News

VIRGINIA CLIENT ADVISORY Change made to Virginia Legal Ethics Opinion regarding outsourcing of services by an attorney. The Virginia State Bar Ethics Committee recently voted unanimously to revise Legal Ethics Opinion 1850, which deals with outsourcing client services. The revised portion of the Legal Ethics Opinion holds that a lawyer may ethically outsource services to… read more

December 1, 2020 – Thomas, Thomas & Hafer is excited to announce Nick Phillips has joined its Virginia office. Kevin McNamara, a member of Thomas, Thomas & Hafer, LLP’s Management Committee, remarked, “Nick is a talented young lawyer. We are excited to welcome him to our team. He will be a great asset to our… read more

November 30, 2020 – Thomas, Thomas & Hafer, LLP is pleased to announce that Douglas J. Keil has joined its Pittsburgh office and will be supporting the firm’s General Liability Practice Group. Tom McGinnis, a member of the firm’s Management Committee, commented that, “Doug brings with him a well-developed skill set and experience that will make… read more

SIGNIFICANT CASE SUMMARIES FEDERAL CASE SUMMARY Johnson v. City of Philadelphia United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 975 F.3d 394 Decided: September 22, 2020 Summary judgment was proper where Plaintiff was unable to show that the City acted with deliberate indifference. Summary judgment was also proper as Plaintiff failed to show that… read more

PENNSYLVANIA CASE LAW UPDATE Gabriel v. WCAB (Proctor and Gamble Products Co.), 2020 WL 5491931 (Pa. Cmwlth., filed September 11, 2020) In a reported opinion, the Commonwealth Court held that an employer’s dispute of a medical-only claim did not constitute a reasonable contest, and that attorneys’ fees should have been assessed by the WCJ. Background: … read more