Colin J. O’Boyle is a shareholder at Elliott Greenleaf, P.C.’s Blue Bell office. His practice includes trial and appellate litigation in state and federal courts, as well as arbitrations, focusing primarily on commercial litigation, health law, and employment discrimination.  He has been involved in litigation across the country, including claims involving healthcare provider disputes, ERISA claims, civil rights claims, employment discrimination claims, and contract and other complex commercial disputes.  He was named to the Pennsylvania’s “Rising Stars” List from 2010 through 2017 and to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers List in 2021 and 2022. Colin is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars and is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey. Colin is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.  He served as the Chair of the Young Lawyers Division from 2020-21 and on the Board of Governors from 2019-2022.  He is also a member of the PBA House of Delegates and is active in several committees. Colin is also an active member of the Montgomery Bar Association. He currently serves as the Secretary of the Association and a member of its Board of Directors.  He also continues to serve as the co-chair of the MBA’s Rules of Civil Court Committee and has held, or still holds, other leadership positions within Association’s committees and sections. Colin is the Vice President of the Montgomery Bar Foundation and also a Fellow of the Foundation. Colin is a 2007 cum laude graduate of Villanova University School of Law.  While at Villanova, he received the 2007 David E. Worby scholarship, which recognizes one third year law student for outstanding achievements in oral advocacy.  He was a two-year member of the Moot Court Board and served as the Judicial Liaison to its Executive Board.  He was a semi-finalist in the 46th Annual Theodore L. Reimel Moot Court competition.  Prior to law school, Colin graduated magna cum laude from the University of Scranton’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts honors program with a dual degree in History and Philosophy.

Virginia Hinrichs McMichael is the founder and managing attorney of Appellate Law Group LLC, a woman-owned appellate law boutique that represents clients in appeals in the state and federal courts in Pennsylvania. Ms. McMichael has over 30 years of experience in litigation and appellate law. She is a former partner and Chair of the Appellate Practice Group at Dilworth Paxson LLP. Before joining Dilworth Paxson, she was an attorney-advisor at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and an associate at Lynne Z. Gold-Bikin and Associates, a family law boutique in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Ms. McMichael has successfully represented clients in complex national and international cases in the state and federal appellate courts in a variety of substantive areas of law, including bankruptcy, civil rights, commercial litigation, constitutional law, family law, international, medical malpractice, municipal, products liability, real estate, and trusts and estates. She has a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where she was a Senior Editor of the Texas International Law Journal, and an A.B. with High Honors from Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont. She is a Founding Board Member and Chair of the Regional Council Committee of Women Owned Law, a national organization dedicated to connecting and advancing women entrepreneurs in the law. Ms. McMichael served for fifteen years on the Board of Supervisors of East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, a township with over 10,000 residents that is the home of the Great Valley Corporate Center, one of the largest suburban office complexes in the country. She is admitted to practice in the state courts of Pennsylvania. Ms. Michael is also admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Third and Second Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the ABA Council of Appellate Lawyers, the Pennsylvania Bar Association Appellate Advocacy Committee, and the Philadelphia Bar Association Appellate Law and International Law Committees. Ms. McMichael has an AV pre-eminent peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and a “Superb” rating from Avvo. She is fluent in Spanish and French. For more information, see www.appellatelawpa.com. Ms. McMichael can be reached at vmcmichael@appellatelawpa.com.

