Christa S. Dunleavy

Christa Dunleavy is an experienced criminal defense attorney with over 30 years experience. Prior to joining Fairlie & Lippy, Ms. Dunleavy was a member of the Bucks County Public Defenders Office for 27 years. During her many years there, Ms. Dunleavy handled all aspects of criminal cases from arrest through preliminary hearings and trials. Ms. Dunleavy has represented clients charged as both adults and juveniles, with charges ranging from DUIs to homicides.

For the past six years, Ms. Dunleavy has acted as the Chief of Appeals. In this position, she handled post sentence and appellate matters before the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, the Pennsylvania Superior Court and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Ms. Dunleavy has handled hundreds of appeals throughout her career and has argued before the Pennylvania Superior and Supreme Court. Throughout her career, Ms. Dunleavy has challenged the constitutionality of various statutes and has successfully argued issues regarding statutory interpretation.

Ms. Dunleavy has also handled numerous post-conviction cases in both the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas and the Pennsylvania Superior Court. These matters have included claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, challenges to the legality of sentence and other collateral issues. Ms. Dunleavy has conducted evidentiary hearings, oral arguments and appeals to the Pennsylvania Superior Court for her post-conviction clients.

In addition, Ms. Dunleavy played an integral part in establishing treatment courts in Bucks County. She assisted with the creation of Bucks County’s Recovery Court and was a team member for many years. Ms. Dunleavy also assisted with the creation of Bucks County’s Veterans Treatment Court and was also a member of the Veterans Court team.

Ms. Dunleavy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in History and cum laude from the Dickinson School of Law. She resides in Montgomery County with her family.