Only a single lawyer in each practice area in each community is selected as the “Lawyer of the Year” for 2014. Those selected as “Lawyers of the Year” received particularly high ratings from their peers and complimentary comments from their peers.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has been regarded by both the profession and the public as the most definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. Selection for Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey of more than 36,000 leading attorneys casting more than 4 million confidential evaluations. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine calls Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

“I am thankful to be recognized once again with many outstanding attorneys from across the country who are listed in Best Lawyers this year,” said Attorney O’Donnell. “Our firm is dedicated to providing exceptional service, professionalism and integrity each and every day for clients in Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

In addition to his repeat selection to Best Lawyers, Attorney O’Donnell has been a Top 100 Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2007-2013. O’Donnell has also been selected for the 2013 edition of the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.

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The post Attorneys Neil and Catherine O’Donnell recently attended the Pennsylvania Association for Justice Summer Retreat first appeared on O'Donnell Law.

The post Attorneys Neil and Catherine O’Donnell Attends the 2013 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Reception first appeared on O'Donnell Law.

The presentation was conducted as part of End Distracted Driving[EndDD]’s Student Awareness program. EndDD was founded by Pennsylvania trial lawyer and father, Joel Feldman, and his wife, Diane, after their daughter, Casey, was fatally struck by a distracted driver in 2009. The Feldman family wanted to do something in Casey’s name to help younger people be safer and have the opportunity to lead full lives.

With the help of Sixty for Safety, the American Association for Justice, the Pennsylvania Association of Justice and Anapol Schwartz, the Feldman family has reached over 41,000 high school students as part of this pilot program. The goal is to reach 250,000 students across the country.

Michael O’Donnell commented, “It was great to visit our alma mater and make this important presentation. We recognize the many dangers associated with distracted driving and are passionate about protecting our loved ones. We are happy to lend our firm’s support to this important initiative and the memory of Casey Feldman.”

For more information on EndDD, please visit www.enddd.org.

The post O’Donnell Law Offices Speaks to Students about the Dangers of Distracted Driving first appeared on O'Donnell Law.

The post Attorneys Neil and Catherine O’Donnell Attends the 2013 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Reception first appeared on O'Donnell Law.

The AV PreeminentTM rating represents the pinnacle of professional excellence. An attorney achieves this recognition after being reviewed and recommended by members of the bar and the judiciary. The rating is highly valued and pursued in the legal industry. The rating is an important way for attorneys or anyone to use in searching for lawyers, courtesy of the internet.

Attorney Neil T. O’Donnell, managing partner of O’Donnell Law Offices, commented: “Cathy is a long-standing recognized expert in the field of trusts and estates law. This is a tremendous honor for her, and the entire O’Donnell Law team is very proud of this achievement.”

Catherine is an Associate with O’Donnell Law Offices in Kingston, Pennsylvania. She practices Estate Planning, Estate Administration, Personal Injury, Orphans Court Practice, Product Liability, Business Law, Workers Compensation, Municipal Law, Elder Law and Social Security Disability. She received her bachelor’s degree for the University of Pittsburgh and her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh. Catherine is a member of the Board of Directors for Junior Leadership of Wilkes-Barre and a member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives[NOSSCR].

The post Attorney Catherine R. O’Donnell Selected as a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer in Trusts and Estates first appeared on O'Donnell Law.

People incur injuries in many different ways and seek treatment at a doctor’s office or local hospital. Sometimes, mistakes are made causing injuries to worsen or emotional distress. Some employers, corporations and insurance companies will try to quickly settle with an injured victim before the victim has the opportunity to truly assess the extent of damages. In the event of a personal injury, victims need to know their rights. The purpose of “Walk-In Wednesdays” is to provide immediate access to an attorney and fully protect the rights of the victim. O‘Donnell Law Offices is located at 267 Wyoming Avenue, Kingston, Pennsylvania, and their phone number is 570.821.5717.

Neil T. O’Donnell notes, “Certain injured victims need to talk with an attorney immediately after incurring an injury. We want to reach out and extend an open invitation to them to simply walk into our offices any Wednesday without needing an appointment. Our firm wants to aid injured victims with sound legal advice and decades of experience handling personal injury cases.”

The post O’Donnell Law Announces new Walk-In Wednesdays Campaign first appeared on O'Donnell Law.

In his Order, Judge Wallitsch stated that he found the Opinion of Judge R. Stanton Wettick, Jr., in the case of Rotunda v. Petruska to be persuasive.

Judge Wallitsch rejected an apparent argument by the defense that the testing, and therefore the results, of the neuropsychological examination may be altered by the presence of a third party in the room such as a representative of the Plaintiff’s attorney’s office. In his Order, Judge Wallitsch quoted Judge Wettick as stating, “the clear language of the rule allows only examinations that are possible when counsel is present. A trial court may not, in the exercise of its discretion, provide for an examination outside the presence of counsel. Through the promulgation of a rule permitting counsel to be present, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has decided that the interest of the party to be examined in receiving the protection afforded by the presence of his or her counsel outweigh the interests of the parties seeking an examination that can only be conducted outside the presence of a third party.”

Although not cited, it appears that Judge Wallitsch (and Judge Wettick) were referring to Pa. R.C.P. 4010.

In his Order, Judge Wallitsch also confirmed that Plaintiff’s counsel had agreed, as per the rules, that there would be no audio or video recording of the neuropsychological evaluation.

Anyone desiring a copy of these decisions may contact me at dancummins@comcast.net.

I send thanks to Attorney Neil O’Donnell of the O’Donnell Law Offices in Kingston, PA for bringing these decisions to my attention.

View the original article here»

The post Tort-Talk: Recent Luzerne and Lackawanna County Decisions on Parameters of Expert Vocational Interviews first appeared on O'Donnell Law.

In an Order entered by the Honorable Michael T. Vough in the matter of Price v. Price, Auto Glass Unlimited and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, No. 13625 of 2010 (C.P. Luz. Co. 2012 Vough, J.), Judge Vough directed that a vocational expert appear to testify and explain before the Court on the issue of the location and requested length of his desired interview of the Plaintiff. Reportedly, in response, the vocational expert agreed to be guided by the restriction set by President Judge Burke in Franchetti and the November 19, 2012 hearing on the Motion in the Pricecase was cancelled.

In neighboring Lackawanna County, in the case of Marion v. Motorist Mutual Insurance Company, No. 11-CV-7451 (C.P. Lacka. Co. 2012 Burke, D.M.), Attorney Henry Burke, in his capacity as the Lackawanna County Discovery Master, essentially adopted President Judge Thomas Burke’s position from the Franchetti case. Judge Henry Burke restricted a vocational expert’s examination to five (5) hours, ordered that it take place at a local venue, and that a representative of Plaintiff’s attorney’s office be allowed to be present (consistent with Rule 4010 and Rule 4010.1).

Anyone desiring a copy of these decisions may contact me at dancummins@comcast.net.

I send thanks to Attorney Neil O’Donnell of the O’Donnell Law Offices in Kingston, PA for bringing these decisions to my attention.

View the original article here»

The post Tort-Talk: Recent Luzerne and Lackawanna County Decisions on Parameters of Expert Vocational Interviews first appeared on O'Donnell Law.