Defense Digest

Chairman's Message
By Robert J. Coleman, Esq.

As we have stressed on many occasions, not all law firms are created equal, especially when it comes to cost consciousness, efficiency and, indeed, good old-fashioned lawyering.  We like to think of ourselves as the firm that continues to learn from its past but at the same time looks forward with renewed optimism to where we are going and how to get there. 

It is our belief that the successful law firm dedicated to defense litigation must continue to reinvent itself and change with the times. We contend that this entails having an effective managerial and administrative staff; an emphasis on individual attorney accountability; internal quality controls; and simply paying close attention to service and productivity.  More importantly, we recognize that, although growth is important, no firm should ever grow simply to become bigger unless it is part of a strategic plan. 

Even though we are one of the largest firms in the country that limits its practice to representing defendants in civil matters, many opportunities have presented themselves which we have rejected simply because they did not fit into our strategic plan and did not best serve the interests of our clients.  We are defined more by the opportunities that we enthusiastically embrace than by those that hold no interest for us.  By way of illustration, we are pleased to announce that we recently hired an outstanding group of fourteen attorneys from the firm Kelly, McLaughlin, Foster, Bracaglia, Daly, Trabucco and White LLP, primarily situated in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, which is now our 18th office.

Their firm was always a worthy competitor because all of their attorneys were highly focused, service-oriented, and outstanding lawyers.  To a person they were and are friendly, personable, intelligent, and dedicated to the practice of law.  One need only look at their premier list of clients to know and appreciate how highly regarded they are.  The one ingredient that was missing in their practice was a sense of urgency in managing their firm as a business.  Their mantra was to practice law and serve their clients, believing that the business component of their firm would essentially take care of itself.  However, the business of the practice of law has changed.  Over the last twenty years, management and administrative issues, fueled by changes in technology, challenged their ability to service their clients as they had in the past.  The fact of the matter is that after a few discussions with our senior management, they realized that our firm, because of its size, technology capabilities, and geographic footprint, had the ability to deliver the managerial and administrative excellence that would help them better achieve their goals.  In essence, we had the track record and the expertise to provide efficient backup and support in every area of their operation.  They were gratified to see that we had made major capital expenditures to upgrade our computer and software programs, and they recognized our determination to further enhance our cost efficiency by consolidating our administrative, accounting, and billing functions.  They also recognized that we have exemplified team work, camaraderie, and internal quality controls that make us the envy of our peers.  For them, we were the perfect fit! 

We look forward to working closely with all of their personnel in creating a nurturing environment so that they can continue to do all of the things that they do so well without being shackled by administrative obstacles.  The addition of these fine attorneys and their clients to our organization cannot help but strengthen our goal to be not only the biggest but the very best regional defense firm.  The new attorneys that have joined our firm are:

Thomas P. Bracaglia – Plymouth Meeting, PA
Steven L. Chung – Philadelphia, PA
Joseph A. Daly – Philadelphia, PA
Joan P. Depfer – Plymouth Meeting, PA
William C. Foster – Philadelphia, PA
Timothy J. Hartigan – Plymouth Meeting, PA
Dennis P. Herbert – Plymouth Meeting, PA
Jane Ennis Kane – Philadelphia, PA
Gregory J. Kelley – Plymouth Meeting, PA
Robert G. Kelly, Jr. – Plymouth Meeting, PA
R. Thomas McLaughlin – Plymouth Meeting, PA
Frank S. Nofer – Plymouth Meeting, PA
Jill C. Taylor – Philadelphia, PA
David F. White – Plymouth Meeting, PA

As always, I invite your candid comments.  Please feel free to call me directly by telephone at 215-575-2614 or confidentially by mail at 1845 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

 Thank you.