Tricia Ambrose and David MacMain Publish Articles to the Pennsylvania Municipal League Winter 2020 Municipal Reporter: Risk Management Edition
Tricia Ambrose and David MacMain were asked to contribute to the Pennsylvania Municipal League (PML) Winter 2020 Municipal Reporter: Risk Management Edition. The PML’s mission is to “Strengthen, empower, and advocate for effective local government.”
Ms. Ambrose’s article discussed the sexual abuse exception to the Pennsylvania Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act, how the exception can affect municipalities and how municipalities can limit and manage risk associated with the new exception.
Mr. MacMain’s article focused on the importance of municipalities and law enforcement agencies maintaining and enforcing policies and records in order to guide staff and mitigate risk.
MacMain Leinhauser & Connell Serves As “Go To” Counsel For 1983 Class Action Defense
Building on David MacMain’s past experience in defending 1983 class action litigation, the firm has been increasingly sought out to defend class action litigation in law enforcement and correctional matters. In the past several months, the firm has been retained to defend and resolve 3 class actions regarding prison litigation in New Jersey (David MacMain, Brian Leinhauser, Samantha Ryan and Matt Polaha), gun licensing litigation in Pennsylvania ((David MacMain, Janelle Fulton and Alysha Clark), police search litigation in Pennsylvania (David MacMain, Brian Leinhauser and Andrew Davis), and 2 juvenile detention facility class actions in Tennessee (David MacMain and Andrew Davis).
David MacMain Presents a Police Liability Webinar For Glatfelter Insurance Group
On December 3, 2020, David MacMain presented a nuts and bolts webinar for claims professionals at Glatfelter Insurance Group captioned “Analyzing Police Liability Claims”. The program addressed the types of claims that arise from law enforcement activity, the key legal and ‘practical’ issues that they present, and how to assess, analyze and manage such claims.
David MacMain Presents At PBI Use of Force Seminar
David MacMain was a panelist and speaker at a recent Pennsylvania Bar Institute webinar – “On the Inside and Out: Excessive Force, Police Brutality and Prisoner Rights Cases” broadcast on December 11, 2020. The panel was comprised of speakers on both sides of the caption, including 4 Plaintiff’s civil rights attorneys, Craig Straw of the Philadelphia City Solicitors Office and Assistant United States Attorney Michael Butler. The panel discussed the use of force claims in both the police and prison context with David focusing on the defense of such claims and how the news media and public may not fully understand the difficulties and challenges officers face.
David MacMain Has Article Published In Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association Magazine
David MacMain had an article “Smile, You’re On Camera” published in the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association’s 2020 Winter Bulletin – a quarterly magazine that goes to police administrators all over the state. The focus of David’s article was the need for officers and agencies to be mindful and proactive with how they are viewed and behave with the proliferation of iPhones, videos and social media that places law enforcement under a constant microscope. David shared lessons, wisdom and practical advice based on his years of defending law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities throughout the country and his own personal law enforcement experience as to how such videos and social media can shape – good, bad and ugly – how an incident and the profession is viewed.
David MacMain was interviewed as a part of a comprehensive scholarly paper titled “Police Under Scrutiny” published by CQ Researcher and authored by Christina Lyons.
David MacMain was interviewed as a part of a comprehensive scholarly paper titled “Police Under Scrutiny” published by CQ Researcher and authored by Christina Lyons. The study looked at the history and current state of law enforcement in the United States and included interviews from national public interest groups, law enforcement experts, community and religious leaders, law professors and think-tank groups. David is quoted several times in the article in defense of law enforcement including the difficulties they face, the need for increased (not less) funding, and the fact that the vast majority of officers are well-intentioned men and women who want to do well and serve their community.
Read the full article here.
MacMain, Connell & Leinhauser 2020 Super Lawyers
MacMain Leinhauser is proud to announce that four of our partners, David J. MacMain, Matthew J. Connell, Brian H. Leinhauser, and Janelle E. Fulton, have been selected to the 2020 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list. Super Lawyers annually selects attorneys according to a process that combines peer evaluations with independent research to verify credentials, professional accomplishments, awards, and pro bono and community service. Only five percent of the attorneys in Pennsylvania are selected to Super Lawyers and consumers consult the Super Lawyers list when searching for trusted legal counsel.
David J. MacMain, founding member and managing partner, has been previously selected to Super Lawyers in 2004 and each consecutive year since 2006. David has broad and extensive trial experience, bringing more than 150 cases to verdict in favor of his clients. During a legal career spanning more than 25 years, David has focused his practice on the representation of public entities, public officials, and educational institutions, throughout Pennsylvania in a wide variety of civil rights and employment claims. David is a member of The Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, the Association of Defense Trial Lawyers, and the Defense Research Institute, where he currently serves as the 2020 Chair of the Governmental Liability Committee.
