HARRISBURG, Pa. (April 12, 2023) – The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Civil Litigation Section will present its Civil Litigation Professional Excellence Award to Judge Terrence R. Nealon, Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County, during its Civil Litigation Section Retreat, April 21-23, in Hershey.
The award was created to recognize attorneys who have achieved outstanding advocacy skills with the utmost professionalism, integrity and civility, and judges who have demonstrated, encouraged and promoted professionalism, integrity and civility within the civil justice system.
Judge Nealon has served on the Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County since 1999. He was appointed to serve a 10-year term on the bench by former Gov. Tom Ridge. In 2009 and 2019, he was retained for additional 10-year terms.
Prior to his term on the bench, Judge Nealon had served as a principal at Foley, McLane, Nealon, Foley & McDonald in Scranton for 10 years. He joined the firm, then named Thomas J. Foley Jr. & Associates, after graduating law school in 1984.
One of Judge Nealon’s nominators said: “In terms of writing judicial opinions that reaffirm, guide and/or advance Pennsylvania jurisprudence in a wide variety of areas of the law, there is perhaps no other jurist who has done more in this regard than Judge Terrence R. Nealon. The manner in which Judge Nealon runs his courtroom serves as the highest example to members of the bar in terms of faithful adherence to the highest ethical standards and professionalism. … that requires all who enter to treat one another and the Court with civility, courtesy and fairness in dealing with others.”
During the pandemic, Judge Nealon’s leadership helped guide the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC). In 2020, the AOPC appointed him chair of its Jury Trial Working Group to provide recommendations for the resumption of jury trials once the statewide emergency health crisis ended. In 2021, the AOPC appointed him chair of its Remote Proceedings Task Force to identify advanced communication technology best practices for courts post-pandemic. Within the AOPC, Judge Nealon currently serves on its Judicial Needs Assessment Steering Committee and Civil and Family Data Project Advisory Group.
Judge Nealon has served in leadership capacities for numerous organizations, including president of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges (PCSTJ) and co-chair of its Education Committee, which published Management of Civil Jury Trials: Handbook for Pennsylvania Trial Judges in 2000. In addition, he was the first chair of the PCSTJ new judge school for which he has served as an instructor since 2012.
From 2016 to 2022, Judge Nealon served as the first chair of the Continuing Judicial Education (CJE) Board of Judges, which is responsible for the development and delivery of CJE in Pennsylvania. He also served as vice president of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association Board of Governors and member of the Joint State Government Commission Advisory Committee on Medical Professional Liability.
Currently, Judge Nealon serves on the Civil Jury Instructions Subcommittee of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Committee for Proposed Standard Jury Instructions. He is also a member of the Lackawanna Bar Association and the Dauphin County Bar Association.
Within the PBA, Judge Nealon is a member of the Civil Litigation Section and served on its council from 1996 to 2005. He also presents continuing legal education seminars for the section and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.
Judge Nealon is a frequent lecturer at numerous organizations and law schools, including the AOPC Judicial Education Department, Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law and University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
Among Judge Nealon’s accolades are the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association President’s Award, Lackawanna Bar Association Chief Justice Michael J. Eagan Award and President’s Award, and Catholic Healthcare Partners Founder Award for Excellence in Governance Leadership.
Judge Nealon earned his J.D. from Dickinson School of Law and his B.S. in accounting from the University of Scranton.