On the Pulse...Celebrating Twenty Years of Practice in Scranton

By Robin B. Snyder, Esq.*

In 1992, Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin opened its office in Scranton, Pennsylvania, with two lawyers. On November 2, 2012, the Scranton office celebrated its twentieth anniversary and now has 23 lawyers, 5 paralegals and 18 support staff. The office is fully-staffed to defend any type of case and certainly boasts more combined years of experience and numbers of trials than any other Scranton firm. In fact, John Aponick, Jr., celebrated 50 years of practice last year and still calls the Scranton office "his home away from home." If you visit our office, you will find individuals who take pride in their work and in their skill and a camaraderie which is rarely found in other firms.

Our Casualty Department is the largest department in the office, with five shareholders and five associates: Jack McGrath, Benjamin Nicolosi, Maureen Kelly, Robert Smith, Jack Nealon, Leo Bohanski, William McPartland, William Courtright, Michael Connolly and Sarah Argo. The most senior lawyers, Jack McGrath and Benjamin Nicolosi, put together, have tried more than 100 cases. In the not too distant past, four of our lawyers were trying cases in each of the four courtrooms in Luzerne County. Jack defends large motor vehicle and premises liability cases. Ben handles high-exposure personal injury cases, dram shop cases and bad faith litigation. Meg Kelly and Jack Nealon defend automobile and premises liability cases. Jack Nealon's practice has developed to the point where he has tried more than 20 cases. Robert Smith heads our Pennsylvania UM/UIM subsection and has arbitrated more than 40 cases. He offers unmatched experience in this specialized field and also provides coverage analysis to our clients. Leo Bohanski and William McPartland are rapidly expanding their experience in defending automobile cases, and our newest associates in Casualty, Sarah Argo, Mike Connolly and Bill Courtright, help our office offer a depth of experience to our clients.

Led by Joseph Vender, our Workers' Compensation Department consists of an experienced team of advocates. Together with Joe, Ross Carrozza and Jennifer Callahan, have over 75 years of experience in defending carriers, self-insureds and employers. Jim Pocius is a nationally-recognized authority on the recent changes to the Medicare laws and Medicare's impact on the settlement of liability cases. He and Ross regularly analyze liability and workers' compensation cases to provide advice concerning Medicare Set-Asides and conditional payment issues to clients across the country. They also assist in drafting Medicare addendums for settlement of liability cases. Believe it or not, Ross still continues to defend Federal Black Lung claims, an especially important service in this former mining region.

Two of our lawyers, Jim Wilson and Patrick Boland, handle a range of professional liability cases, defending real estate agents, lawyers, engineers and police officers. Jim also handles general negligence as well as professional liability cases. He has tried approximately 85-90 cases to jury and is AV® Preeminent™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He is also certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Pat's practice is not limited to professional liability claims, as he also defends municipalities and handles construction cases. Will McPartland has developed significant experience in defending school districts in due process claims brought before the Office of Dispute Resolution.

From the Scranton office, Eric Fitzgerald chairs the firm's Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith practice group. Eric obtained his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 1999 and offers detailed coverage analyses and opinions to our clients. Thomas Specht, designated as special counsel, handles appellate matters, works with Eric on coverage issues and assists Ben Nicolosi in defense of bad faith litigation.

John Aponick, Jr., is part of the Health Care Department along with Matthew Keris and Vicky Crawshaw Scanlon. John is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a distinction held by less than 100 lawyers throughout the country and is a diplomat of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He has tried well over 100 cases to verdict, including three last year, and he handles significant products liability, medical malpractice and general negligence cases. Matthew Keris defends local hospitals and speaks regularly on the latest developments in risk management and medical malpractice litigation. Victoria Crawshaw Scanlon was recently elected a shareholder and concentrates her practice on the defense of health care professionals. Mark Kozlowski is the newest member to the team.

Our team of lawyers provides quality legal services in its home of Lackawanna County and in the U.S. Middle District Court in Scranton, but also in Luzerne, Pike, Monroe, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Lycoming, Bradford, Tioga and Wayne Counties. Not only can this team of lawyers try any type of case, but, where necessary, each lawyer offers advice and recommendations for alternative dispute resolution and settlement. The legal professionals and staff in the Scranton office are proud to serve our clients. Together, we offer an unparalleled combination of skill, professionalism and attitude, which would make you proud to have us on your side.

Defense Digest, Vol. 19, No. 1, March 2013