North East Lawyers

Patrick Delaney is a Senior Partner at MacDonald Illig. He concentrates his practice in the area of Commercial Litigation. During the course of his career, Mr. Delaney has litigated disputes in the federal and state courts throughout Pennsylvania and in various other jurisdictions. He has also handled numerous complex commercial disputes before arbitration tribunals, including panels convened through the American Arbitration Association and the International Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Delaney has years of experience handling contract disputes, including those involving professional services, the sale of goods, real estate sales, stock purchase agreements, commercial and industrial construction, and executive employment. He...

For 30 years, "Jack" Mehler has helped public and private companies, banks, developers, non-profit corporations and individuals in a wide range of legal matters. Jack concentrates in the areas of general business matters, real estate, banking, and financial transactions.

Jack also represents taxpayer-clients and developers in real estate tax assessment (value) appeals, and tax exemption cases throughout western Pennsylvania on many different types of properties as diverse as marinas, waterfront shipping facilities, hospitals, shopping centers and malls, industrial plants, truck terminals and warehouses, commercial and professional office buildings, corporate headquarters, hotels, and senior living facilities.

Jack has written numerous articles and is...

Since he started his law practice in 1997, Attorney Melaragno has worked with individuals who were injured, through no fault of their own, in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, tractor trailer accidents, slips and falls and a variety of other circumstances. Attorney Melaragno and his partners have tried or settled cases with a success rate of over 99%, recovering more than $3.2 Million for their injured clients in the last 4 years alone.


Attorney Melaragno was selected to serve on the Panel for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustees for the Western District of Pennsylvania on February 6, 2004 and from that...

Attorney Snavely’s civil litigation practice includes the defense of healthcare providers in professional negligence and licensure actions; the representation of both defendants and plaintiffs in premises liability, auto accident, product liability, and construction actions; and the representation of plaintiffs and defendants in other civil litigation matters.

Attorney Snavely also represents and provides advice to healthcare providers on a variety of matters, including employment contracts, credentialing, peer review, end of life issues, medical records, risk management, controlled substances and nonprofit corporation law.

Attorney Snavely is admitted to all Pennsylvania courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the...

Attorney Kruszewski is a member of the firm's Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights Practice Group. His practice involves the representation of corporate debtors, secured creditors and unsecured creditor committees in business reorganization proceedings. His practice also includes commercial loan work-outs, bankruptcy-related and commercial litigation, and general collection matters. He has also been approved as a mediator for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Attorney Kruszewski has been named as a Rising Star in the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine in each year of publication from 2008-2016. He is also an active member of both the Erie County Bar...

Russell S. Warner is the Managing Partner of the law firm of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is the founder and past Chairman of the firm's Environmental Group. He concentrates his practice in the areas of business and environmental law, including matters involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, as well as matters before the USEPA Environmental Appeals Board and the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board.

Mr. Warner's practice includes representation of businesses, financial institutions, economic development organizations and municipal entities regarding business and environmental matters, as well as acquisitions, capital...

Mr. Shamburg is a partner with MacDonald Illig where he is a member of the Business Transactions, Trusts & Estate and Tax Practice groups. His practice comprises a vast array of personal and business transactions, that can be broken into five general practice areas: estate and trust planning and administration; tax compliance and planning matters; Orphans' Court litigation; nonprofit formation; and corporate formation and transactions.

Mr. Shamburg received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus in 2005. In 2009, he graduated cum laude from the University of Dayton School of Law, where...

Attorney Jan Janin's practice involves the representation of debtors, secured creditors and unsecured creditors in bankruptcy. Particular emphasis is placed on Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 debtors. His practice also involves extensive collection work on behalf of banks and credit unions. Michael's practice involves litigation in both state and federal courts of western Pennsylvania. Specifically, he is admitted to practice before all courts under the purview of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, as well as the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the Supreme Court...

John A. Lauer is a Senior Partner with the law firm of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP, where he is Chairman of the firm's Trusts & Estates Group. He is also a member of the firm's Business and Tax Groups. John's practice consists primarily of Estate and Tax Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, Elder Law, and Business Law.

John received his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Gannon University in 1986 and his Juris Doctor from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1996. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to beginning...

