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  • Galfand Berger Lawyers Selected to the 2014 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

    Year after year, Galfand Berger attorneys demonstrate their commitment to our clients and our community with success in and out of the courtroom. This year,  we are proud to announce that five of our attorneys—Arthur Bugay, Debra Jensen, Rick Jurewicz, Peter Patton and Norman Weinstein—have been named to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list.

    Galfand Berger attorneys Michael Malvey and Henry Yampolsky were named to 2014 Pennsylvania Rising Stars list, a unique award for attorneys under the age of 40.

    This honor is even more noteworthy when you look at the numbers.   Selection to the Super Lawyers list is reserved for only the top 5% of more than 34,000 attorneys practicing in Pennsylvania. And, the honor of Rising Star is only given to 2 ½ % of Pennsylvania lawyers. The Super Lawyers selection uses a process of nomination and voting by peers to single out attorneys with noteworthy achievements in their area of practice.

    After you read their biographies, you will learn why our attorneys received these top honors:

    Arthur Bugay’s practice areas include Products’ Liability, Construction Accident litigation, Personal Injury litigation, Negligent Security, and Employment law. Arthur is a regular presenter at Continuing Legal Education seminars and has taught at Temple University and Moravian College.  He currently teaches Products Liability law at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. Arthur is an “AV” rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates’ Forum. In addition to his work in the firm’s Personal Injury Department, Arthur is an advocate for disabled and injured children and for the elderly, which is evident through the volunteer legal services he provides for the Legal Clinic for the Disabled. In 2009, Arthur was Pennsylvania’s regional top fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association, and has participated in a series of Iron-Man competitions to fundraise for both the ADA and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association. This is Arthur’s fifth consecutive year to be selected to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list.

    Debra Jensen has been selected five times to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list, is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, has been included in The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers – Pennsylvania, and is Galfand Berger’s Managing Partner.  When Debra’s fellow partners unanimously elected her as Managing Partner in 1999, she became one of three women who were the top managing attorneys at Philadelphia law firms.  Debra has also achieved significant results for her clients in the area of medical malpractice law, representing individuals and families who suffered catastrophic losses as a result of medical mistakes.  Additionally, she a frequent lecturer on subjects including nursing home abuse, medical malpractice, and labor and employment law.  Debra also helped write the firm’s well-known publications, “Workers’ Rights to Workers’ Compensation” and “Injured on the Job.”

    Rick Jurewicz represents people injured by unsafe products and defective tools, equipment, and machinery. As a trial attorney, he is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rick holds memberships in the Million Dollar Advocates forum, Outstanding Lawyers of America, American Association for Justice, Pennsylvania Association for Justice, the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Academy of Trial Counsel.  With more than $150 million in verdicts and settlements for his clients, Rick is responsible for some of the largest recoveries in Galfand Berger’s history. In 2007, he had two of the twelve highest Pennsylvania recoveries.  In 2010, he had one of the top 35 Pennsylvania recoveries, and in 2011, he had two of the top 35 Pennsylvania settlements.  In 2013, Rick had four of the highest reported settlements in Pennsylvania.   On top of his already stellar year, this is the eleventh consecutive year that Rick has been selected to the Super Lawyer list!

    Michael Malvey handles a wide variety of cases within the personal injury department, including automobile accidents, premises liability, construction site accidents, products liability, and medical malpractice. Recently named as a Senior Partner with the firm, Michael has been a member of the team of Galfand Berger lawyers who have obtained over $75 million dollars in settlements and judgments and attained some of the largest, multi-million dollar client recoveries in Pennsylvania.  Michael’s proficiency in Spanish has been a great asset in representing members of the Hispanic and Latino communities. He currently works with the Board of Directors at Esperanza Immigration Legal Services to provide low-cost legal services to immigrants and their families in the Philadelphia area. This is Michael’s eighth year to be selected to the list of Pennsylvania Rising Stars.

    Peter Patton concentrates in the fields of products liability, construction and vehicular accidents. He was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for Professional Responsibility from the University of California, Berkeley. Peter holds membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Brain Injury Association, System Safety Society, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations, the American Association for Justice, the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, and the National Lawyers Guild.  Peter has received an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating an attorney can achieve. Peter is also listed in the Bar Register of Pre-eminent lawyers and has been included in The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania. In 2011, Peter had one of the top 35 Pennsylvania settlements. This is Peter’s third year to be named to the list of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers.

    Norman Weinstein is Of Counsel at Galfand Berger and chairs the firm’s Community Outreach and Social Action program. He has practiced in Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury law for over 30 years. A Trustee of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, Norman is also past President of the Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program (VIP), past Co-Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and the Workers’ Compensation Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. He is past President of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and Council and Trustee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia as well as Chairman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia Young Leadership Council. Norman has performed pro bono work for the Support Center for Child Advocates, Legal Clinic for the Disabled and Philadelphia Volunteers of the Indigent Program (VIP). Norman is a recipient of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association Community Service Award and has been recognized for his pro bono services by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He is a recipient of the Philadelphia Bar Association Young Leadership Award and the Jewish Federation Myer Feinstein Young Leadership Award. Norman has been selected to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list every year since 2005.

    Henry Yampolsky practices in the areas of personal injury litigation, employment discrimination and labor law, and workers’ compensation. Since joining our firm, Henry has been on the team of lawyers who have achieved some of the largest client recoveries in Pennsylvania. Henry is fluent in Russian and Ukrainian and takes an active role in the affairs of the Greater Philadelphia Russian-Speaking community. He serves as the Vice-President and Member of the Board of Directors of the New World Association of Immigrants from Eastern Europe and is one of the founding directors of the Russian-Speaking Professionals Network.  Additionally, Henry sits on the Board of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and was recently elected to the Amicus Curiae committee of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice.  This is Henry’s fifth consecutive year of inclusion in the Pennsylvania Rising Stars list.