Smethport Lawyers

I represent corporate and individual clients before the trial, administrative, and appellate courts of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I also provide general counsel services to small businesses, municipalities, sole proprietors, artists, writers and musicians. I am an active member of the Lycoming Law Association, serve as solicitor for the City of Williamsport, and as an assistant solicitor for the County of Lycoming.

John A. Lauer is a Senior Partner with the law firm of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP, where he is Chairman of the firm's Trusts & Estates Group. He is also a member of the firm's Business and Tax Groups. John's practice consists primarily of Estate and Tax Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, Elder Law, and Business Law.

John received his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Gannon University in 1986 and his Juris Doctor from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1996. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to beginning...

Attorney Eric J. Purchase represents individuals and families suffering from injury or the death of a loved one. He was born and raised in Erie County, Pennsylvania. He is a 1988 graduate of Gannon University. In 1991, he received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh, graduating with honors. While at the University of Pittsburgh, Mr. Purchase served as editor of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review. In recognition of his class standing upon graduation, Mr. Purchase was inducted into the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Order of the Coif.

Before opening his Pennsylvania personal injury practice, Mr. Purchase was...

Attorney Jennifer J. Riley, Esquire focuses her practice on Family Law, including Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Alimony, Protection from Abuse, Prenuptial Agreements, Postnuptial Agreements, Spousal Support, Adoption, and Grandparents' Rights. ? Ms. Riley is an experienced negotiator and a tireless litigator who will work hard to secure stability for you and your family. She is a strong, zealous advocate for her clients inside and outside the courtroom. ? Ms. Riley is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she focused her studies on Trial Advocacy. She was a member of the...

An owner/partner at Tibbott & Richardson, P.C., Attorney Tibbott dedicates her practice to DUI Defense, Criminal Defense, and Family Law.

Jamie R. Schumacher is an Associate in the Litigation Department at MacDonald Illig where she concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial litigation, employment litigation, insurance defense, and municipal/ordinance enforcement. She is also a member of the firm's Commercial/General Litigation Practice Group, Labor & Employment Practice Group, Government Services Practice Group, Marketing Committee, and the Recruitment Committee. Ms. Schumacher is licensed to practice in all Pennsylvania state courts, the United States District Courts for the Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ms. Schumacher is the former chair of the Young Lawyers Division...

Attorney Vilushis knows that a run-in with the law is often one of the worst days anyone could experience. That’s why he brings great understanding to his clients facing DUI or other criminal charges.

Vilushis cites his time as a law clerk with the Honorable Ernest J. DiSantis Jr. as a catalyst for his passion for law. He worked tirelessly as both an Assistant District Attorney and a First Deputy District Attorney, and is no stranger to the courtroom having personally tried over 60 jury trials.

Attorney Vilushis was honored as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers...

David A. Ody has practiced in the Courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for 37 years, including 30 years in Huntingdon County. Since entering private practice, David has concentrated his work in the areas of Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Real Estate, Divorce, Estate Planning, and Probate. David has represented clients throughout the United States and in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He has successfully litigated hundreds of cases, including cases against insurance companies, major corporations, and the government. He is admitted in all courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Middle District of...

Jim Toohey is a partner at MacDonald Illig, where he represents and advises individuals, businesses and lenders in a wide variety of real estate and corporate matters, including residential, industrial, commercial and multi-unit transactions; commercial leasing; and commercial and residential lending. In addition to his representation of individual buyers and sellers of residential real estate, Jim has extensive experience in representing developers of real estate who acquire, finance, develop and operate industrial, office and retail projects. Jim also represents business owners in a variety of matters, commercial and real estate mortgage lenders in financing business and real estate loans, and...

Attorney Burroughs is primarily a civil litigator whose principal area of concentration is environmental law. He undertakes representation of parties in civil cases in the Pennsylvania state and federal courts. He is also involved in administrative proceedings, in particular those which deal with environmental law. He is also significantly involved in the counseling of individuals and companies regarding environmental compliance and remediation of environmental problems.

Attorney Burroughs has represented clients in toxic tort, products liability, personal injury and related cases. Additionally, he has an expanding practice in the fields of municipal law and municipal authority law. His clients include individual municipalities,...

Mr. Shamburg is a partner with MacDonald Illig where he is a member of the Business Transactions, Trusts & Estate and Tax Practice groups. His practice comprises a vast array of personal and business transactions, that can be broken into five general practice areas: estate and trust planning and administration; tax compliance and planning matters; Orphans' Court litigation; nonprofit formation; and corporate formation and transactions.

Mr. Shamburg received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus in 2005. In 2009, he graduated cum laude from the University of Dayton School of Law, where...

