On The Pulse…Profile of Our Erie, Pennsylvania Office

By G. Jay Habas, Esq.*

Pennsylvania’s only port city on the Great Lakes, Erie is located in the northwest corner of the state and sits conveniently between Cleveland to the west, Buffalo to the east and Pittsburgh to the south. Once part of the mighty industrial sector of these nearby cities, Erie’s economy now features a diverse mix of mid-sized industries, medical and educational institutions, and year-round recreation and tourism focusing on the lake and its tributaries.

Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin’s 18-year presence litigating cases and advising clients in Erie and the surrounding counties of Crawford, Mercer, Warren, Venango, Forest, McKean, Elk, Potter and Cameron has earned the firm and its attorneys respect from the local judges, attorneys and community leaders. The attorneys in the Erie office are all natives to the area or have received their education here and have established strong roots in the community.

The Erie office is capably staffed by four experienced lawyers and a paralegal. Each person brings unique talents to their representation of the firm’s clients.

The Erie office is headed by Jay Habas, who practiced in Chicago and Pittsburgh after attending law school at the University of Notre Dame, but returned home and helped to open the Erie office. While managing the office and being involved in firmwide marketing across the region, Jay maintains a large, active caseload focusing on defending employment and workers’ compensation cases, along with representing attorneys, insurance agents and brokers, and architects and engineers in professional liability claims. A highly regarded speaker at client and industry events, Jay is also respected for his zealous advocacy for his clients.

Patrick Carey is a shareholder and heads the firm’s casualty and civil rights practices in Erie. A former Erie County assistant district attorney, Pat has tried more than 100 cases to verdict in his 25-plus years of practice. He brings his years of trial experience to the ardent handling of complex auto and truck accident cases, serious premises liability claims and insurance fraud matters. With his criminal law background, Pat has successfully handled many civil rights and municipal liability cases involving prisons, police departments and police officers. Pat is a graduate of Ohio Northern Law School.

Thomas Lent is a shareholder and member of the Health Care Liability Department. He has successfully tried dozens of medical negligence lawsuits to verdict throughout northwestern Pennsylvania on behalf of physicians and other health care professionals in his more than quarter century as a local attorney. Thom has also represented health care professionals in claims involving physician disciplinary actions, health care provider contract disputes (restrictive covenant, employment issues) and employment law issues. Thom, also a graduate of Ohio Northern Law School, is well respected in the medical and legal communities for his skills in advocacy and working with health care professionals.

Bethany Anne Blood is the newest member of the firm’s Erie office. She she has ten years of experience in practice and as a judicial clerk. An associate in the firm’s Health Care Litigation Practice Group, Bethany has also worked in the defense of insurance bad faith cases and has handled insurance coverage issues. Additionally, She provides depth to the office’s handling of premises liability, vehicular accident and other areas of practice. Bethany earned her law degree from the Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson College of Law, and is active in the local community and bar association.

The paralegal duties in Erie are capably handled by April Lewis-Gregory, the longest-tenured employee in the office. April provides an experienced hand to assist the office attorneys in the important aspects of discovery, record-gathering and analysis, and preparation for trial, hearings and depositions.

The Erie office is proud of its experienced, responsive, and energetic attorneys and its capable staff. The office continues to build on its historical roots in this key geographic area to provide top-notch service to clients of Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin.

*Jay can be reached at 814.480.7802 or gjhabas@mdwcg.com.

Defense Digest, Vol. 20, No. 3, September 2014

Defense Digest is prepared by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers. This publication is not intended to provide legal advice for a specific situation or to create an attorney-client relationship. Copyright © 2014 Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, all rights reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm.