Benton Lawyers

Born and raised in northeastern Pennsylvania, Attorney Comitz grew up in the Heights section of Wilkes-Barre and graduated from G.A.R. Memorial High School. He then attended Juniata College and Widener University Commonwealth Law School (formerly Widener University School of Law) in Harrisburg, PA. In 2003, Attorney Comitz returned to northeastern Pennsylvania to begin his law career. It was very important for Attorney Comitz to return home. His family has long had its roots in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area, and their stories are likely familiar to many of you. One of his grandfathers was a coal miner, and his other grandfather drove a...

Katie Nealon was named as a Best Lawyers "Ones to Watch" in 2021 as well as a Super Lawyer's Rising Star. She joined Munley Law in 2014, where she dedicates herself to representing her personal injury clients. She attended Whittier Law School, where she graduated summa cum laude, was editor of Law Review, won the Trial Advocacy competition, and was recognized as an Outstanding Graduate in Business Law.

Ed has devoted his life to the law, having practiced his craft in Northeastern Pennsylvania for nearly four decades. Currently a member of Munley Law, Ed specializes on pre-litigation and workers compensation cases. Throughout his career, he has worked on a variety of personal injury cases including motor vehicle accidents, premise liability cases and product liability in addition to being experienced in Social Security disability claims, and handling wills and estates. Ed's prior experience includes serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Forrest Schaeffer of the Berks County Court of Common Pleas, participating in countless arbitration and...

Jason M. Rapa, Esquire is the founder of Rapa Law Office, P.C. Jason practices together with his brother Matthew J. Rapa. Together they provide services not only in the Poconos and the Lehigh Valley but throughout the State of Pennsylvania. Jason focuses his practice in the areas of Bankruptcy, Consumer Protection and Civil Litigation, while Matthew focuses on Criminal Defense and Consumer Protection. Together Jason & Matthew have handled hundreds of cases against abusive debt collectors and Jason routinely speaks at national, state and local legal events regarding debt collection harassment.Jason has recently be names a Rising...

Melinda Ghilardi brought years of experience as a trial lawyer to her position at Munley Law. She began her career as an Assistant District Attorney in Lackawanna County. She then spent almost three decades serving as a First Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

My practice is primarily focused on business litigation. I hold the AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is their highest distinction, awarded based on the confidential opinions of judges and members of the bar regarding legal ability and ethical standards. Previously, I served as a Hearing Committee Member for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. I am also an Associate Member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and a Member of the American Bar Association (ABA). Additionally, I am part of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) and the Lackawanna County Bar Association (LBA). Throughout my career, my...

Workers' Compensation and Social Security Disability Lawyer

The focus of my law practice is Bankruptcy Law, representing individuals, businesses, and creditors in Chapters 7, 11, and 13 cases. Our firm represent clients in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, primarily those assigned to the Wilkes-Barre and Williamsport court locations. In addition to client representation, I have served on the Attorney Advisory Panel for the Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania; Board of Directors of the Middle District Bankruptcy Bar Association; Local Rules Committee for the Bankruptcy Court; and Judicial search committees, as both Chair and member; and volunteered for the Luzerne County, PA consumer debt and...

I am a business, real estate and litigation attorney in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I serve clients mainly in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties.

Practicing law for more than two decades, William Vinsko has built up an impressive portfolio of successful cases. He has a wide-ranging legal background, handling cases involving real estate law and litigation, government law, business litigation, estate planning and probate, divorce and child custody issues. His dedication to his clients, and getting them positive results in their legal cases, has not gone unnoticed. Attorney William Vinsko has been selected for inclusion on the Super Lawyers' Rising Stars list every year from 2005 through 2018, and a Super Lawyer in 2019. No more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in Pennsylvania ever...

Attorney Nanda Palissery earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University in 1989. After and during a career as an engineer and associate professor of engineering technology at the Luzerne County Community College, he earned his Juris Doctor at the Temple University Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia in 1994.

