Pennsylvania Injury Lawyers: When It Makes Sense to Hire a Firm From Another County
We take cases across the Commonwealth from two Delaware County offices, and we will tell you when we are not the right fit.
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- PA bar admitted since 1982
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We take injury, workers compensation, nursing home and disability cases across Pennsylvania from two Delaware County offices. For most claim types the county you were hurt in matters less than people expect, though workers compensation hearings and land use matters are the exceptions where local familiarity counts most.
What “statewide” honestly means
It means our attorneys are admitted in Pennsylvania and take cases anywhere in the Commonwealth. It does not mean an office in your town, and you should be skeptical of any firm whose website implies otherwise. A page headed with the name of a town, listing an address that turns out to be a mail drop or a rented conference room, tells you something about the firm before you have called it.
We have two offices, Media and Chester, and both are real.
Where the case is actually heard
This is what most people are really asking, and it varies by claim type more than by geography.
| Claim type | Where it is decided | Does local familiarity matter? |
|---|---|---|
| Workers compensation | Before a workers compensation judge, in the district covering where you work | Considerably. Judges run hearings differently and carriers behave differently |
| Personal injury | Court of Common Pleas in the county where it happened or where the defendant is | Moderately. Jury pools and scheduling differ by county |
| Land use and zoning | The municipality’s zoning hearing board, then the county court | Considerably. These are local boards with local members |
| Social Security Disability | Before an administrative law judge, often by video | Barely. The process is federal and largely uniform |
| ERISA long term disability | Federal court, on the written record | Almost none. It is decided on documents |
When you should hire somebody else
If you were injured at work in Erie or Pittsburgh, a firm that appears weekly before the judges in that district has an advantage we cannot manufacture, and we will say so rather than take the case and travel. The same is true of a zoning application in a township at the other end of the state, where knowing the board is most of the job.
If it is a disability appeal, a nursing home case, or an injury claim anywhere in the south east of the Commonwealth, distance is not the constraint people assume.
Where we appear most
Delaware County above all, and regularly in Philadelphia, Chester and Montgomery Counties, and in the federal courts, including the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. Individual attorneys are also admitted in New Jersey, Delaware, the District of Columbia and the Southern District of New York.
The honest version
A first phone call will tell you whether we are the right firm. If we are not, we will say so, and where we can we will tell you what kind of firm to look for instead. That conversation is free and it does not commit you to anything.
The attorneys who handle these cases
Every one of these bar numbers is searchable on the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board register. The person who takes your call is the person at your hearing.
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Kenneth R. Schuster
Founding Member
Read Kenneth’s background -
Justin M. Bernstein
Associate
Read Justin’s background -
Christopher D. Gasda
Associate
Read Christopher’s background -
Anthony S. Pinnie
Of Counsel
Read Anthony’s background -
Joseph J. Jachetti
Associate
Read Joseph’s background -
Andrew Valentin
Associate
Read Andrew’s background
Questions people ask us about this
Do you take cases outside Delaware County?
Yes, across Pennsylvania. Our attorneys are admitted in the Pennsylvania courts and, variously, in New Jersey, Delaware, the District of Columbia and several federal districts. Whether we are the right firm depends more on the type of claim than the distance.
Does it matter which county my case is heard in?
For workers compensation and land use, considerably: those are decided by judges and boards whose habits are learned locally. For Social Security and ERISA disability, barely, because the process is federal and largely decided on documents. For personal injury it is somewhere in between.
You do not have an office in my town. Is that a problem?
Usually not, and we would rather say that than open a page claiming an office we do not have. Most cases run on phone calls and documents. If your matter genuinely needs weekly appearances in a distant county, we will tell you to hire locally.
I was hurt at work at the other end of Pennsylvania. Should I call you?
Call, and we will give you an honest answer. Workers compensation is heard before a judge in the district covering your workplace, and a firm that appears there constantly has a real advantage. If that is your situation we will say so instead of taking the case and travelling.
Both Delaware County offices
Walk in, or call. Both are answered 24 hours.
Media Head office
334 W Front StMedia, PA 19063
Open 24 hours
4.7 from 135 Google reviews
Serving central, north and west Delaware County.
Chester Satellite
405 Avenue of the StatesChester, PA 19013
Open 24 hours
5.0 from 5 Google reviews
Serving south and riverfront Delaware County.
Tell us what happened
Two questions to start. No contact details until the second step, and nothing you send here commits you to hiring us.
- You pay nothing unless we recover for you
- A named attorney reads every case review
- Both offices answer 24 hours, so you can call instead
Would rather talk now? (610) 601-2980