Meet Eric K. Dowdle
23 Years in Your Corner
I’m not your typical big-city lawyer. I grew up in this region. I understand what you’re going through. I’ve been doing this for 23 years.
Education
Freedom Sr. High School – 1985 (Bethlehem, PA)
Dickinson College – 1989 (Carlisle, PA)
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Phi Beta Kappa
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Magna Cum Laude
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Departmental Honors – East Asian Studies / Japanese
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Nanzan University (Nagoya, Japan) – Semester Abroad
Widener University School of Law – 1992 (Harrisburg, PA)
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Cum Laude
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Distinguished Service Award
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American Jurisprudence Awards – Professional Responsibility / Business Planning
Bar Admissions
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Eastern District of Pennsylvania – Federal
3rd Circuit Court of Appeals – Federal
Other Information
Over the past several years I have been actively involved as a lecturer at various local colleges including Moravian college, Cedar Crest College, PSU – Lehigh Valley, and LCCC, on subjects ranging from Criminal Constitutional Law to Criminal Profiling. In addition, I created and taught a seminar for members of the Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority on undercover surveillance techniques and investigation of auto theft.
Personal Interests:
Ever since I was a kid, if something went, “Vroom,” or “Boom,” I was all about it. Cars and motorcycles have come and gone, and I’m still planning on restoring an old Harley when I find one. But as I’ve gotten older, restoration has become my passion.
Repurposing things that I find in a flea market, or even on the side of the road, into something new and useful is where I’m happiest. I still love the smell of gasoline, and my neck still almost snaps when I hear a fast car or bike rumbling down the road. My days of racing and riding are in the rear view.
My personal interests are the same passions I bring to my practice: Re-Use, Re-Purpose, Rehabilitate, Up cycle, Transform. I truly believe that very few things, and especially people, are beyond redemption.
“Look around. I’m all about second chances.”
- Robert Duvall as “Otto Halliwell,” from Gone in Sixty Seconds.
Member
Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Employment
Private Practice (Hellertown, PA) – 2002 - 2024, November 2025 – Present
Lehigh County District Attorney's Office (Allentown, PA) 2024 - November 2025 - First Assistant District Attorney - As the First Assistant, my specific duties involved the supervision and prosecution of unsolved/“cold cases” homicides and investigations, as well as responding to emergent situations involving homicides and other serious felonies. I supervised the long-term investigation of an extensive burglary ring, coordinating with numerous law enforcement agencies including local municipalities and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office (Allentown, PA) – 2000 – November 2002 – Senior Deputy District Attorney – supervised the Lehigh County Auto Theft/Insurance Fraud Task Force. Duties included the initiation, management, and prosecution of auto theft and insurance fraud cases. In addition to the duties with the Auto Theft and Insurance Fraud Task Force, other duties included the prosecution of other crimes ranging from drug offenses to “murder-for-hire” cases, and finally to homicide cases.
Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos (Bethlehem, PA) – 1999 – Employed as an Associate in this large Baltimore, MD-based firm. The primary focus of the firm was asbestos litigation on behalf of laborers and skilled workers from various labor unions exposed to asbestos prior to 1974. Litigation in Northampton County centered on individuals exposed primarily at Bethlehem Steel. Duties included the preparation of suits in complex civil litigations.
Northampton County District Attorney’s Office (Easton, PA) – 1995-1999 – Assistant District Attorney – Supervisor, Northampton County Drug Task Force. Responsibilities included trial and appellate prosecution of a broad variety of criminal cases ranging from Homicide to Driving Under the Influence.
City of Bethlehem Solicitor’s Office (Bethlehem, PA) – 1994-1995 – Employed as an Assistant City Solicitor. Duties included contract review, litigation assistance. Created and supervised the “Crack House Task Force” – multi-departmental group designed to identify dangerous properties in the city and target them for either rehabilitation or demolition.
Self-Employed (Bethlehem, PA) – 1993 – Self employed as a legal research assistant and title searcher.
Moore, Ching, Civille, Dooley, & Sgro (Agana, Guam) – 1992 – Employed as a law clerk for this large international law firm in Agana, Guam. Areas of work included international real estate, Federal criminal defense, and insurance defense.