Matthew J. Connell, founding partner, has extensive litigation experience defending private and public sector clients. This is Matthew’s first year selected to Super Lawyers. He routinely counsels clients and handles all phases of litigation. Matthew has also served on an advisory board for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, Labor and Employment Subcommittee and is currently a member of the Chester County Bar Association, the Delaware County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the PA Chamber of Commerce, the Defense Research Institute, and the Society of Human Resource Management.
Brian H. Leinhauser, founding partner, has been selected to Super Lawyers for four consecutive years and was named a Rising Star each year from 2011 through 2016 completing ten years recognized by Super Lawyers. He concentrates his practice in the areas of labor and employment matters, school law, civil rights, business advising, and appellate cases. His employment law experience includes representing public and private entities in matters relating to labor relations, collective bargaining negotiations, personnel and human resources consultation, employment discrimination claims, internal investigations, and general litigation matters. He advises schools on daily operational issues, compliance matters, and advocates for them before state and local administrative agencies. He also advises small businesses on the numerous issues related to their operations including employee matters, real estate and contact issues, and government compliance. Brian has served as Chair of the Community YMCA of Easter Delaware County’s Board, and is currently a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the Civil Rights and Governmental Liability Group, and the Labor and Employment Defense Group.
Janelle E. Fulton, partner of MacMain Leinhauser, has been selected to Super Lawyers each year since 2010. She has more than two decades of experience successfully defending municipal and civil rights claims against public entities and public officials, enforcing restrictive covenants, trade secrets, and employment agreements, and defending against claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, and defamation. Janelle also devotes a significant portion of her practice to counseling and advising clients on a wide range of employment-related and civil rights issues. She is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. Janelle is also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Florida Bar Association, and the Chester County Bar Association.
Our legal team is well prepared to advise clients on complex issues faced by employers, government officials, and educational institutions. During these uncertain times, clients know that they can turn to MacMain Leinhauser for trusted counsel in areas of uncharted legal territory. To learn more, call us at 484-318-7106 or contact us online. We serve clients throughout Philadelphia, Chester County, and New Jersey from our office in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
MacMain, Connell & Leinhauser LLC Plays A Big Part in the 2020 DRI Civil Rights Conference
MacMain Leinhauser played a large role in the 2020 DRI Governmental Liability Conference held in San Diego from January 29-31. The conference, which was attended by over 475 lawyers and insurance professionals from all over the country, is the pre-eminent civil rights conference. David MacMain is the Chair of the Committee and played a large part in planning the conference. MacMain also moderated a panel discussion called “Trial Masters – The Best of the Best” in which 3 battle tested trial lawyers experienced in civil rights trials shared their thoughts, tips and secrets on successfully trying 1983 cases to a jury. Tricia Ambrose hosted a Women in the Law lunch which afforded fellowship and networking opportunities for female (and male) attendees. Janelle Fulton hosted a Diversity Reception for the entire conference – for which the firm was also a sponsor. And Samatha Ryan hosted the Young Lawyers Dinner which connected young lawyers and allowed them the chance to begin building their network.
The MacMain Law Group LLC, has changed to MacMain, Connell & Leinhauser
We are happy to announce that the name of our firm, The MacMain Law Group LLC, has changed to MacMain Connell & Leinhauser. Our firm continues to be committed to delivering excellent service with high ethical standards that our clients have always expected of us. As attorneys with more than sixty years of experience, we understand the importance of real-life issues and providing practical advice and advocacy for our clients. We are dedicated to excellence in every representation and client interaction.
David J. MacMain, Matthew J. Connell, and Brian H. Leinhauser are the founding members and named partners at the firm. Each attorney has extensive experience representing public sector and private sector clients in a variety of practice areas, including civil rights, litigation, labor and employment, education law, and small business consulting. Each attorney is a tenacious and diligent legal advocate for their clients. The team at MacMain Leinhauser looks forward to continuing our relationships with our clients and the continued growth of our firm in the future.
David MacMain Is Featured On A Podcast
David MacMain was interviewed by Frank Ramos of DRI as part of his “A Conversation With . . .” series. In his 30 minute interview, which is in a conversational tone, Frank speaks with David as to how David switched careers from law enforcement to law, his practice, the firm, and David’s thoughts on counseling and defending law enforcement in these times.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-conversation-with/id1432716530