David D. Ritter was born and raised in the Lehigh Valley. A 1989 graduate of Parkland High School, he attended the Pennsylvania State University at University Park, graduating with a B.A. in International Politics in 1993. After graduating from Penn State, he attended Widener University School of Law, graduating with a J.D. in 1996.
Admitted to the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1996, he began his career in the Lehigh County Office of the Public Defender on January 7, 1997, where he served for five (5) years as an Assistant Public Defender. During his first three (3) years, he served exclusively in Juvenile Court, where he represented hundreds of juveniles in front of the Judges and Masters of Lehigh County. During the next two (2) years, Attorney Ritter served in the adult criminal division of the Public Defender’s Office, handling all types of cases, from Retail Theft to Robbery to the Death Penalty Phase of a Capital Homicide trial.
On February 4, 2002, Attorney Ritter was hired to work in the Office of the District Attorney of Lehigh County as a Deputy District Attorney under District Attorney James B. Martin. He ultimately served as a Chief Deputy District Attorney until May 1, 2009, when he left to begin his solo practice. During his tenure in the Office of the D.A., Attorney Ritter handled the prosecution of thousands of criminal cases, including everything from minor theft and drug offenses, up to robberies, homicides, and numerous large-scale financial fraud cases.
During his entire time as a prosecutor, Attorney Ritter served on the team of prosecutors assigned to the criminal courtroom of President Judge William H. Platt, ultimately serving as team captain in that Courtroom. During 2005-2009 Attorney Ritter also served as the head of the Juvenile Division of the Office of the D.A., where he was charged with reviewing and supervising the prosecution of every juvenile case within Lehigh County. As a supervisor, he was involved in the efforts of both Lehigh County and the Office of the District Attorney to come into compliance with the “New Rules of Juvenile Procedure,” a major overhaul of the way the Pennsylvania Court system treated juveniles, which was implemented in 2005 and 2006.
Since leaving the Office of the District Attorney, Attorney Ritter has operated a private office, practicing primarily in the field of Criminal Law. As part of his practice, he has served as a Conflict Attorney for Lehigh County (2010 – 2013); and as a part-time Assistant Public Defender (2014 – Present).
Attorney Ritter is a member of PACDL, the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Inn of Court of the Bar Association of Lehigh County.
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