Nuts & Bolts of Criminal Practice in Philadelphia Municipal Court 2026

Brett Zakeosian is an Assistant District Attorney and the Chief of the Municipal Court Unit (MCU) for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO). Raised in Delaware County, he is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University (B.S. Chemistry) and the Villanova University School of Law (J.D., cum laude). Following law school, he externed with the Honorable Angelo J. Foglietta of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County and then clerked for the Honorable Timothy M. Sullivan of the Court of Common Pleas of Blair County. He then clerked for the Honorable H. Geoffrey Moulton, Jr. of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. ADA Zakeosian has been with the DAO since January of 2018. He began in the Appeals Unit before he joined the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in January of 2019. As a SIU prosecutor, he investigated, charged, and prosecuted cases against police officers, correctional officers, and other government employees. He also investigated numerous matters utilizing investigating and indicating grand juries. In this role, he also acted as an in-unit legal resource, often assisting in questions of first impression before Pennsylvania Courts. ADA Zakeosian also became an expert in prison-related crimes and acted as a liaison between the DAO and the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. In that role, he successfully prosecuted multiple offenders for a prison riot as well as an escape which made national headlines. ADA Zakeosian was promoted to Chief of MCU in September of 2025. In this role, he supervises approximately 30-35 new ADAs handling felony preliminary hearings and misdemeanor trials before the Municipal Court of Philadelphia County. He assists with the training of new ADAs, including feedback on court work, presentations on important substantive topics, and supervision of the daily caseloads.

Mr. Marcus is Chief of the Appeals Unit with the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Mr. Marcus is also an adjunct professor of law at Delaware Law School where he teaches criminal procedure and evidence. He also sits on the Pennsylvania Criminal Procedural Rules Committee. He received his B.A. from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice. Prior to joining the Defender Association, Mr. Marcus served two years as a staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. His articles have appeared in the William Mitchell Law Review, Kansas Journal of Law Policy, and the Whittier Journal of Child and Family Advocacy. He is currently specializing in sex offender registration and writes and lectures on the issue.

The Honorable Karen Yvette Simmons was initially elected to the Philadelphia Municipal Court in 2005. She was subsequently elected to two six-year terms in November 2011, and November 2017. Judge Simmons predominately presides over cases in the Criminal Division, where she continues to bring honesty, integrity, commitment and fairness to the bench. Judge Simmons is a graduate of the University of Florida (B.A. 1986), and Rutgers-Camden University School of Law (J.D. 1990). She is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. Judge Simmons was appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the inaugural Continuing Judicial Education Board of Judges, who’s responsibility it is to ensure all Pennsylvania judicial officers continue their education to have and maintain the requisite knowledge and skill to fulfill their judicial responsibilities. She is also a member of the County Adult Probation and Parole Advisory Committee-Standards Subcommittee. Judge Simmons Co-Chaired the Municipal Court Judicial Education and Conference Planning Committee and served on the Criminal Rules Committee. She is a Past Chair of the Clifford Scott Green Chapter of the National Bar Association-Judicial Council, a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Barristers Association of Philadelphia-Advisory Board, the National Bar Association and the National Association of Women Judges. Judge Simmons is a member of the Philadelphia Criminal Law Inn of Court. She is presently the Board Chairperson of Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE). Judge Simmons began her legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in the office of the Defenders’ Association of Philadelphia, where she tried major jury cases, and served as a supervisor. She was appointed an Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia where she focused on labor and employment law issues, predominately representing the Police Commissioner and Fire Commissioner on contract and disciplinary matters. Judge Simmons was subsequently appointed Chief Legal Counsel to the Philadelphia Police Department and Police Commissioners under the leadership of Police Commissioner John F. Timoney and Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson. Judge Simmons’ commitment to criminal justice, social justice, professional excellence, and mentoring has been recognized through the receipt of numerous awards and recognitions, including the Philadelphia Bar Association-Honorable Louis H. Pollack Award recognizing her significant efforts to serve the public interest, and increase access to justice, the Barristers Association of Philadelphia-Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Award, for her commitment and integrity to the legal profession, and the Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Woman of Distinction Award, the National Bar Association-Women Law Division Doris May Harris Image Award recognizing her deep commitment to mentorship, and for being a motivating force in community outreach, professional excellence and integrity, the Rutgers Law School-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Champion of Social Justice and Equality Award, the Saints of Valor Judiciary Award (Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church), and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award (Bible Way Baptist Church), for her tireless and sacrificial service to the communities of Philadelphia and for doing her part to keep his dream alive. Judge Simmons’ passion for justice is personified through her tireless efforts on and off the Bench. She has served as a lecturer on numerous cutting-edge legal issues in law enforcement and legal training seminars, continuing legal education, and continuing judicial education programs, including lectures on the “Intersection of the 1st Amendment and Criminal Law”, “The Law of Search and Seizure in Pennsylvania”, “Practical Tips for Practice in Philadelphia Criminal Courts”, “Racial Justice”, Bias and the Courts”, and “The Impact of the Black Lives Matter Movement.” Additionally, Judge Simmons is a frequent guest lecturer at area law schools and campus organizations. She is a volunteer teacher for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Advancing Civics Education program and established the Clifford Scott Green Chapter of the National Bar Association-Judicial Council’s College Mentoring program for High School students. She is a noted author with published work. Judge Simmons is committed to working to improve her community through her memberships and participation in charitable and civic organizations, including the NAACP, Jack and Jill of America, Philadelphia Police Athletic League-Education Committee, Philadelphia Police Foundation, Friends Select School-Advisory Council, and Julia R. Masterman School-Advisory Council and created their first Diversity Committee. She volunteers for the Masterman High School Alumni Association-Black at Masterman Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. She is a member of Bright Hope Baptist Church. Judge Simmons is happily married to John W. Person Jr., Esquire and is the proud mother of the love of her life, Chazz.