Mr. Joseph has practiced as a school solicitor for more than 35 years, providing a full range of education law services. In addition to serving as general solicitor for three area school districts, the local Intermediate Unit and numerous nonpublic school systems, he has experience in handling special education matters including mediation and litigation of special education and Section 504 due process hearings. He has also, over time, provided representation on behalf of every public school district in Erie, Crawford and Warren counties as special counsel for a variety of specific assignments.

Mr. Joseph has extensive experience in policy drafting, Family...

Chris is a founding member of Haberl, Buell & Rice, PLLC, where he focuses on oil and gas, real estate, corporate, litigation, and estate matters. Chris represents oil and gas operators in land issues, litigation, regulatory appeals, and general commercial matters. He also regularly represents businesses and individuals in civil litigation, real estate transactions, corporate formations and counseling, and estate planning and administration. Chris has been named a Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® from 2012 through 2020.

Attorney Stumpf develops estate plans for her clients and competently assists in the administration of estates of all sizes. She also provides expertise in the areas of trust administration, asset protection, elder law and guardianship issues. Attorney Stumpf's business law practice includes entity formation for both for-profit and non-profit organizations, structural questions, general counsel and the development of succession plans. Additionally, she assists in the representation of several school districts, an intermediate unit and multiple private schools.

Attorney Stumpf received her undergraduate degree from Grove City College in 2003 and her Juris Doctor from the Penn State - The Dickinson School...

Longo founded Longo Law, P.C. in order to protect the rights of the accused as a zealous advocate, no matter what the charge. When the prosecution is putting your life, liberty, and future at risk, it is essential to have an experienced litigator to aggressively defend your freedom and work hard to get you the best possible outcome.

Attorney Longo is an experienced trial attorney with a demonstrated success in the courtroom. She is able to skillfully defend her clients because she has represented the government as well as the public. Longo has prevailed in...

Lydia Horan Caparosa is an Associate in the Litigation Department at MacDonald Illig. She is a member of both the firm's Commercial/General Litigation Practice Group and the Insurance/Personal Injury Practice Group. Ms. Caparosa is licensed to practice in all Pennsylvania state courts as well as the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Caparosa graduated from Pennsylvania State University with degrees in Finance and International Politics in 2011. Thereafter, Ms. Caparosa earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. While at the University of Pittsburgh, Ms. Caparosa worked as...

Matthew C. Parson is a high-quality, veteran defense attorney based in Franklin, Pennsylvania. He practices criminal law, family law, contract law, and estate law. Matthew and his team can help you with divorce and custody problems, even if they are complex and emotionally charged. Our satisfaction comes from helping those in need of advocacy, information, or advice. We also serve clients in need of criminal defense, and/or probate law and estate settlement. Call us today – your first consultation is free! If you'd like more information, check out our website here! https://lawfirmfranklin.com

Mr. Spoden is a senior partner at MacDonald Illig. He concentrates his practice in the area of corporate, commercial and business law, with a special emphasis on taxation and estate planning for small business owners. He is also active in the area of business formation, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.

Mr. Spoden is experienced in small business counseling including industrial, professional and service corporations.

Mr. Spoden is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

John Fessler has been a civil litigator for more than 25 years. His practice is concentrated primarily in the areas of insurance defense, commercial litigation and personal injury. John has represented insurance carriers in a variety of cases over the years, including those involving automobile policies, commercial general liability policies and homeowner policies.

Attorney Fessler also has an extensive real estate practice, providing counsel to buyers, sellers and lending institutions, as well as regularly participating in Sheriff Sales.

He is AV Preeminent peer-review rated,* the highest rating, through Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Fessler was awarded the 2007 President's Award from the Erie County Bar...

Attorney Neiderhiser is a Partner at Marcus & Mack who has always taken great pride in being a personal injury attorney because his profession allows him to fight for the rights of individuals against insurance companies, businesses, and hospitals. He believes that without trial lawyers, injury victims would not have a voice against these huge companies. He feels so strongly about the importance of this profession, that he has made “giving back” a priority which resulted in his having served as the President of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. That organization is devoted to promoting the right to trial...

Ms. Stefanovski devotes her practice entirely to litigation. She has experience in the specific areas of insurance defense, personal injury defense and premises liability.

Attorney Tim Burns has been operating his regional general law practice in historic Ebensburg, Cambria County for nearly a decade. His office, located an hour and a half east of Pittsburgh, is conveniently located just steps from the Cambria County Courthouse. A Johnstown native, he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Secondary Education from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh where he served as Editor-in-Chief of Juris, the school’s award winning legal newsmagazine. Prior to opening his law office, Attorney Burns was an Associate in the...

