There is no constitutional right, federal or state, to a preliminary hearing. Rather, a defendant's right to a preliminary hearing is conferred by the Rules of Criminal Procedure. Pa. R. Crim. P. 141.
In general, however, there is a preliminary hearing in your case where you will have a right to hear the evidence against you and be represented by a Lehigh County criminal lawyer. Recall that the preliminary hearing is not a trial. The principal function of a preliminary hearing is to protect an individual's right against an unlawful arrest and detention. At this hearing the prosecution bears the burden of establishing at least a prima facie case that a crime has been committed and that the accused is probably the one who committed it. Pa. R. Crim. P. 141(d). It is not necessary for the prosecution to establish at this stage the accused's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In order to meet its burden at the preliminary hearing, the prosecution is required to present evidence with regard to each of the material elements of the charge and to establish sufficient probable cause to warrant the belief that the accused committed the offense.
At this hearing the Commonwealth bears the burden of establishing at least a prima facie case that a crime has been committed and that the accused is probably the one who committed it. Commonwealth v. Prado, 481 Pa. 485, 393 A.2d 8 (1978); Pa.R.Crim.P. 141(d).
If you "beat" a preliminary hearing, it means that the Commonwealth has failed to establish a prima facie case. But, "A finding by a committing magistrate that the Commonwealth has failed to establish a prima facie case is not a final determination, such as an acquittal, and only entitles the accused to his liberty for the present, leaving him subject to rearrest." Commonwealth v. Hetherington, 460 Pa. 17, 22, 331 A.2d 205, 208 (1975)