Wattsburg Lawyers

Matt is a lifelong Pennsylvania resident, having lived in Bucks, Centre, and Erie counties. As an undergraduate, he attended The Pennsylvania State University’s main campus, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. Afterwards, he went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from The Pennsylvania State University, The Dickinson School of Law, where he graduated in the top third of his class. While at Penn State Law, Matt was a member of the Rural Economic Development Clinic and was recognized as a Public Interest Advocate for providing free legal assistance to small businesses in rural...

Russell S. Warner is the Managing Partner of the law firm of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is the founder and past Chairman of the firm's Environmental Group. He concentrates his practice in the areas of business and environmental law, including matters involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, as well as matters before the USEPA Environmental Appeals Board and the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board.

Mr. Warner's practice includes representation of businesses, financial institutions, economic development organizations and municipal entities regarding business and environmental matters, as well as acquisitions, capital...

Michael P. Thomas is a Partner with MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP. He assists individuals, closely held companies, and larger entities on a wide variety of estate planning, estate and trust administration, wealth transfer, succession planning, tax, and business matters.

Mike routinely assists clients with the design and implementation of both basic and complex estate plans that focus on accomplishing the client's individual objectives and minimizing the related tax consequences. He works closely with individual and corporate fiduciaries throughout estate and trust administrations. Mike has experience advising clients on a wide variety of sophisticated business transactions, employee benefit plan matters,...

Attorney Grant C. Travis is the founder of The Travis Law Firm. A very highly regarded personal injury and criminal defense law firm in northwestern Pennsylvania. Attorney Travis is highly respected in the motorcycle community for his work representing those injured on motorcycles. He is a tireless advocate for families who have suffered the loss of a loved due to the negligent acts of another whether in motorcycle, or car accidents, or other tragedies including medical negligence and nursing home abuse. Attorney Travis and his firm is also the go-to team for injured workers. He and...

Tim McNair is an attorney admitted to practice in 1981. He concentrates his practice in the field of litigation, representing people who have been injured physically, as in car crashes, at work, or financially through unfair and discriminatory job termination or refusal to hire. He also closes real estate and handles estate settlements.

Attorney McNair is a member of the American Association for Justice (formerly, Association of Trial Lawyers of America), the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (formerly Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association), Pennsylvania and Erie County Bar Associations. He has served as the Chair of the PAAJ Workers Compensation Section, the Erie...

Attorney Kruszewski is a member of the firm's Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights Practice Group. His practice involves the representation of corporate debtors, secured creditors and unsecured creditor committees in business reorganization proceedings. His practice also includes commercial loan work-outs, bankruptcy-related and commercial litigation, and general collection matters. He has also been approved as a mediator for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Attorney Kruszewski has been named as a Rising Star in the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine in each year of publication from 2008-2016. He is also an active member of both the Erie County Bar...

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...

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...

I represent individuals and families in Erie, Crawford and Warren counties in Pennsylvania. I focused on civil litigation helping victims navigate the legal process.

I have over 20 years-experience handling personal injury cases. I have personally been lead trial counsel in over 50 personal injury trials. I have been selected as a Top 10 Attorney for Client Satisfaction by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys awarded to attorneys demonstrating exceptional and outstanding client service. I have been selected by Super Lawyers on several occasions and have been rated as “excellent” by Avvo a lawyer rating service.

BOARD APPOINTMENTS
In addition,...

Dallas Hartman of Dallas W. Hartman P.C., Attorneys at Law serves clients from six office locations throughout Northwestern Pennsylvania and Ohio in injury matters. He has been named one of the Top Lawyers in Pennsylvania by Super Lawyers for the five years in a row.

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...

James J. Stuczynski is a lifelong resident of the Erie area. After graduating from Cathedral Prep in 1971, he attended and graduated from Alliance College in 1975, summa cum laude. He furthered his education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, graduating in 1979 and returning to Erie to accept a position with Ely & Bernard. In 1985, he became a partner in Bernard & Stuczynski and has continued to practice with its successor firm, Bernard Stuczynski & Barnett. After a practice which handled a wide variety of legal claims, Attorney Stuczynski has specialized in handling insurance and...