Melinda C. Ghilardi is an attorney at Munley Law personal injury attorneys.  Prior to joining the firm, she was the First Assistant Federal Public Defender, an Assistant Federal Public Defender as well as an Attorney/Investigator for the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for 33 years until retirement in February 2019.  She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Lackawanna County. Melinda is Chair of the House of Delegates Committee on Credentials and Admissions, a Co-Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Federal Practice Committee and serves on the Executive Councils of the Civil Litigation Section and the Commission on Women in the Profession.  She is also on the Board of Directors of the PA Bar Foundation.  She served on the PBA Board of Governors as both the Woman Governor and Unit County Governor.  In that capacity, she was also a member of the PBA Nominating Committee. Melinda has also held the following positions in PBA Committees:  Co-Chair of the Commission on Women in the Profession, Chair of the Diversity Team, Co-Vice Chair of the DEI Team, and Co-Chair of the Bar Leadership Institute.  She is also a long-time member of the PBA House of Delegates. Melinda has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2022 to the present as well as in Best Lawyers in America for 2024.  In 2005, she received the Lynette Norton Award presented by the PBA’s Commission on Women in the Profession. That same year, she received the inaugural Athena Award presented by the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. In 2016, Melinda received the Robert J. Munley Distinguished Service Award from Lackawanna Pro Bono, Inc. Melinda is a member of the American Association for Justice, Pennsylvania Association for Justice, and the Melvin Belli Society.  She is the Treasurer of the Association of Women Lawyers of Lackawanna County.  She has also served as Secretary of the National Association of Federal Defenders and is a past President of the Lackawanna Bar Association. In her community, Melinda is a member of the Board of Directors of the Circle 200 Forum for Senior Level Executive Women and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV).  She also serves on the Legal Committee of the Barbara J. Hart Justice Center. The University of Scranton honored Melinda by establishing an Ignatian Scholarship in her name and, in 2000, presented her with the Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding achievement in the field of law.  She is a current member of the Board of Visitors of the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies. She is a 1976 graduate of Scranton Preparatory School and a 1980 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Scranton.  In 1983, she was awarded a juris doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Peter A. Lennon is an attorney and forensic accountant who has specialized in high stakes, complex Whistleblower and Class Action litigation for over 25 years. Pete has applied his expertise in law, accounting, auditing and finance to represent whistleblowers and defrauded plaintiffs in numerous high-profile complex cases involving fraud under the federal and state securities and tax laws. Some of Pete’s cases involving accounting irregularities, auditing scandals and disclosure violations pitted him against some of the nation’s largest public companies including: Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Bank of America – Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Bear Sterns, Xerox Corporation, Tyco Corporation, Nortel Networks, Microstrategy Incorporated, Cendant, Informix (including Informix Software Europe), Waste Management, and 3COM. Pete has also been involved in some of YLG’s numerous successful IRS Whistleblower cases before the IRS Whistleblower Office, including cases involving FATCA Disclosure Requirements for high-net worth US citizens with foreign accounts, international transfer pricing, the use of principle company structures in Switzerland, offshore foreign trusts, and various other tax law violations in the US and abroad. Due to his specialized expertise in both law, accounting, and auditing, Pete has been engaged by government regulators in both the United States and Europe, including: high-profile cases of public importance involving governance and compliance failures for the Division of Enforcement and AML at the Central Bank of Ireland in Dublin; cases related to the LIBOR scandal for the Division of Enforcement at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in London; and cases involving the investigation and analysis of auditor liability issues and Director & Officer liability issues related to failed banks during the Financial Crisis for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in Washington, D.C.

Lauren Nichols is a personal injury attorney who brings over a decade of experience to our law firm having practiced personal injury law in Harrisburg as well as Pittsburgh. Attorney Nichols is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum for attorneys who have achieved million-dollar verdicts and settlements. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She completed undergraduate coursework at the University of Pittsburgh, graduating magna cum laude with double majors in history and political science. Attorney Nichols has been actively involved in her community, having served as Board Secretary and Board Chair of the Bloomfield Development Corporation Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Allegheny Lodge #339. Attorney Nichols earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2012. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh with double majors in History and Political Science, graduating magna cum laude in 2008. Attorney Nichols is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and the United States District Court of Western District of Pennsylvania.

Glenn Ricketti first became associated with Margolis Edelstein in 1985. He has been a partner at the firm since 1991. His practice concentrates on complex commercial litigation and general liability claims litigation. He has handled hundreds of jury and non-jury trials in both the State and Federal court systems, arbitration hearings, as well as uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist hearings. Glenn’s practice includes handling a wide array of cases from international, national and regional corporations and insurance carriers ranging from catastrophic multiple death cases to major property damage claims with damages in the tens of millions of dollars and personal injury claims. Along with commercial litigation and general liability claims, Glenn has handled numerous coverage and declaratory judgment actions through both the trial and appellate levels. Over the past years, Glenn has been selected by various corporations, businesses and insurance companies to take over major litigation cases from house counsel on the eve of trial to prepare for and litigate the cases through a successful resolution or through the trial and the appellate courts. Glenn’s practice includes: Commercial and Business Litigation; Insurance Coverage Litigation; Automobile and Trucking Litigation; Bad Faith Claims; General Liability; Municipal Liability; Products Liability; Premises Liability; Construction Defect Litigation; and Workplace Accident Litigation. Glenn has represented clients in litigation stemming from breach of contract, business disputes, large commercial construction projects and residential construction projects representing general contractors as well as subcontractors in claims involving water infiltration, stucco, EFIS claims, fire, and building collapses. In addition, Glenn has extensive experience in defending premises liability claims due to slip/trip and fall and premises defects, including defective design and maintenance.