Attorney Toohey's practice is concentrated in the areas of business and real estate law, and estate planning and administration. He was involved with the formation and initial operation of Spectrum Control, Inc., Lake Erie Institute of Rehabilitation and Growing Places, Inc. He has represented clients and been personally involved in the development of condominium projects and other real estate developments. He has also represented several municipalities and authorities. Attorney Toohey is deeply committed to civic causes and has served on the boards of several civic, educational, and religious institutions.

Attorney Charbel Latouf has been diligently serving the Erie, PA and surrounding counties since 1999. He has a passion for representing those charged with a crime such as DUI/DWI, felony and misdemeanor charges. Attorney Latouf also handles serious injury claims ranging from car accidents, slip and fall, injury at work, and any other injury that was caused due to the negligence of another person. Over his career, he has been ranked to the top 100 criminal defense attorneys and has also been rated by Strathmore's Who's Who International in Law for both personal injury and criminal defense. It is our...

Attorney Jan Janin's practice involves the representation of debtors, secured creditors and unsecured creditors in bankruptcy. Particular emphasis is placed on Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 debtors. His practice also involves extensive collection work on behalf of banks and credit unions. Michael's practice involves litigation in both state and federal courts of western Pennsylvania. Specifically, he is admitted to practice before all courts under the purview of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, as well as the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the Supreme Court...

Patrick Delaney is a Senior Partner at MacDonald Illig. He concentrates his practice in the area of Commercial Litigation. During the course of his career, Mr. Delaney has litigated disputes in the federal and state courts throughout Pennsylvania and in various other jurisdictions. He has also handled numerous complex commercial disputes before arbitration tribunals, including panels convened through the American Arbitration Association and the International Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Delaney has years of experience handling contract disputes, including those involving professional services, the sale of goods, real estate sales, stock purchase agreements, commercial and industrial construction, and executive employment. He...

Mr. Rieders is a partner in the Williamsport law firm of Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Waters & Dohrmann. He graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Coat of Arms Society and Academic Scholarships from New York University and received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University in 1973. In Washington D. C. he worked for the Maritime Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce and for defense counsel Henry Rothblatt in the celebrated Watergate case. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Malcolm Muir, United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania. ...

Skilled trial lawyer representing people seriously injured

Attorney Kuhn has over 40 years of experience practicing in the areas of residential, commercial and investment real estate transactions, land use matters and municipal law. Mr. Kuhn's practice also focuses on estate planning, estate and trust administration, taxation, elder care planning and business formation and post formation counseling. He is admitted to practice before all Pennsylvania Courts, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Tax Court and the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Kuhn has also taught several law-related courses as an Adjunct Lecturer...

William R. Brown concentrates his practice in the areas of Business Transactions, Commercial Real Estate and Creditor Rights.

In the area of Business Transactions, Mr. Brown advises businesses and individuals with respect to formation and governance of business entities, commercial transactions, contract formation and interpretation, real estate acquisition, disposition and development and structuring of financial relationships.

Mr. Brown also represents commercial and institutional lenders with respect to secured lending, construction financing, syndicated loans and participations, letters of credit and tax-exempt financings. As counsel to major commercial banks, Mr. Brown is regularly involved in the negotiation, structure, documentation and closing of major real...

Attorney Martinucci's practice is concentrated on providing public and private sector employers with legal advice and representation in various employment and civil rights matters in both union and non-union settings. He represents clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the Erie County Human Relations Commission against allegations of employment-related discrimination and harassment, and he has had favorable results. Attorney Martinucci has also successfully litigated wrongful discharge and employment discrimination cases before various state and federal courts in western Pennsylvania and conducts collective bargaining negotiations for public and private sector clients. His clients include private...

Since he started his law practice in 1997, Attorney Melaragno has worked with individuals who were injured, through no fault of their own, in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, tractor trailer accidents, slips and falls and a variety of other circumstances. Attorney Melaragno and his partners have tried or settled cases with a success rate of over 99%, recovering more than $3.2 Million for their injured clients in the last 4 years alone.


Attorney Melaragno was selected to serve on the Panel for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustees for the Western District of Pennsylvania on February 6, 2004 and from that...

Roger H. Taft is a trial lawyer at MacDonald Illig whose primary areas of practice are employment litigation, including employment discrimination and wrongful discharge cases, and complex commercial litigation.

In his litigation practice, Mr. Taft represents clients in federal and state courts throughout Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio, as well as in federal courts throughout the United States.

Mr. Taft enjoys travel, golf, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.