Born and raised in Erie, Adam went on to obtain his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Clarion University, where he graduated summa cum laude. After college, he went on to earn his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the West Virginia University College of Law in Morgantown, West Virginia. While in law school, Adam was a zealous advocate in West Virginia University’s Clinical Law Program and West Virginia University’s Immigration Clinic, where he fought for immigrants’ rights. Adam has focused his practice on Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, and Social Security Disability law. Adam has earned a great deal...

Attorney Mikovch has over 25 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney. In his criminal defense practice, he represents individuals charged with crimes ranging from felonies, misdemeanors and summary charges. He has successfully defended clients in numerous jury trials with the end results being not guilty on all counts. Attorney Mikovch has represented clients against the Office of Children and Youth when people are wrongly accused of abuse and Indicated, and represents both plaintiffs and defendants in Protection from Abuse (PFA) hearings. He also represents individuals on state-issued license employment matters which may be affected...

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...

Nate is a lifelong resident of the Erie area. After graduating from Girard High School, Nate attended Cornell University where he earned his undergraduate degree in Industrial & Labor Relations. Afterward, he attended the Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. While at Penn State Law, Nate was a senior editor of the Yearbook on Arbitration and Mediation. Since joining Bernard Stuczynski Barnett & Lager, Nate has focused his practice on Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Estate Administration, and Workers’ Compensation.

Attorney Quinn chairs the Litigation Division, and he practices exclusively in civil litigation. He has been handling personal injury cases for over 30 years and has been involved in all types of civil cases including auto accident, product liability, medical malpractice and many other types of personal injury cases.

Attorney Quinn has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury and medical malpractice cases. He has been able to maximize the money awarded by a jury for a personal injury victim. He is also very familiar with how insurance companies view personal injury claims and litigation and how to obtain maximum...

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,...

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...

Mr. Antoun concentrates his practice in the areas of health care, business and governmental transactions. He is the former chair of the Business Transactions Group and the Health Law Group.

In the area of health care, Mr. Antoun advises hospitals, clinics, physician group practices and individual physicians and dentists on matters such as physician and hospital agreements, employment contracts, compensation and incentive arrangements, and group practice formation and governance. He advises health care providers on federal and state regulatory compliance, including anti-kickback, physician self-referral and HIPAA matters, and he has substantial experience representing hospitals and physicians in peer review, medical staff...

Jay Alberstadt is a senior partner with MacDonald Illig. He concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate, commercial and economic development ,and conventional and tax-exempt financing. He provides legal services to individuals, business entities, lending institutions, municipal authorities and development agencies. Mr. Alberstadt handles matters ranging from residential real estate transactions to detailed title and development issues. He also provides representation in commercial financings and tax-exempt municipal, industrial development and 501(c)(3) bond issues. He is co-chair of the Firm's real estate practice group and chair of the firm's marketing committee.

Scott Wallen is a partner at MacDonald Illig where he concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning and administration, corporate mergers and acquisitions, corporate formation, business succession planning, elder law, nonprofit corporations law and healthcare law. Mr. Wallen is also a Certified Public Accountant and routinely handles matters involving federal and state taxation issues including corporate and individual taxation and sales tax issues. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and the American Academy of Attorney-CPAs (AAA-CPA). Mr. Wallen is affiliated with the Trusts & Estates and Business Transactions Practice Groups at...

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...

Kimberly A. Oakes is a partner in the law firm of MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP, where she is the head of the firm’s Family Law Practice Group.

Ms. Oakes focuses her practice primarily in the area of family law. She has experience in handling divorces, adoption, alimony and spousal support, child support, child custody and visitation, domestic violence, paternity, prenuptial agreements and postnuptial agreements.

As a litigator, Ms. Oakes also has experience in Insurance Defense and Workers Compensation matters.

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...

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...

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...

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...

For 30 years, "Jack" Mehler has helped public and private companies, banks, developers, non-profit corporations and individuals in a wide range of legal matters. Jack concentrates in the areas of general business matters, real estate, banking, and financial transactions.

Jack also represents taxpayer-clients and developers in real estate tax assessment (value) appeals, and tax exemption cases throughout western Pennsylvania on many different types of properties as diverse as marinas, waterfront shipping facilities, hospitals, shopping centers and malls, industrial plants, truck terminals and warehouses, commercial and professional office buildings, corporate headquarters, hotels, and senior living facilities.

Jack has written numerous articles and is...

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...

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.

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.