Joseph D. Lento

I Pride Myself on Having Heart and Driving Hard to Get Results! 

As a veteran of one of the nation's highest stakes court systems, I have spent close to 20 years passionately advocating for clients and others in my charge both as an attorney and in other capacities.  As an attorney, I learned the practice of law in the trenches, dedicating myself to finding solutions to clients' matters both in and out of the courtroom.  At times, a client's matter can be resolved diplomatically, and I am a skillful negotiator. At other times, resolving a client's matter requires me to drive hard, and I do not back down in the face of adversity, no matter how difficult the challenge may seem!

What it Takes to Win

I had a modest upbringing and I fought hard to make it to the top.  While attending law school at night, I remember a comment that was made to me in a social setting - "It's not easy being a young attorney."  As a young attorney, it was by no means easy, but nothing stops me from coming out swinging and going the distance.  Being the first in my family to become an attorney, fighting with all of my heart to make the difficult situations my clients were faced with better, and putting my stake in the ground as a young attorney were challenges to be met and overcome.  When my clients come to me for help, they are often facing one of their most difficult times in life.  Knowing that life is not always easy, I take clients' concerns personally, and I am only satisfied when a client is satisfied.  Success is often hard-fought, and I wouldn't expect it to be any other way.

I threw my hat in the ring the day I graduated from Temple University's Beasley School of Law; a proud occasion after four demanding years of classes, four nights a week, and while working full-time.  With that goal in life accomplished, I took the initiative to learn what it takes to win as an attorney.  Working with a legend among Philadelphia criminal defense attorneys, studying criminal defense trial advocacy at the Defender Association of Philadelphia through Temple Law, and serving as a select private attorney for the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender gave me incomparable trial experience and expertise.  I went on to establish the Lento Law Firm which I started and built from the ground up, and which in more than a decade has successfully handled thousands of clients' cases, some of which have generated national and even international media coverage.

When I set a goal in life, I do not stop until I succeed, and I put the same determination into resolving my clients' concerns - Countless battles both in and out of the courtroom, countless negotiations where the stakes are always high, and sometimes, everything falls into place without having to come out swinging.  Nothing gets handed to most people in life, and whether it's a position I'm arguing for a client, a negotiation with the powers that be that will allow for a more favorable resolution to a client's case, or anything that requires me to drive hard, I do not stop until I get results! 

Maintaining My Edge

I maintain my edge, and I am an active member of notable legal associations and also organizations exclusively dedicated to defending people charged with criminal offenses. I stay on the frontline of the law, and I stay informed of the best practices in defending against such charges. Some of my professional activities, both past and present, include the following:

• American Bar Association - Criminal Justice Section
• National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys (NACDL)
• The Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey (ACDL-NJ)
• New York Bar Association - Criminal Justice Section
• Camden County Bar Association
• Burlington County Bar Association
• Mercer County Bar Association
• National College of DUI Defense (NCDD)
• National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)

Challenges Welcome

I always welcome a challenge, and working full-time while attending Temple University Beasley School of Law at night is but one example. Prior to my graduation from Temple Law, I attended Villanova University where I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Business.  I am proud to be the first in my family to graduate from college or law school, and my other accomplishments include acceptance into the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School and being awarded The Honorable Nicholas A. Cipriani Scholarship while at Temple Law. 

My past and professional experience also includes my work with the School District of Philadelphia and my work with at-risk youth for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania.  I serve as Government Counsel and also Acting City Solicitor for the Borough of Penns Grove, New Jersey.  As a First Judicial District of Pennsylvania certified arbitrator and an Eleventh Judicial District of Pennsylvania certified arbitrator, I presided over civil actions filed respectively in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County and the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County.

Getting Results

I pursue goals with intensity, have opened every door in life on my own, and proudly fight the good fight.  I have long understood the importance of driving hard to achieve goals, and when all is said and done, I do what it takes to get my clients results!

It's easy to call oneself a "fighter."  It's not easy to have the heart to back it up. In the courtroom and in life, I stand up when the bell rings.