Fake Attorney Sentenced For Bilking Lower Bucks Clients 'Thousands'

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA —A Lower Bucks County man was sentenced Friday for bilking clients of thousands of dollars in legal fees while practicing law without a law license, authorities said.

Michael Jerome McAndrew, 58, of Morrisville, was sentenced to 9 to 23 months in the Bucks County Correctional Facility for bilking unsuspecting clients, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.

McAndrew entered guilty pleas in March to theft by deception, deceptive business practices, identity theft, insurance fraud, and unauthorized practice of law. McAndrew, who also went by Michael MacAndrews, has been in custody since August 2023.

As part of the sentence handed down by Common Pleas Judge Charissa J. Liller, his sentence is to begin on Friday after McAndrew waived his credit for time served.

Additionally, Liller ordered him to serve five years of probation, reside in a recovery house, undergo drug and alcohol treatment, and repay $26,000 in restitution to three sets of victims.

At Friday’s hearing, Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber said McAndrew would go through great lengths to portray himself as an attorney, advertising his business through social media, a business website with positive customer testimonials, online reviews that referred to him as “Mike the Lawyer,” and by sending letters to people possibly in need of legal services.

Through the investigation, numerous victims were identified.

“Not only do they feel betrayed,” Furber said, “they feel a profound sense of embarrassment that they were so misled.”

The investigation by Bucks County Detective Timothy Johnson revealed that McAndrew owned and operated Superior Legal Services at 1609 Woodbourne Road in Levittown, Middletown Township.

A licensed attorney told Detectives he worked with McAndrew from June 2021 until a year later after learning that McAndrew was not licensed.

During that time, he said he co-counseled three civil cases with McAndrew and was referred 12 criminal cases that he handled on his own. Detective Johnson spoke to the victims, uncovering that they paid legal fees to McAndrew.

The investigation also revealed that McAndrew often identified himself as a licensed attorney with the same name who works for Comcast Cable and held professional liability insurance under his frequently used alias of Michael MacAndrews.

Charges against him were filed in November 2022.