Attorney Mackenzie E. Wilson is a trial lawyer who focuses her practice on a variety of litigation matters including trucking and motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death/survival cases, brain injury cases, and medical malpractice litigation. Mackenzie received her J.D. from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. During Law school, she worked as a student attorney in the Villanova Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic. As part of her work with the clinic, she provided pro bono legal representation to farmworkers living and working within Pennsylvania. Prior to law school, Mackenzie graduated magna cum laude from The University of Scranton where she received a double major in political science and philosophy. Additionally, she graduated from the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Mackenzie is admitted to the Bar of Pennsylvania and is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, and the Lackawanna Bar Association. Mackenzie is a Region 1, District 10 coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s High School Mock Trial Competition. She is also the Regional 10 Coordinator for the high school mock trial, which includes Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Monroe, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Pike, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. Mackenzie volunteers with Lackawanna Pro Bono to provide legal representation to residents of Lackawanna County. Within her community, Mackenzie is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Pocono Mountain Public Library.

Judge Brown serves as President Judge and a trial judge in the Second Judicial District of Pennsylvania’s Court of Common Pleas which encompasses Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He has presided over many complex civil cases as well as Lancaster County’s discovery motions court. Judge Brown received his law degree manga cum laude from Campbell University School of Law, clerked for United States District Court judge Malcolm J. Howard, and was in the private practice of law before being elected to the bench in 2011. Judge Brown has served as an adjunct assistant professor in Franklin & Marshall College’s government department teaching international human rights law and the law of armed conflict. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a concentration in electrical engineering. He retired from the military in 2019 after serving on active duty and in the United States Army Reserve.

Shelly R. Pagac is a Director and the new Chair of the Employment and Labor Practice Group, bringing decades of experience in counseling, training, litigating all employment matters, and defending employers nationwide. Shelly partners with businesses to develop proactive strategies that foster healthy workplaces while ensuring compliance with labor and employment regulations. With a distinguished career spanning over three decades, Shelly is a trusted advisor having successfully represented clients in state and federal courts across the United States. Shelly has extensive experience handling a broad spectrum of employment law matters, including non-compete agreements, class actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII discrimination claims, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower cases. She has also defended employers against state tort claims such as defamation, wrongful discharge, and breach of contract. As a member of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Western Pennsylvania, Shelly is recognized for her courtroom advocacy and trial success, having tried numerous cases to verdict, including a five-day sexual harassment trial in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Shelly has become a go-to investigator for employers dealing with workplace misconduct, particularly in the wake of the #MeToo movement. She is also an approved mediator for the Federal District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, leveraging her deep understanding of employment law to help businesses resolve disputes efficiently. Shelly is a dedicated leader in the legal community, serving as a Hearing Officer for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and playing an integral role in shaping employment law discussions as a Planning Committee member for the Allegheny County Bar Association Employment Law Seminar. Her commitment to professional excellence has earned her numerous accolades, including recognition in The Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law and Litigation – Labor and Employment, as well as repeat selections as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer. Beyond her legal practice, Shelly is passionate about giving back. She has held leadership roles in various community organizations, including serving as the Secretary on the Board of Quantum Theatre and last year’s Co-Chair of the QBall, Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, and the Allegheny County Bar Association, where she has championed diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. As the leader of Houston Harbaugh’s Employment and Labor Practice Group, Shelly is dedicated to providing strategic counsel to employers, ensuring compliance, mitigating risk, and aggressively defending their interests when litigation arises.