Mr. Kelly is a sole practitioner in Philadelphia with over 20 years of experience in transportation related law. His practice concentrates in the areas of motor vehicle law, Title 75, DUI defense, license suspensions and license restoration. He represents thousands of union members from Local 107, Local 500, Local 628, Local 1201 and numerous other members and their families. He also represents hundreds of defendants each year in DUI arrests and thousands of defendants in motor vehicle violations in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. Mr. Kelly has tried thousands of DUIs and was responsible for uncovering the Philadelphia Police Department’s calibration debacle. He has helped to resolve license suspensions in Pennsylvania due to violations such as reckless driving, speeding, DUI, DUI refusal, driving unlicensed, driving under suspension, child support suspensions and drug conviction suspensions. He has filed appeals in Common Pleas Court, the Commonwealth Court and the Superior Court in reference to convictions and suspensions.

Mr. Wilson is a founding partner at the Philadelphia law firm of Wilson & Wilson. He heads his firm’s litigation department. Mr. Wilson served on the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Board of Governors and was a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Judicial Review Commission. He also served as chair-person of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section and on the executive board of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute-Philadelphia Bar Education Center. He is an active member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice and is a founder, and past president of the Concerned Black Lawyers Association, which provided pro bono legal advice to the Philadelphia community for over eight years. Mr. Wilson has been a moderator, course planner and speaker for various CLE courses including, but not limited to, Juvenile Practice and Procedures, The Nuts and Bolts of Criminal Practice in Philadelphia, How to Defend a Drug Case in Philadelphia County and Civil Consequences of Criminal Proceedings. He has taught as an adjunct professor of law at the Widener University School of Law. Mr. Wilson and his law partner/wife Sharon Wilson, Esquire, wrote a newspaper advice column entitled, “The Law and You,” for the Philadelphia Tribune. Mr. Wilson now frequently appears on Philadelphia Fox 29 television as a legal contributor to their newscasts on both civil and criminal matters. He received his juris doctorate from Temple University School of Law and graduated from Brown University with a B.A. honors degree in Urban Studies.