Rankin Lawyers

Darth is a skilled trial attorney and a certified mediator with more than a decade of litigation experience in complex commercial and plaintiff’s side whistleblower cases. He has tried shareholder disputes, fraud, insider dealing, and fiduciary duty matters worth millions of dollars. He has also represented whistleblowers from across the country helping to shed light on all manner of fraud against the government from dangerous healthcare systems, devices, and doctors to government contracting and loan fraud. Darth’s trial experience includes a federal jury trial, a Delaware Chancery Court trial, and a range of other state court trials and arbitrations. He has...

My interest in medicine began because of my experience as a navy corpsman. After the navy I found that my training in the navy enabled me to find work in Pittsburgh Hospitals as a respiratory therapist. Then I continued my work as a respiratory therapist for seven years while completing my undergraduate education. I even worked summers as a respiratory therapist while in law school. I went to law school for the specific purpose of representing victims of medical malpractice. I began this crusade at a time when few lawyers handled medical malpractice cases in...

I have over 14 years of experience handling complex family law matters. In 2000, I graduated from Duquesne University School of Law. I have worked in private practice representing clients in a variety of civil and criminal matters. For two years, I clerked for a Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge. My experience as an appellate law clerk has enhanced my knowledge of the law and my understanding of the legal process. I opened my law offices in 2009. My law offices are conveniently located in the Southside of Pittsburgh within two (2) blocks of the...

Mr. Ernsberger was a founding partner of the law firm of Behrend and Ernsberger, and is now a shareholder in its successor, Behrend and Ernsberger, P.C. with offices in the City of Pittsburgh. Mr. Ernsberger has been engaged primarily in trial practice for twenty years, having in that time tried approximately 50 civil jury trials of various types and degrees of complexity and settled many others. The claims litigated include medical malpractice, RICO, ERISA, Fair Labor Standards Act, consumer protection, trademark infringement, patent infringement, patent mismarking, Federal False Claims, products liability, multi-unit construction contracts, employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, insurance fraud,...

Since 1976, Melvin L. Vatz has been faithfully providing legal counsel and guidance to clients. As a Pittsburgh lawyer, he handles a comprehensive range of cases. Whether you have been injured on the job, hurt in an accident, charged with a crime, or caught up in an employment law issue, Attorney Mel is there for you. He has tried cases in both federal and state courts and has taken on major appeals. With nearly 40 years of legal experience, Mel is the advocate you want in your corner. As a former Assistant District Attorney in Allegheny County, he brings a...

Matt is a graduate, magna cum laude, of Duquesne University School of Law and The Pennsylvania State University. Matt was admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Western District of Pennsylvania in 2011. Matt’s practice focuses primarily in the areas of personal injury and general litigation, including, civil, employment, criminal, family, business, estate, and real estate matters. Matt also heads our bankruptcy department and represents consumers in both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings throughout Pennsylvania.

During Law school, Matt was a writer and senior staff member for the Duquesne Law Review and an...