Lance D. Greene, Esq. focuses his practice on counseling and representing businesses and individuals facing civil and criminal investigations. He has been appointed conflict counsel for recent juvenile offenders in Lancaster and Dauphin counties. He also handles a range of commercial litigation matters including commercial trucking and commercial real estate litigation where he represents various trucking and property management companies. Lance is a former assistant district attorney (ADA) in the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, where he served as a supervisor and lead prosecutor in the Juvenile Court Division. In addition to his duties handling cases involving juveniles, he has successfully tried a wide range of adult matters through jury trials, bench trial and suppression hearings. As a former ADA, Lance has a developed respect in the community for his work resolving cases in a fair and compassionate way to put youth on a path for future success. Prior to his work as a prosecutor, Lance served as the Chief Deputy Clerk of Circuit Court in Roanoke, VA,
supervising the departmental functions, including employees across Civil, Criminal, Probate and Land Records Divisions and acting as a liaison between the court and the Supreme Court of Virginia. Lance is an active member of the Lancaster community and has served in many leadership roles. Lance serves on the Board of Directors for the Lancaster Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Lancaster Bar Association. He also serves on the board of Leadership Lancaster and serves as the treasurer of the Board of Directors for ASSETS, a non-profit dedicated to assisting minority entrepreneurs.

Attorney Carol A. Shelly is a shareholder and managing partner of Shelly Law Offices, LLC, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Serving clients throughout Bucks County and the surrounding areas of the Philadelphia metro region, Ms. Shelly devotes her practice exclusively to personal injury law. She has achieved notable success helping those across her region who suffered an injury or loss as the result of someone else’s negligent, careless or unlawful actions. Over the course of her more than 38 years of practicing law, Ms. Shelly has recovered millions of dollars in settlements and awards for those adversely affected by motor vehicle crashes, medical malpractice, brain and birth injuries, and other preventable tragedies. At every turn, Ms. Shelly delivers highly personalized, compassionate counsel and guidance to those she serves as she aggressively pursues the most favorable outcome possible for her clients. Recognized for her exemplary professionalism and outstanding legal abilities, Ms. Shelly has earned an AV Preeminent peer review rating by Martingale-Hubble, a designation reflecting the respect of Judges and her peers that ranks her at the highest level of professional excellence in legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards. Ms. Shelly has been named to three prestigious Super Lawyer lists: Top 100 Super Lawyers in Pennsylvania, Top 100 Super Lawyers in Philadelphia, and Top 50 Women Super Lawyers in Pennsylvania. She has been named a Super Lawyer nearly every one of the past 18 years. A native of Philadelphia, Ms. Shelly graduated from Gettysburg College in 1981. She then obtained her Juris Doctor from Widener University’s Delaware Law School in 1986, and she is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. A leader in her field, Ms. Shelly once served as president of the Bucks County Bar Association, President of the Bucks County Bar Foundation and Chair of the Civil Litigation Section of the Bucks County Bar Association. She has written and conducted numerous lectures and seminars on a variety of legal topics. She is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Board of Trial Advocates. Ms. Shelly is on the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, representing attorneys from Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and Delaware counties.

