Daniel-Paul Alva, Esq.
Mr. Alva graduated from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in 1972. He began his career in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office assigned to the newly formed Narcotics Unit, which followed cases from investigation through trial. He became associated with Stephen Robert LaCheen Esq., in 1974 and thereafter became partner in the firm of LaCheen and Alva. He founded his own firm in 1987 that became Alva Foster & Moscow, LLC, which handles all areas of trial work, concentrating in state, federal, local and national criminal trials.
Mr. Alva belongs to the National and Pennsylvania Associations of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws. He was selected by Philadelphia Magazine as one of the "78 for 78". He has tried more than 5, 000 cases, the majority in Pennsylvania, but also in eleven (11) other states.
In 1998 he served as Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section, and was honored to repeat the role in 2002. Mr. Alva also has served on the Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention for ten (10) years. In 2003, he was elected to a three year term on the Board on Governors of the Bar Association. In 2006, Mr. Alva served as the Chair of the Board of Governors. In 2008 2009 and 2010, Mr. Alva is Co-Chair of the Municipal Court Committee.
For the last fifteen (15) years, Mr. Alva has served as an adjunct professor at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, teaching in the nationally rated number one School of Trial Advocacy. For the last four years, Mr. Alva has been selected to teach the Advanced Trial Advocacy Course.
In 2003, Mr. Alva was appointed by his Honor, Mayor John Street as a member of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee representing all Philadelphia attorneys, a position he held until 2007. This committee oversaw the Philadelphia Criminal Justice System (courts, prisons, judges, attorneys, etc.)
He has created, chaired or been a panel member on eight continuing legal education courses in Philadelphia, including Five-County Criminal Practice (created and chaired); cross examination in homicide cases, mitigation in homicide cases, defending a narcotics cases, as well as the ethnics of criminal cases (co-creator and panelist, three times.) In 2005, Mr. Alva along with USDC Judge Bruce Kauffman and M. Mark Mendell, Esq. spoke on civility in the Courts. Lectured (CLE) three times at National NORML convention, first on cross-examination techniques for the very young or old witness and secondly on selling ones client to the courts. Mr. Alva has lectured on cross examination techniques for the young witnesses on two occasions before individual sections of the Bucks County Bar Association (Family and Criminal Law)
In 1984, Mr. Alva received an Honorarium to speak at his alma mater, Brandeis School of Law, to much acclaim. The topic "Life after Law School" has been modified (to fit various topics) at Temple University, Beasley School of law, and most recently at Widener School of Law in 2006. Although the motivational speech was entitled "Trials and Tribulations of a Criminal Trial Lawyer", it dealt heavily with ethics and civility in the courtroom. Mr. Alva has appeared on TV’s CN-8, "Its Your Call" with Lynn Doyle on a variety of topics as a legal expert.
Recognized as one of the "Deans" of Criminal Law and selected as a "Super Lawyer" a majority of years since inception, he maintains an active practice today.