Defense Digest

On the Pulse ... Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Office Profile

Founded in 1741, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a city of nearly 72,000 people in Eastern Pennsylvania and is known for its rich colonial and industrial history. Once the home of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, today, Bethlehem is experiencing an economic and cultural renaissance with a very vibrant and promising future. Bethlehem sits at the heart of the Lehigh Valley and is approximately equal distance from both Philadelphia and New York.

Since its founding over a decade ago, the Bethlehem office of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin has effectively represented our clients in all of the surrounding counties, including Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe, Carbon, Schuylkill, and Berks Counties. The attorneys in the Bethlehem office also have extensive experience in the federal courts of both the Eastern District and Middle District of Pennsylvania. The Bethlehem office is a prime example of Marshall, Dennehey's commitment to providing client representation by local attorneys who are actively involved in both the legal and civic community.

The Liability Department of the Bethlehem office is headed by Frank Baker, who has over 20 years experience litigating a myriad of complex cases involving catastrophic injuries and death. Working as a team with Frank are Brent Green, Paul Lees and Jason Banonis. Both Brent and Paul concentrate their efforts in defending professional liability matters, including civil rights cases, cases involving educational institutions, and the defense of other professionals such as realtors. Jason Banonis rounds out the Liability Group, concentrating on products liability, automobile liability, premises liability, and other casualty cases. Together these attorneys bring a wealth of experience litigating both professional liability and casualty cases in our regional area.

Our office's Workers' Compensation Department is headed by Bill Scott, who brings over 25 years experience litigating workers' compensation cases in our geographic area. Along with Judd Woytek and Mark Royster, the members of Bethlehem's Workers' Compensation Department have gained the knowledge and respect of the Workers' Compensation Judges before whom they appear, which is unmatched by any other firm in the area. The attorneys in our Workers' Compensation Department are well known and well respected by the claimant's Bar for their diligent representation of institutional clients, both large and small. Collectively, these attorneys have practiced their entire careers in the counties served by the Bethlehem office.

In Bethlehem, the Healthcare Liability Department is headed by Candy Barr Heimbach, who brings 20 years of experience in litigating almost exclusively medical malpractice cases involving physicians, hospitals, nurses, and other healthcare providers. The other members of the medical malpractice team include Paul Laughlin, Michelle Wilson, Deborah Cooper and David Williams. With the recent addition of Deborah Cooper, we have gained the extensive knowledge and experience of a former risk manager of a large local healthcare institution. The Healthcare Liability Department has gained the trust and confidence of large scale healthcare institutions and individual physicians and healthcare providers alike. Under Candy's leadership, this group of attorneys has become recognized by both bench and bar as the pre-eminent healthcare defense group in our geographical area.

In addition to the attorneys, the Bethlehem office owes much of its success to a dedicated and experienced staff of secretaries and paralegals who collectively enhance smooth and efficient running of this office. A number of our staff members have been here over a decade, nearly since the inception of the office here in the Lehigh Valley. Our paralegals, Bonnie Zemek and Dan Herman, provide professional assistance to both the Healthcare Group and Liability Group, respectively.

Combined, the attorneys in the Bethlehem office of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin present a formidable group of attorneys who zealously defend their clients. That being said, our attorneys also enjoy the respect of the judges before whom we appear, as well as our adversaries. In addition to their legal prowess, the attorneys of the Bethlehem office are also community leaders active in local government, boards of local colleges, theaters, historic institutions, and other non-profit organizations. Together the attorneys of the Bethlehem office of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin exemplify what it means to be a regional law firm.

*Dave, a shareholder, is the managing attorney of our Bethlehem, PA office. He can be reached at 1200 Martin Tower, Bethlehem, PA 18018; (484) 895-2320; or dwilliams@mdwcg.com.