January Newsletter

We're proud to announce that Colleen Norcross has been elected a shareholder of the firm. She is part of the Family Law Practice and has substantial experience representing clients in a range of matters, including divorce, custody, and support issues. Colleen earned her law degree from Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Colgate University.

New Blog

January is a common month for couples to file for divorce. For those who have made this decision, Family Law attorney Dori Green shares ten things to avoid as you untangle your marriage. Read her blog here.

Shareholder Bonnie Hoffman recently discussed the "ABC's of Education Law" at the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section's Winter Meeting. The panel discussion helped debunk the numerous acronyms family law attorneys might encounter in education law, as well as the related laws. Panelists also addressed some common questions lawyers might encounter when navigating the intersection of family law and education law.

Insurance coverage chair Ronald Schiller has been named a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. The LCA is an honorary society composed of less than one-half of one percent of American trial lawyers. Fellowship in the LCA is highly selective and by invitation only. Fellows are selected based upon excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation, and earn the title of senior fellow with seven years in the organization. Read the full coverage here.

Shareholder Bonnie Hoffman recently discussed the Department of Education's new deadline for Title IX regulations with ALM. Title IX regulations and proposed changes have gone through various iterations and rounds of public comments in the last few years, causing considerable delays in the DOE’s final updated version of Title IX.

Bonnie noted that another delay was still possible, observing that, “[t]he DOE is dealing with complicated issues and I think that the reason for the delay has really been the significant number of comments.” She also discussed some of the likely changes, including new regulations that apply to off-campus incidents.

Read "Under Pressure, Dept. of Ed. Moves Title IX Finalization Date to March" here.

Shareholder Helen Casale recently spoke with Above the Law about the Pennsylvania Superior Court’s decision in Junior v. Glover, a case where she co-authored an amicus brief on behalf of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML).

Helen highlighted the possible implications that the appeal to the state court could have for same-sex couples and other couples who use fertility treatments to expand their families.

Read "Pennsylvania Appellate Court Issues Important Win for Parents Using Assisted Reproduction" here.

We prevailed on behalf of client Federal Insurance Co., a Chubb entity, in a coverage dispute in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Shareholders Ronald Schiller and Bonnie Hoffman and associate Elizabeth C. Dolce successfully argued Federal's position. Read the full coverage here.

Attorneys John Summers, Andrew Erdlen, Alex Egerváry and Michael Masciandaro recently authored "Torture's Damage in Guantanamo Cases Goes Far Beyond Evidence" for Bloomberg Law.

The article examines how the U.S. government is using information obtained by torture in its prosecutions of Guantanamo Bay detainees and why doing so fundamentally undermines the justice system. The authors argue that it is well known that torture is morally and legally wrong, but that it renders our justice system much less reliable should be better understood and accepted.

Read the full article here.