)
- Montgomery County Bar Association, 1996 - Present (Member)
- Hatboro Rotary, 2000 - 2004 (Member, Paul Harris Fellow)
- Montgomery County Criminal Defense Committee, 2000 - Present (Chairman)
- Philadelphia Bar Association, 2000 - Present (Associate Member)
- PA Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2001 - Present (Member)
- PA Trial Lawyers Association, 2002 - Present (Member)
- Pennsylvania Bar Association (Member, Professionalism Committee)
- Montgomery American Inn of Court (Member)
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section (Member)
- Montgomery County Bar Association, Trial Lawyers' Section (Member)
- Montgomery County Bar Association (Member, Bench-Bar Committee)
Fraternities and Sororities
- Zeta Psi
- Delta Theta Phi
Photo
Contact
1501 Lower State Rd.
Ste. 304
North Wales, PA 19454
Phone: 215-874-6213
Fax: 215-997-1777
Email: Send a message
Website: https://fairlielaw.com/
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