PERSONAL INJURY

If you are seriously injured by someone else's carelessness, the law provides that the careless person or company is responsible to you for any damages caused by those injuries. Personal injury cases include automobile, truck and motorcycle accidents, injuries caused by defects in real property or failure to properly maintain someone's real property. Personal injury cases also include those where the injuries are caused by exposure to toxic substances or poisons in the environment or in the workplace, or injuries that are caused by defective or dangerous products, including automobiles, work equipment, tools, sports equipment and household appliances, just to name a few.

Our experienced lawyers will investigate your claim thoroughly to determine whether you may be able to claim benefits to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, and also whether you have claims to recover other damages, including those for personal injury and future medical expenses. Contact Robert Morris to discuss the case.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE

Professionals, including doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects and stock brokers, must provides services which meet the accepted standard of care for their profession. When a professional is careless in providing their services, and an injury occurs as a result, the law provides that the professional is responsible for any damages caused by that carelessness.

Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor, hospital or other medical provider does not give the proper care or treatment or where that treatment is inadequate, an injury results. Examples of such cases are those involving an error in diagnosing a condition, such as a failure to timely diagnose cancer. Other examples are errors in providing the property treatment or surgery; carelessness in sanitation or infection prevention, or in prescribing or administering medications or in providing nursing care.

Medical and professional malpractice cases are very complicated, involving complex issues of fact, law and medicine. Our Board Certified trial attorneys have extensive experience and have obtained favorable results in these types of cases. We have developed a particular area of expertise in cases involving injuries to children at or near the time of birth. We have access to world renowned medical experts who assist us in pursuing these cases on behalf of injured persons.

For more information regarding a medical or professional malpractice claim, contact Robert Morris.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

Many accident-related personal injuries are the result of vehicle collisions. There are no simple motor vehicle accident cases. Insurance coverage questions for payment of your medical bills arise, as do questions of liability insurance coverage which apply to the vehicles involved in the accident. This can be complicated and confusing. We are knowledgeable and experienced in providing advice to those injured in automobile accidents, and can help you through the confusion of dealing with the insurance companies.

If you are injured in a vehicle-related accident of any kind, including a car accident, motorcycle accident, truck accident or even a boating accident, you may be entitled to recover damages from a negligent driver or operator or from his or her insurance company. You may also be able to obtain reimbursement for your medical treatments and hospital bills, payment for your lost income, lost wages, as well as damages for your mental and physical pain and suffering.

Benefits and damages may be recoverable from your own insurance company, as well as from the insurance company of a negligent driver. You may have available to you coverage under your primary policy, as well as benefits under underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage. We identify all available insurance coverage, and assist you in making the right claims against the proper parties.

If you have any questions about serious injury caused in a motor vehicle accident, contact any of our attorneys, all of whom are experienced and knowledgeable in representing injured individuals in these types of cases.

DEFECTIVE AND UNSAFE PRODUCTS

Manufacturers and sellers of products have an obligation to design and manufacture their products so that they are not defective or unreasonably dangerous. When a product malfunctions, or is not designed or made properly, and causes serious injury, the manufacturer can be held responsible for the damages caused by those injuries. Examples of such cases are vehicle which experience brake or steering failure leading to an accident, or vehicles which are unstable or do not offer adequate crash protection. Other examples are products which do not carry adequate warnings or instructions concerning the use or the dangers involved in their use, including industrial equipment, construction vehicles or household goods. Still other examples are medical devices such as pacemakers which malfunction, or knee or hip replacements which are not properly treated or sterilized and which result in defection.

Claims for a defective product which cause injury are often called product liability claims. These claims involve complex factual and legal issues, and require technical and engineering evaluation of the products involved. Our attorneys are experienced in handling product liability claims, and have obtained very good results for our clients. One of our attorney's experience includes sitting on corporate safety committees which evaluate the safety of design and performance of products, giving us unique and insight and sources of information in pursing these cases for our injured clients.

If you have questions about this area of our practice, please contact Robert Morris.

WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS

Many injuries occur "on the job", whether that job is in a factory, a construction site or a retail store. Often, a person injured on the job is entitled to workers' compensation benefits, which includes some portion of the person's lost earnings, as well as payment of medical bills. Workers' compensation benefits do not, however, cover all of the damages which may be sustained through such an injury.

