PENNSYLVANIA – WE HAVE YOU COVERED

Rawle & Henderson LLP’s Commercial Motor Vehicle Section covers the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with attorneys in our Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh offices. In addition, two CMV attorneys in our Philadelphia and Harrisburg offices have been selected as 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers. Timothy J. Abeel and Gary N. Stewart have been selected as Super Lawyers.  Super Lawyers is a Thomson Reuters rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

Timothy J. Abeel is Chair of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Section and has defended transportation companies in the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware for more than 30 years. He is a partner in the Firm’s Philadelphia office. Tim graduated, magna cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany and received his J.D. from the Temple University School of Law. He is a recipient of the Associate Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. Award from the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Frank Edward Roda Memorial Award from the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association for Excellence in Advocacy. Tim was one of the founders of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) and he served as President of TIDA in 2000-2001. From 1994 to 2003, he was a member of the TIDA Board of Directors. He was the Editor of the TIDA Newsletter for over 23 years, from TIDA’s founding in 1993 through 2017.  In 2005, TIDA presented Tim with the John T. Biezup Memorial Service Award for his dedication and service to the trucking industry. His clients include some of the largest transportation companies and insurers of commercial motor vehicles in the United States. He served as a member of the Executive Committee of Rawle & Henderson LLP from 2006 to 2018. Tim has been rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 16 consecutive years.

Tim can be reached directly at (215) 575-4280 • tabeel@rawle.com

Gary N. Stewart Gary N. Stewart, a partner in the Commercial Motor Vehicle Section in our Harrisburg office, defends cases throughout Pennsylvania as well as other Mid-Atlantic states. He focuses his practice on the defense of the trucking industry, specifically commercial motor vehicles and the companies that insure them, and represents most of the motor carriers and their drivers seen on our highways. He is admitted to practice in the State and Federal Courts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island, and has been admitted pro hac vice in other jurisdictions throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. He graduated magna cum laude from the Harrisburg campus of Widener University School of Law. Gary was the recipient of the James C. Crumlish Jr. Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Administrative Law. He received his undergraduate degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, and holds U.S. Coast Guard professional licenses as Master of Oceans, Steam or Motor Vessels up to 1600 gross tons as well as Chief Officer, unlimited tonnage, all oceans. Gary was previously selected by his peers as a Transportation/Maritime Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in 2007, 2009, 2010-2012, and 2016-2018. He is a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.

Gary can be reached directly at (717) 234-7730 • gstewart@rawle.com

Pennsylvania Offices:

PHILADELPHIA
The Widener Building
1339 Chestnut St., 16th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 575-4200 • Fax (215) 563-2583

HARRISBURG
240 N. 3rd St., 9th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717) 234-7700 • Fax (717) 234-7710

PITTSBURGH
535 Smithfield St., Suite 1000
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 261-5700 • Fax (412) 261-5710

FEDEX EXPRESS SUMMIT

Sonia Di Valerio, Of Counsel to the Firm in our Philadelphia and New Jersey offices, attended the FedEx Express Liability Claims Attorney Summit on April 10-11, 2019. The summit was held at Embassy Suites in Memphis, Tennessee. A team of presenters discussed a variety of litigation issues related to the defense of commercial motor vehicle companies.

Sonia concentrates her practice on the defense of trucking and bus companies and their insurers. She regularly addresses claims of negligent entrustment and spoilation in cases involving catastrophic injuries. As part of that practice, Sonia represents clients in connection with employment litigation matters in both the State and Federal Courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In addition to representing trucking and bus companies, Sonia has also represented municipalities and municipal authorities as well as privately owned companies. She has defended these clients against age discrimination claims, wage claims, whistle blower claims and claims arising under the FMLA and FLSA. Sonia has also counseled clients in connection with termination issues, hiring issues and non-compete clauses. She has extensive experience in binding and non-binding arbitrations as well as court conducted and private mediations.  She has tried cases to verdict in the State Courts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as the Federal Courts. Sonia earned her J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 1999 with distinguished class performance in Criminal Law and Evidence. While attending law school, she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Temple Environmental Law and Technology Journal. She served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Lee B. Laskin, J.S.C., in the Superior Court of New Jersey from August 1999 to August 2000.  She earned her B.A. in Communications from Temple University in 1992.

Sonia is a member of the Delaware County Bar Association.

Sonia can be reached directly at (215) 575-4279 • sdivalerio@rawle.com

HARRISBURG

Patrick F. Coleman has joined the Harrisburg office of Rawle & Henderson LLP. He concentrates his law practice on the defense of commercial motor vehicle companies and their insurers and product liability.

Patrick earned his J.D. from Campbell University School of Law in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2017. While in law school, he worked as a student attorney for Campbell University’s Community Law Clinic. In addition, he served as a court intern for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Patrick earned a B.S. degree in Accounting from Florida Institute of Technology in 2014.

Patrick is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Rawle & Henderson LLP, he was an attorney in the Philadelphia office of a midsize civil litigation defense law firm.

Patrick can be reached directly at (717) 234-1006 • pcoleman@rawle.com