After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences with a dual degree in Political Science and Latin American Studies and then graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, I began my legal career in September of 2000, working as a Philadelphia County Prosecutor. Fighting for the rights of crime victims and competing against the best criminal defense attorneys in Philadelphia allowed me to aggressively develop my courtroom skills. I prosecuted over 600 jury and non-jury trials in the Municipal Court, Juvenile, Felony Waiver, and Major Trial Units, for crimes ranging from aggravated assaults, rapes, burglaries, robberies, forgeries, attempted murders, and narcotics. While working for the Honorable Lynne M. Abraham, I won over 70% of my major felony jury trials and built a reputation as an aggressive trial attorney.
Even before graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, I devoted countless hours to helping people in the area of family law, while serving as a Boardmember for the Custody and Support Assistance Clinic (CASAC), managing other law students in providing assistance to pro bono family law litigants. After law school, I also served as the law clerk for a prominent judge in Philadelphia Family Court, performing legal research for the judge and writing judicial opinions in cases where the judge’s ruling had been appealed. My attention to detail and writing skills helped me draft opinions, which were consistently upheld by the Pennsylvania Superior and Supreme Court. These same writing skills have served me well in both my family and criminal law practice.
Once leaving the District Attorney’s Office in 2005, I founded The Law Office of Freddy M. Godoy, in order to create a full-service law firm devoted solely to the practice areas of family law and criminal law. It is important that a family law attorney have an intimate understanding of the dynamics between family and criminal law. It is also important than an attorney have no fear of stepping into a courtroom, challenging the veracity of witnesses, and proving his or her case. Having both prosecuted and defended individuals charged with serious crimes, in which either the safety of the community or the personal liberty of a client were at stake, I possess the confidence and skill-set to approach any controversy, with the goal of victory.