It many workplace injuries, a third party, other than a person's employer, can be identified as a party which may have been negligent or careless and responsible for the injury. Examples include an outside contractor who was responsible for providing fall protection or barriers in a construction site; an independent maintenance company which improperly maintained machinery which caused the injury; or careless janitorial services which left unprotected slippery areas in which someone could fall. We evaluate every serious workplace injury carefully, looking below the surface to determine the identity of parties who because of their carelessness should be responsible for the injury and damages caused.

Even if you have or are receiving workers' compensation benefits due to injury at work, you may also be entitled to make a claim for your additional damages against a person or company other than your employer, who may have been responsible for the condition which lead to your injury.If you have questions about whether you have a claim resulting from a workplace accident, contact Robert Morris.

COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS

The attorneys in our firm have handled commercial transactions for small and large clients for over 20 years. These types of transactions include the purchase and/or sale of real estate, the purchase and/or sale of businesses, as well as various other types of transactions. The following is a representative list of the types of transactions which the firm handles:

• Real estate transactions including buying, selling, leasing and financing
• Creation of corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships
• Establishment of fictitious names
• Employment contracts
• Real estate and equipment financing
• Purchase and sale of professional practices, including accountants, physicians, architects, engineers, attorneys, and other types of professionals
• Buy-sell and other shareholder agreements
• Pre- and post-nuptial agreements
• Various types of agreements involving intellectual property, including royalty agreements, commission agreements, software agreements, etc.

The firm has handled commercial transactions for small and large clients involving thousands of dollars and involving millions of dollars. The same care and attention is applied to every transaction, no matter how large or small.

Contact Mark Clemm for any of these types of transactions.

COMMERICAL LITIGATION

The firm handles all types of commercial litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants. Although we typically will try to resolve disputes at an early stage in order to avoid time-consuming and expensive litigation, we are prepared to handle litigation in both state and federal courts at trial and on appeal, if necessary. We are known as tough litigators in all courts, including the Courts of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania as well as the Federal Courts in Pennsylvania and other states. A representative list of cases which we handle includes the following:

• Real estate disputes
• Shareholder disputes
• All kinds of contract disputes
• Injunctions
• Collections
• Construction litigation
• Intellectual property disputes
• Title insurance issues
• Liability and homeowners insurance issues
• Bad faith litigation
• Shareholder and partnership disputes

We know how important a case is to an individual or company and will fight zealously to protect your interests.

Contact Mark Clemm for any of these types of cases.

BIRTH TRAUMA

On rare occasions, a child can be injured before, during or shortly after delivery. When this happens, the consequences can be devastating for the entire family.

Labor and delivery are critical times during which physicians and hospitals must be prepared to take quick and decisive action to safeguard both mother and child. If you child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, developmental delay or other brain injuries, diplegia, hemiplegia, shoulder dystocia, Erb’s palsy or any debilitating condition that may have occurred at or near the time of delivery, our attorneys and board certified medical consultants can evaluate your child’s medical records to determine whether medical providers failed to take appropriate steps to safeguard your child’s health.

REAL ESTATE, ZONING, AND LAND DEVELOPMENT

Our firm has a specific concentration in all aspects of real estate matters. This includes buying and selling real estate, leasing and financing real estate, and developing real estate, including land development, zoning and subdivision. We have represented homeowners who need a variance to install a deck on the rear of the dwelling on their property and have represented developers who have sought land development approval for 100 acre parcels with residential, commercial, industrial, and other types of uses. We are proficient and have had significant success working at all of the various levels of governmental approvals, including planning commissions, boards of supervisors, zoning boards, as well as the various other local and state agencies which have an impact on the land development process. Whenever possible, we attempt to negotiate reasonable compromises with municipal officials. Where necessary, we have undertaken significant litigation with townships and zoning boards, as well as handled zoning appeals, land use appeals, and various other types of real estate appeals through the Pennsylvania Commonwealth and Supreme Courts. Although many lawyers may tell you that they do real estate work, there are only a handful of accomplished "real estate lawyers" who can deal with the myriad legal and commercial issues facing clients who engage in real estate transactions today. Because our real estate lawyers have significant knowledge and experience in this area of the law, we can handle real estate matters more effectively and more efficiently for our clients and obtain better results.