Attorney Mikovch has over 25 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney. In his criminal defense practice, he represents individuals charged with crimes ranging from felonies, misdemeanors and summary charges. He has successfully defended clients in numerous jury trials with the end results being not guilty on all counts. Attorney Mikovch has represented clients against the Office of Children and Youth when people are wrongly accused of abuse and Indicated, and represents both plaintiffs and defendants in Protection from Abuse (PFA) hearings. He also represents individuals on state-issued license employment matters which may be affected...

Jamie R. Schumacher is an Associate in the Litigation Department at MacDonald Illig where she concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial litigation, employment litigation, insurance defense, and municipal/ordinance enforcement. She is also a member of the firm's Commercial/General Litigation Practice Group, Labor & Employment Practice Group, Government Services Practice Group, Marketing Committee, and the Recruitment Committee. Ms. Schumacher is licensed to practice in all Pennsylvania state courts, the United States District Courts for the Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ms. Schumacher is the former chair of the Young Lawyers Division...

Scott Wallen is a partner at MacDonald Illig where he concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning and administration, corporate mergers and acquisitions, corporate formation, business succession planning, elder law, nonprofit corporations law and healthcare law. Mr. Wallen is also a Certified Public Accountant and routinely handles matters involving federal and state taxation issues including corporate and individual taxation and sales tax issues. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and the American Academy of Attorney-CPAs (AAA-CPA). Mr. Wallen is affiliated with the Trusts & Estates and Business Transactions Practice Groups at...

Attorney Quinn chairs the Litigation Division, and he practices exclusively in civil litigation. He has been handling personal injury cases for over 30 years and has been involved in all types of civil cases including auto accident, product liability, medical malpractice and many other types of personal injury cases.

Attorney Quinn has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury and medical malpractice cases. He has been able to maximize the money awarded by a jury for a personal injury victim. He is also very familiar with how insurance companies view personal injury claims and litigation and how to obtain maximum...

Kimberly A. Oakes is a partner in the law firm of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP, where she is the head of the firm’s Family Law Practice Group.

Ms. Oakes focuses her practice primarily in the area of family law. She has experience in handling divorces, adoption, alimony and spousal support, child support, child custody and visitation, domestic violence, paternity, prenuptial agreements and postnuptial agreements.

As a litigator, Ms. Oakes also has experience in Insurance Defense and Workers Compensation matters.

Mr. Pagliari's practice is concentrated in the areas of corporate restructuring and bankruptcy, bankruptcy related litigation and collection matters. He primarily represents corporate debtors, secured creditors, chapter 7 and chapter 11 trustees, and other entities involved in bankruptcy proceedings. Attorney Pagliari is also an approved mediator in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Pagliari graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History in 1998. In 2001, he graduated from The University of Dayton School of Law,...

Attorney Stumpf develops estate plans for her clients and competently assists in the administration of estates of all sizes. She also provides expertise in the areas of trust administration, asset protection, elder law and guardianship issues. Attorney Stumpf's business law practice includes entity formation for both for-profit and non-profit organizations, structural questions, general counsel and the development of succession plans. Additionally, she assists in the representation of several school districts, an intermediate unit and multiple private schools.

Attorney Stumpf received her undergraduate degree from Grove City College in 2003 and her Juris Doctor from the Penn State - The Dickinson School...

Douglas G. McCormick is a partner at McCormick & Vilushis, LLC.  He focuses his practice on personal injury, workers’ compensation, Social Security, and criminal defense.  Doug is a 2000 graduate of Bucknell University, where he graduated cum laude, and a 2004 graduate of the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.

He has been admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since 2004, where he began as an assistant district attorney at the Erie County District Attorney’s Office under Bradley H. Foulk.  While there, he was fortunate to argue several cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court involving constitutional issues.

Since 2008, he has helped injured...

Mr. Walczak concentrates his practice in the areas of corporate governance, business transactions and finance, and creditors' rights.

Mr. Walczak acts in the capacity of general counsel for a number of business, non-profit and governmental organizations, providing legal advice on corporate, transactional and tax matters. Mr. Walczak is listed in the Bond Buyer Municipal Market Place Guide (commonly known as the municipal bond attorney's Red Book), and regularly provides tax advice and board counsel tax opinions with respect to tax-exempt financing transactions.

