Judge Patrick Dugan

The Honorable Patrick Dugan is a retired paratrooper and judge who will fight for you. He dedicated nearly two decades to the Philadelphia Municipal Court. First appointed by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell in 2007, he was subsequently elected in 2009 and retained by voters in 2015 and 2021. In 2019, his judicial colleagues elected him to a five-year term as President Judge.

Throughout his tenure Judge Dugan distinguished himself through innovative leadership and commitment to justice. As a co-founder of Veterans Court, he presided there from 2010 to 2024. Under his leadership, the program achieved a recidivism rate of less than 10%, earning his team the Philadelphia Bar Association Henry Czajkowski Award for excellence. During the 2020 Covid Crisis, he established “Covid Court” within the county prison to ensure hearings continued and defendants were not unnecessarily detained. In 2022, he was one of nine judges appointed to the Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court’s inaugural Judicial Ethics Advisory Board. Judge Dugan was also an Ethics Instructor for the Magisterial District Judges for seven years. Dugan retired from the bench in 2024.

Judge Dugan’s military career spans decades of service as an enlisted airborne infantryman, a Civil Affairs soldier and a JAG officer. Dugan served in the Army and Army Reserves for more than 23 years with more than 5 years overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq, Panama and South Korea in units such as the 82nd Airborne Division and the 2nd Infantry Division on the Korean DMZ. In 2016, Dugan retired from the Army with over 30 military awards, including the Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, Expert Infantry Badge and Parachutist Badge.

Judge Dugan is a native Philadelphian, born in Fairmount and raised in Frankford. He is a diehard Philadelphia sports fan. He is a proud member of Saint Joseph’s Prep Football 1977 Philadelphia City Champions. He and his wife, Nancy - a retired Philadelphia Police Officer - are proud parents of six children and thirteen grandchildren. Go Birds!

Practice Areas

• Criminal Defense
• Personal Injury

Awards & Accolades

• Best Philadelphian 2004 by Philadelphia Magazine for Military Service
• National Dr. Sean McBride Award 2005 for Humanitarian Service

Education

• Rutgers-Camden Law School