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Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Workers' Compensation Section Announces First Group of Lawyers Certified in Area of Workers' Compensation Law

HARRISBURG (May 20, 2013) - One hundred forty-nine attorneys comprise the first group of Pennsylvania lawyers certified by the PBA Workers' Compensation Law Section as specialists in the practice of workers' compensation law.

One hundred fifty-five lawyers took the workers' compensation law certification exam on March 8 in Mechanicsburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The passage rate was 96.2 percent. A list of the newly certified lawyers is attached.

In 2012, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court approved a recommendation of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Review and Certifying Board to grant accreditation to the PBA Workers' Compensation Law Section as a certifying organization in the area of workers' compensation law. With the Supreme Court's order, the PBA Workers' Compensation Law Section became the first bar association entity in Pennsylvania to receive approval as a certifying organization.

Certified applicants are permitted to use the following language when communicating their certifications to the public: "Certified as a specialist in the practice of workers' compensation law by the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Section on Workers' Compensation Law as authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court." A lawyer successfully completing the exam is certified for five years.

"This new opportunity to become certified in the area of workers' compensation is beneficial for experienced lawyers in the field and their clients," said Forest N. Myers, president, Pennsylvania Bar Association. "Certification is going to give those in need of legal services in the workers' compensation field valuable guidance when seeking counsel, and it's going to offer legal practitioners the ability to highlight their knowledge and expertise."

The certification exam focused on familiar portions of workers' compensation law and rules, as well as leading case law, said John Bagnato of Johnstown, chair of the 12-member Certification Committee that oversaw the creation and implementation of the certification program. The exam included 100 multiple-choice questions (each worth one point) and two essays (each worth 10 points), which were required to be completed within four hours. Passage of the exam required a score of at least 80 points.

"The application process to take the exam makes it clear from the outset that the certification is for those lawyers who have expertise in the worker's compensation field," said Bagnato. "To pass muster to qualify for the exam, an applicant must establish by documentation that he or she is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, is actively engaged in the practice of law for a minimum of five years and devotes a minimum of 50 percent of his or her practice to the specialty field of workers' compensation."

Certification Committee Vice Chair Stanley Siegel of Lewistown said the applicants also were required to submit a variety of documents showing active practice in the workers' compensation law field and participation in Mandatory Continuing Legal Education in workers' compensation law and related fields.

It is anticipated that the exam will be given at least once per year, and examination questions will be revised annually to incorporate new developments and eliminate repetitive questions.

An application fee of $325 was required upon submission of an application to take the exam, and an exam fee of $150 was required after the application was processed and verified.

There will be an annual maintenance fee in an amount to be determined in years two, three, four and five of the certification period. Six months prior to the expiration of the five-year certification, the lawyer can complete another certification application and pay a $325 fee, but the lawyer will not be required to take the exam.

The Certification Committee has the authority to revoke certification under certain circumstances, and the committee has an appeal process for such cases.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 28,000 lawyers who are members of the association.

The following lawyers have been certified as a specialist in the practice of workers' compensation law by the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Section on Workers' Compensation Law as authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
They are sorted by county based on the location of their office.

Adams County
Bandy Lee Jarosz, Gettysburg

Allegheny County
Lawrence Baldasare, Pittsburgh
Stuart Wells Benson, III, Pittsburgh
Daniel K. Bricmont, Pittsburgh
Sean Alan Casey, Pittsburgh
Lawrence R. Chaban, Pittsburgh
Jonathan Robert Colton, Pittsburgh
Melody Anne Cook, Pittsburgh
Nariman Patrick Dastur, Pittsburgh
David Harold Dille, Pittsburgh
George Evan, Pittsburgh
Matthew S. Faher, Pittsburgh
Gregory Fischer, Pittsburgh
Gretchen Jean Fitzer, Pittsburgh
Sara J. Klein, Pittsburgh
Joel B. Kundin, Pittsburgh
Anthony J. Plastino, II, Pittsburgh
Julie Wieczorek-Fritsch, Pittsburgh

Beaver County
Bruce Woodske, Beaver

Berks County
Thomas Beveridge, Bechtelsville
Karl Peter Voigt IV, Bechtelsville
Adam K. Levin, Reading
Elizabethanne D. McMunigal, Wyomissing
Thomas A. Rothermel, Wyomissing

Blair County
Charles W. Hippo, Jr., Altoona

Bucks County
Michael F. Hagstotz, Abington
Robert Cullen, Bristol
Paula Robinson, Doylestown
Joseph DeRita, Jamison
Todd Felzer, Newtown
Brandon Swartz, Newtown
Sharolyn Murphy Doman, Ottsville
Dina Brilliant, Trevose
Glenn Neiman, Trevose

Chester County
Kevin L. Connors, Exton
Lisa Miller, Exton
Kathleen O'Dell, Exton
John Pasquale Goetz III, Paoli
Mark Mazzanti, Paoli
Ryan McNicholas, Paoli
Erin Courtney Thompson, Paoli

