Top Rated Criminal Defense Attorney in Kingston, PA

Philip Gelso, Esquire practices criminal defense at the state and federal levels, representing clients in the Hazleton, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre metropolitan areas as well as throughout Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania.

Mr. Gelso has more than 20 years of experience and is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania state and federal courts as well as before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Gelso has received several awards for his achievements. He holds an AV Preeminent* peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell and was named one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” by The National Trial Lawyers. He is the recipient of the 2018 Charles P. Gelso President’s Award as well as two presidents’ and directors’ commendations from the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Litigation Counsel of America.

Mr. Gelso belongs to the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has held several leadership roles with the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and served on the Criminal Justice Act panels for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

Passionate about giving back to his community, Mr. Gelso is the solicitor for the Wyoming Valley Children’s Association. He is also a member of the First Lieutenant Jeffrey DePrimo scholarship committee and the pre-cana team of the Diocese of Scranton.

Mr. Gelso graduated cum laude from The University of Scranton with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science. He earned his law degree from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.