Law Firms in Philadelphia, PA

Hiring a lawyer in Philadelphia: what is different

One rule matters more than every other on this page. Pennsylvania auto policies ask the buyer to choose between full tort and limited tort under section 1705 of the Vehicle Code. Limited tort is cheaper, and it gives up the right to recover for pain and suffering unless the injury is a serious one as the statute defines it. The choice is made once, often years before any crash, usually on a form nobody reread. It is the first thing a Philadelphia injury lawyer asks about and it is worth knowing your own answer before you call one. There are exceptions, including for some claims against drunk drivers and out-of-state vehicles.

The ordinary limitation period is two years, under section 5524 of the Judicial Code. A claim against a local agency needs written notice within six months under section 5522, which covers the city, SEPTA and a public school district alike.

Philadelphia hears civil matters in the Court of Common Pleas of the First Judicial District, which runs compulsory arbitration for smaller claims and a Complex Litigation Center for mass tort work that draws cases from well beyond the city. Federal matters go to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania bars recovery once a claimant is more than fifty per cent at fault, under section 7102.

What we can and cannot verify about a Pennsylvania firm

Discipline, yes, and well. The Disciplinary Board prosecutes in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the decisions are published as opinions styled “Office of Disciplinary Counsel v.”, which gives this directory its largest disciplinary index after Florida’s. That gate stands on evidence on a Philadelphia profile.

Entity registration, no. The Department of State’s business search answers an automated request with a refusal, and we do not work around that, so registration is recorded as a check without a source. Licensure is the same: the attorney register is not published in a form we may query.

Deadlines that catch Philadelphians out

• Personal injury: two years, under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524.
• A claim against the City of Philadelphia, SEPTA or a school district: written notice within six months, under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5522.
• Wrongful death: two years from the death.
• The limited tort election: not a deadline, but it is decided before the accident and it governs what a claim is worth. 75 Pa.C.S. § 1705.