Mr. Walczak also represents creditors in complex creditor-debtor matters, including the negotiation of workout agreements and the representation of creditors...

Jim Toohey is a partner at MacDonald Illig, where he represents and advises individuals, businesses and lenders in a wide variety of real estate and corporate matters, including residential, industrial, commercial and multi-unit transactions; commercial leasing; and commercial and residential lending. In addition to his representation of individual buyers and sellers of residential real estate, Jim has extensive experience in representing developers of real estate who acquire, finance, develop and operate industrial, office and retail projects. Jim also represents business owners in a variety of matters, commercial and real estate mortgage lenders in financing business and real estate loans, and...

Dale Huntley is a Senior Partner in the Litigation Department of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton, LLP. His practice consists primarily of the defense of all types of claims including premises, vehicle and insurance coverage and insurance subrogation matters.

Mr. Huntley received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and his juris doctor from the University of Idaho where he was a member of the law review.

Mr. Huntley is a member of the firm's litigation and special insurance services groups.

Terry Jones is a trial lawyer who has spent his entire career representing both plaintiffs and defendants in significant personal injury cases and wrongful death actions. He has litigated hundreds of cases, including automobile liability, product liability, medical malpractice and premises liability matters, many of which have involved catastrophic personal injuries or deaths. Mr. Jones also has been involved in the defense of a number of class action cases. He enjoys a Martindale Hubbell rating of AV Preeminent, the highest available rating for professional competence and ethics.

Mr. Jones has completed the ADR training program in the U.S....

Lydia Horan Caparosa is an Associate in the Litigation Department at MacDonald Illig. She is a member of both the firm's Commercial/General Litigation Practice Group and the Insurance/Personal Injury Practice Group. Ms. Caparosa is licensed to practice in all Pennsylvania state courts as well as the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Caparosa graduated from Pennsylvania State University with degrees in Finance and International Politics in 2011. Thereafter, Ms. Caparosa earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. While at the University of Pittsburgh, Ms. Caparosa worked as...

Whether you’ve been charged with a DUI/DWI, are facing other criminal charges, dealing with a family law matter, or handling the estate of a loved one, you need a lawyer you can count on and trust. You need Attorney Damon C. Hopkins. Since 1995, Attorney Hopkins has assisted thousands of clients throughout the Erie, Pennsylvania area in resolving their legal issues. Having worked as a criminal prosecutor for eight years, he has the knowledge and litigation experience to provide spectacular representation to clients in need of legal assistance in criminal defense, DUI/DWI, juvenile delinquency, and traffic violations.

If you and your...

Attorney Toohey's practice is concentrated in the areas of business and real estate law, and estate planning and administration. He was involved with the formation and initial operation of Spectrum Control, Inc., Lake Erie Institute of Rehabilitation and Growing Places, Inc. He has represented clients and been personally involved in the development of condominium projects and other real estate developments. He has also represented several municipalities and authorities. Attorney Toohey is deeply committed to civic causes and has served on the boards of several civic, educational, and religious institutions.

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law with honors, Ms. Seelinger gained valuable trial experience as an Assistant District Attorney in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. After spending time in the trial division, appellate division and juvenile division of the District Attorney's Office, Attorney Seelinger left to start her own law firm. Attorney Seelinger is lead counsel for Seelinger Law where she represents clients in the areas of bankruptcy law and criminal defense.

After practicing law for 26 years, Pennsylvania uncontested divorce attorney James Cairns has proven his worth as an able and knowledgeable legal professional. Having earned his Juris Doctorate from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University, Attorney Cairns has been helping individuals find peace about divorce and family law for many years. Attorney Cairns' credentials stem beyond the legal field. He currently serves as a professor of estate planning at Pennsylvania State University. He is also Registered Investment Advisor, acting as Director of Retirement Services at a local financial firm. Having a background in financial planning, divorce as...

Ms. Stefanovski devotes her practice entirely to litigation. She has experience in the specific areas of insurance defense, personal injury defense and premises liability.