Contact Mark Clemm for any of these types of cases or transactions.

CORPORATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND LLC'S

The attorneys in our firm have handled commercial transactions for small and large clients for over 20 years. These types of transactions include the purchase and/or sale of real estate, the purchase and/or sale of businesses, as well as various other types of transactions. The following is a representative list of the types of transactions which the firm handles:

• Creation of corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships
• Establishment of fictitious names
• Employment contracts
• Real estate and equipment financing
• Purchase and sale of professional practices, including accountants, physicians, architects, engineers, attorneys, and other types of professionals
• Buy-sell agreements
• Pre- and post-nuptial agreements
• Various types of agreements involving intellectual property, including royalty agreements, commission agreements, software agreements, etc.
• Real estate transactions including buying, selling, leasing and financing

The firm has handled commercial transactions for small and large clients involving thousands of dollars and involving millions of dollars. The same care and attention is applied to every transaction, no matter how large or small.

Contact Mark Clemm for any of these types of cases or transactions.

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS AND POLICIES

We provide advice to individuals and businesses on the negotiation, formulation, drafting, interpretation and enforcement of contracts and agreements affecting employment, including employee and executive compensation agreements, non-compete agreements and other restrictive covenants, confidentiality agreements, severance and separation agreements, and settlement agreements.

For your business, we formulate and draft employment policies and manuals. We review and evaluate existing policies and manuals for compliance with state and federal law as well as good business practice.

INSURANCE DISPUTES

When you purchase an insurance policy, whether it be an automobile, homeowners, life or disability policy, you enter into a contract with the insurance company to pay the benefits stated in the policy for which you pay premiums. Sometimes, disputes arise as to whether a certain claim is covered under an insurance policy, or whether you as the policy holder are entitled to benefits. This is a specialized area of insurance contracts law in which we have represented many clients over the years and obtained coverage and benefits for them.

Your insurance company also has an obligation to deal with you fairly and in good faith when you make claims for benefits under your insurance policy. If an insurance company denies your claim without any reasonable foundation or unreasonably delays payment of the claims, the law may make the insurance company responsible to you for compensatory and punitive damages under what is commonly known as the "Bad Faith Law". We have obtain substantial recoveries for clients whose underinsured motorist coverage benefits and disability policy benefits have been unreasonably denied or delayed.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

Our firm is experienced in handling environmental litigation. If you own commercial or residential property that has sustained damage as a result of the release of toxic substances, we can represent you in seeking compensation from responsible parties. An example of this type of case is the release of petroleum products from deteriorated or damaged underground storage tanks.

NURSING HOME NEGLECT

As our population ages, more and more people enter nursing homes. Consequently, the incidents of mistreatment of elderly people in nursing homes has been on the rise, especially as profit interests have lead to staffing cuts and has affected the level of care.

We find that many elderly people are needlessly injured through inattentive or substandard care in nursing homes. Injuries from falls, improper restraints, careless administration of medication, painful bedsores, and failure to recognize and treat life threatening medical conditions are all too prevalent.

Like hospitals and other healthcare providers, nursing homes are required to provide care which meets the acceptable standards. We are familiar with the standard of care demanded, as well as the many state and federal regulations which govern the delivery of that care in nursing homes. If you feel that an elderly loved one has been injured due to negligent care or supervision in a nursing home, we can help you not only to get answers to your concerns, but also to make claims for appropriate compensation for any injuries caused.

DANGEROUS PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Vioxx, Fen-Phen, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Orth-Evra — all prescription drugs marketed by the big drug companies as helpful and safe for us, only to later disclose serious and devastating injuries and conditions caused by these drugs which these drug companies did not tell us about. Unethical marketing practices, improper and incomplete testing and review processes, and the pharmaceutical companies' desire for profit have caused many unsuspecting and trusting people to be injured.

If you have been injured by one of these pharmaceuticals, which can cause stroke, heart attack, breast cancer, rhabdomyolisis and many other unusual conditions, contact us to discuss your rights.