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Governmental Entity Representation and Civil Rights Defense

The Governmental Entity Representation and Civil Rights Defense Practice is comprised of a former Pennsylvania State Trooper and several former prosecutors who have extensive experience counseling and defending local, county and state government in a wide variety of lawsuits and non-litigation matters. We have earned a national reputation among government officials, self-insureds and insurance professionals for delivering successful, first-rate, cost-effective and practical legal representation.

We have successfully defended thousands of governmental liability and civil rights claims for counties, cities, townships and public agencies in federal and state court throughout the country, and before administrative agencies including:

  • Police and law enforcement agency claims
  • Prisons, police holding facilities and detention centers matters
  • Zoning and land use disputes
  • Employment related claims including those asserted under Section 1983, Title VII, FMLA, ADA
  • First Amendment and defamation claims
  • Wrongful prosecution claims against prosecutors, and ineffective representation claims against defense counsel
  • Claims against Children and Youth Services, social workers and court officials
  • Suits against elected officials, administrators, officers and judges
  • School based claims
  • Municipal tort claims

We are proud of our unmatched trial record having successfully obtained defense verdicts in numerous cases for public officials and entities. We have achieved dismissal via voluntary dismissals, motions to dismiss and summary judgment in hundreds more. We recognize that while some claims should be aggressively defended through dismissal or trial, we also recognize and identify early those problematic cases in which settlement should be considered, and target them for a cost-effective, creative and reasonable resolution.

Our prominence in the field, led by David MacMain is recognized by others as we serve as national counsel to several carriers who specially retain us to oversee and/or handle high-profile and complex matters outside of the eastern half of Pennsylvania, which to date have included cases in western Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Connecticut, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina, and Arizona.

Among our successes and accomplishments are the following:

  • Pre-trial dismissal or defense verdicts in numerous police-related shootings;
  • Dismissals of several wrongful convictions cases;
  • Summary judgment in numerous false arrest, pursuit, use of force and state-created danger claims;
  • Successfully defending public entity clients in administrative agency actions;
  • Presentations, both locally and nationally, at hundreds of seminars and conferences regarding civil rights and municipal liability, including the Defense Research Institute, the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Municipal League, the Pennsylvania Township Supervisors Association, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

We also provide pre-litigation counseling, review of policies and practices, assessment of potential claims, and internal training and seminars to help governmental agencies and officials avoid litigation and be better positioned to successfully defend claims when suits are brought.