Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
Bucks County Detectives are seeking a Morrisville Borough man who they alleged practiced law without a law license and obtained thousands of dollars in legal fees from unknowing clients.
On Thursday, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office announced they believe Michael Jerome McAndrew, 57, who went by the name Michael MacAndrews, took advantage of others who believed he was an attorney.
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A warrant was filed last month by county detectives on charges for two counts each of theft by deception and deceptive business practices, and one count each of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received, identity theft, insurance fraud, unauthorized practice of law.
McAndrew has yet to be preliminarily arraigned on the charges and has not been located, authorities said.
McAndrew, using his alias, operated Superior Legal Services at 1609 Woodbourne Road in Middletown Township’s Levittown section for years, according to court papers and an internet archive search.
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Authorities said they interviewed a licensed attorney who said he worked from June 2021 until earlier this year with McAndrew. The lawyer reported that during that time, he co-counseled three civil matters with McAndrew and received referrals for 12 criminal cases that he handled alone.
The attorney stopped working with McAndrew after he learned his boss didn’t have a law license, detectives said.
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County detectives interviewed people involved in two civil lawsuits to get more information.
“One said he signed a retainer with McAndrew for $30,000 on September 20, 2021, to be paid in six monthly installments of $5,000. He said he had paid McAndrew between $15,000 to $20,000 of the total. The clients in the second civil suit said they signed a retainer with McAndrew on Feruary 18, 2022, and paid him $6,000 to represent them,” prosecutors said in a statement.
Detectives discovered that McAndrew repeatedly identified himself as a licensed attorney with the same name working for Comcast and had professional liability insurance under his frequently used alias, authorities said.
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During a search warrant executed at his Morrisville Borough apartment, McAndrew allegedly admitted to giving the impression he was an attorney. He also reportedly said he did not go to law school and learned what he needed to know by performing searches on Google.
Superior Legal Services promoted the business on social media and by sending letters to people possibly needing legal services, detectives reported.
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LevittownNow.com checked with the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and they returned no listing of a law license for McAndrew in Bucks County.
The website for Superior Legal Services was not online as of Thursday, the phone number was disconnected, and a Facebook page no longer existed.
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Archived version of the website from years past show a basic design with very limited information McAndrew. It showed off several positive testimonials.
“Get on the path to results today,” the website proclaimed in 2020.
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The business advertised that it offered to stop foreclosures, mount a creditor defense, and help those dealing with the IRS.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim or knows McAndrew’s whereabouts has been asked to contact Bucks County Detective Timothy Johnson at 215-348-6868 or submit a tip through BucksDA.org.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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