David N. Wecht was elected to a ten-year term on The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in November 2015 and began his service as a Supreme Court Justice in January 2016. Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court is the oldest appellate court in the United States of America and predates the nation’s independence by several decades. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania was established by the Commonwealth’s Judiciary Act of 1722 and traces its roots to the Provincial Appellate Court created in 1684. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Justice Wecht served as a Judge of The Superior Court of Pennsylvania from January 2012 to January 2016, and as a Judge on The Court of Common Pleas for Pennsylvania’s Fifth Judicial District from February 2003 to January 2012. From January 2009 to January 2011, Justice Wecht served by appointment of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as Administrative Judge of the Fifth Judicial District’s Family Division, which encompasses both domestic relations cases and cases of juvenile dependency and delinquency. As Administrative Judge, Justice Wecht designed and implemented several reforms and innovations, including the Unified Family Court, the local rule on parenting coordination, and improved conflict counsel appointments in juvenile cases. Prior to taking the bench, Justice Wecht was twice elected as the Allegheny County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court. In that capacity, he pioneered innovations that included creation of a free will consultation program for seniors and authorship of a state law that prevents accused murderers from controlling their victims’ estates. Justice Wecht is a 1984 Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale, where he was a National Merit Scholar and earned Yale College Distinction in both history and political science. At Yale Law School, Justice Wecht was selected as Notes Editor of the Yale Law Journal, and as an Editor of both the Yale Law & Policy Review and the Yale Journal of International Law. While a law student, he also volunteered as a certified legal intern in the Office of the State’s Attorney in New Haven, Connecticut, and provided pro bono legal assistance to inmates of the Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, New York. After graduating from Yale Law School in 1987, Justice Wecht served as Law Clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge George MacKinnon on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Washington, D.C. and received the Award for Distinguished Service in that position. From January 1989 until taking the bench in February 2003, Justice Wecht continuously practiced law, first at Williams & Connolly in Washington, DC, then at Katarincic & Salmon in Pittsburgh, PA, and finally at The Wecht Law Firm in Pittsburgh, PA. He was licensed to practice in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., and was admitted to the bar of numerous state and federal courts, including The Supreme Court of the United States. A frequent lecturer to bench, bar, and community groups throughout Pennsylvania and in several other states, Justice Wecht also has served for many years on the faculties of the Duquesne University School of Law and the University of Pittsburgh. He has taught at universities in China and in Israel, where he visits regularly to instruct law students. Justice Wecht’s extra-judicial writings have appeared in a number of publications, including the Yale Law Journal, Gonzaga Law Review, Widener Commonwealth Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, Pennsylvania Lawyer, Pennsylvania Family Lawyer, Pittsburgh Legal Journal, Tablet, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, Midstream, and others. Justice Wecht also serves or has served as a Fellow or Member of several professional organizations, including the American Law Institute, the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, and the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. He has volunteered his time to a number of governmental, civic, and community boards and groups, including the Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership Center, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee, the Law Enforcement Advisory Committee of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee of the Community College of Allegheny County, the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges Commission, and others. Justice Wecht was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill section and graduated from Shady Side Academy in 1980. Justice Wecht and his wife Valerie were married at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Congregation, on whose Board of Trustees he served. Justice Wecht and his wife continue to live in Allegheny County, where they raised four children, all of whom are now adults.

Ms. Coatsworth is a partner at Margolis Edelstein. She has litigated hundreds of motor vehicle, dealer fraud and lemon law cases from both the plaintiff and defense sides. Additionally, she concentrates her practice in the defense of professionals such as realtors, home inspectors, accountants and physicians. She also has extensive experience with premises liability and product liability and has handled employment and construction work and several fraternity cases. Ms. Coatsworth has defended dozens of car dealerships and real estate sales people for claims of breach of contract and fraud and violations of various fraud-related statutes such as the Unfair Trade Practices Act, the Magnuson Moss Warranty Improvement Act, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Lemon Laws, the New Vehicle Damage Disclosure Act, the Automotive Industry Trade Practices Act, the Real Estate Sellers Disclosure Law and the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act. Additionally, Ms. Coatsworth specializes in representing Greek letter organizations in all manner of claims including dram shop, hazing, and personal injury. She was selected for inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Stars from 2011 through 2018 and Super Lawyers in 2021-2024. Ms. Coatsworth currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association as Immediate Past Chancellor, having previously served as Chancellor, Chancellor-Elect, Vice Chancellor, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Parliamentarian and Elected Member. Additionally, she is a past co-chair of the Women in the Profession Committee, and she is also very active with the State Civil Litigation Section, Women’s Rights Committee, LGBTQ Rights Committee and the Real Property Section. She previously served on the Executive Committee of the Young Lawyers Division of that organization for six years and held the positions of Secretary and Vice Chair of the Division. She also served as a Trustee of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and a Board Member for Philadelphia VIP. She serves on the Leadership Council of Community Legal Services and the Advisory Board for Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. In the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Ms. Coatsworth is the Immediate Past Zone One Governor, and she sits on the Executive Counsel of the Civil Litigation Section as a Past Chair and the Women in the Profession Commission’s Executive Council as Co-Chair on the Nominating Committee. She previously served as co-chair of the PBA Women in the Profession Commission and chaired several of its committees including Annual Meeting, Fall Retreat and Awards Committee. She is also a Past Chancellor of the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society, and she serves on several committees of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania including the Community Outreach Committee and the Jury Diversity Task Force.