Cumberland County
Daniel K. Deardorff, Carlisle

Dauphin County
C. Lee Anderson, Harrisburg
Ronald Lee Calhoon, Harrisburg
Thomas Stoddard Cook, Harrisburg
Joseph Benjamin D'Amico, Harrisburg
Michael Andrew Farrell, Harrisburg
John W. Frommer, III, Harrisburg
Shawn Gooden, Harrisburg
Fred Harold Hait, Harrisburg
Louis Joseph Michelsen, Harrisburg
Alexander J. Palutis, Harrisburg
Joseph C. Patterson, Harrisburg
Steven R. Tregea, Harrisburg
Jason Weinstock, Harrisburg
Thomas A. Wilken, Harrisburg

Delaware County
Anna Rio, Drexel Hill
Timothy Kennedy, Havertown
Christopher Bridgman, Media
Christopher A. DiMeo, Media
James R. Flandreau, Media
Bruce Harrison MacKnight, Jr., Media
Erin Lynn Young, Media
Michael N. Silver, Upper Darby

Erie County
Richard Edward Bordonaro, Erie
Donald F. Fessler, Jr., Erie
Peter A. Pentz, Erie
Joseph Vendetti, Erie

Fayette County
Gregory T. Kunkel, Uniontown
Gary D. Monaghan, Uniontown

Franklin County
Bradley Robert Bolinger, Chambersburg
Anthony James Cosentino, Chambersburg
Victoria P. Edwards, Chambersburg
Patricia A. Shoap, Chambersburg

Lackawanna County
William J. Hall, Jr., Dunmore
William Blaum, Moosic
Colleen Marie Pehanich, Moosic
Terrence E. Dempsey, Scranton
Matthew D. Dempsey, Scranton
Brian J. Lenahan, Scranton

Lancaster County
Wayne F. Green, Lancaster
Mandy Heinz, Lancaster
CDR Jeffrey Mills, Lancaster

Lehigh County
Barbara Hollenbach, Allentown
Richard Director, Whitehall

Luzerne County
Bart E. Ecker, Hazleton
Jeffrey C. Majikas, Hazleton
Timothy Belt, Kingston
Donald Cosmo Ligorio, Kingston

Montgomery County
Kenneth Brodsky, Bala Cynwyd
Diane Fenner, Bala Cynwyd
James Bradley Mogul, Bala Cynwyd
Terence Sean McGraw, Blue Bell
Marc Howard Snyder, Jenkintown
Jeffrey Matteo, Norristown
James V. Monaghan, Norristown
Joseph Thomas Forkin, Plymouth Meeting
Thomas C. Lowry, Plymouth Meeting
Daniel Edward McCabe, Pottstown
Levi S. Wolf, Pottstown
James Charles Veith, Willow Grove

Philadelphia County
Halmon L. Banks, Philadelphia
Michael Bauerle, Philadelphia
Deborah A. Beck, Philadelphia
Gregory Boles, Philadelphia
Eric S. Borjeson, Philadelphia
Alfred J. Carlson, III, Philadelphia
Lenard A. Cohen, Philadelphia
Christian A. Davis, Philadelphia
Paul M. Della Franco, Philadelphia
Richard DiStefano, Philadelphia
Geoffrey Dlin, Philadelphia
Patrick M. Donan, Philadelphia
Michael Gerald Dryden, Philadelphia
Michael David Eiss, Philadelphia
Aaron Friedmann, Philadelphia
Bret R. Goldstein, Philadelphia
Jeffrey Gross, Philadelphia
Kelly Hemple, Philadelphia
Robert Huber, Philadelphia
Joseph C. Huttemann, Philadelphia
Richard Jaffe, Philadelphia
Kenneth Martin Kapner, Philadelphia
Jenifer Kaufman, Philadelphia
Lauri A. Kavulich, Philadelphia
Patrick Kenny, Philadelphia
Jonathan Koutcher, Philadelphia
Jane Lombard, Philadelphia
George E. Martin, III, Philadelphia
Eric Bradford Pearson, Philadelphia
Christian Petrucci, Philadelphia
Frank J. Rubinate, Philadelphia
Zachary Rubinich, Philadelphia
Marianne Henry Saylor, Philadelphia
Michael Schaff, Philadelphia
Kenneth Spivack, Philadelphia
Adam Michael Taylor, Philadelphia
Joseph Edward Vaughan, Philadelphia
Kim Livesey Veon, Philadelphia

Schuylkill County
William A. Kovalcik, Frackville
Debra Ann Matherne, Frackville
Michael William Cardamone, Pottsville

Westmoreland County
Ronald Fonner, Greensburg
Peter Joseph Gough, Greensburg
Vincent J. Quatrini, Jr., Greensburg

York County
Dean Dominick, York
Drew Gannon, York
Thomas Lang, York

New Jersey
John Kawczynski, South Amboy, Middlesex County