Returning to his native home in Northeast Pennsylvania to raise his family, Mr. Palissery opened his private practice in 1994, focusing on criminal defense litigation. Mr. Palissery is admitted to the United States Supreme Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the...

J. Wesley Kocsis is a trial lawyer representing plaintiffs in major personal injury litigation. He is the owner of Kocsis Law Office located in Athens, Bradford County, PA. Wesley takes pride in the fact that he provides the same quality of service as the "big city" injury firms but with the attributes of being a "small town" lawyer. That is, he is involved with the personal injury case every step of the way. He will meet his clients in the hospital and at their homes, he will personally take pictures and videos of accident scenes, he talks to...

Beau A. Hoffman is an attorney with AxRunkle, P.C. and has been practicing law in central Pennsylvania since January 2015. Mr. Hoffman practices in the areas of business and estate planning, municipal law, contract review, estate administration, real estate and civil litigation. Mr. Hoffman has legal experience with the Union County District Attorney’s office in Lewisburg, PA under District Attorney Pete Johnson. Mr. Hoffman graduated Cum Laude from Shippensburg University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Sciences in Criminal Justice. At Shippensburg, Mr. Hoffman was a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the football program. In May 2014,...

Attorney Jeremiah D. Runkle was born and raised in Snyder and Union Counties. Jeremiah graduated from Meadowbrook Christian School in Milton, PA and then completed his undergraduate degree in Business Administration at Messiah College. Following college, Jeremiah worked in business management for a group of small businesses near Harrisburg, PA. In that capacity, he gained wide exposure to financial, human resource and property management before deciding to attend law school at night at Widener University School of Law. Jeremiah graduated from Widener in 2008 and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in October of 2008. After nearly 10 years in...

In 1997, Attorney Todd A. Johns established the Law Offices of Todd A. Johns, a personal injury law firm with offices in Wilkes Barre and Scranton, PA. Attorney Johns and his legal team are committed to helping clients obtain the most advantageous outcome possible to their case, and to ensure that their rights are protected at all times. Among the numerous cases we handle at the Law Offices of Todd A. Johns are personal injury accidents such as auto accidents, truck accidents, work injuries, defective products, slip and fall accidents, dog attacks, and wrongful death. We also handle criminal defense...

Tim Brennan was raised in the coal region working in his family’s well known mom and pop restaurant. He began his legal career in the Lehigh Valley as a Bethlehem and Northampton County Solicitor. He currently lives in Doylestown and, in addition to his legal work, serves as a member of the Doylestown Borough Council.

Mr. Brennan graduated from Ursinus College in 2000, receiving his Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English and Politics and a double minor in International Relations and American Studies. During this period he served two United States Congressional Internships with Congressman Joe Hoeffel and...

Specializing in commercial real estate transactions and development.

Since 1999 we've helped people who are having problems with debts or debt collectors. Some of our clients file bankruptcy. Others file suit against aggressive debt collectors. I am Board Certified in Consumer Bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification.

ADMISSIONS Lackawanna County Bar – December 8, 1992 Middle District – December 8, 1992 Eastern District – May, 2017 EXPERIENCE 1992 – 1996 Associate at the Law Offices of Brian J. Cali, Esquire Dunmore, PA 18512 1992 – 1996 Associated with the Law Offices of Cali, Cecchini & Riccardo 1996 – 2019 Principal in the Law Offices of Frank J. Santomauro, LLC Associated with Ruggiero and Campolieto 1996 – Present Owner/Managing Member Law Offices of Frank J. Santomauro, L.L.C. Bankruptcy Civil Litigation Criminal Defense Family Law Personal Injury Wills & Estates LEGAL EXPERIENCE & DUTIES Over 25 years of legal research, motion/petition drafting, appellate work in Pennsylvania Superior, Supreme Court and Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, includes: Brief preparation and oral argument Spousal and child support...

Sean P. McDonough is a 1983 graduate (cum laude) of the University of Scranton and a 1986 graduate of the Dickinson School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, he entered the private practice of law with the firm of Dougherty, Leventhal & Price, a regional litigation law firm. He has been a partner with the firm since 1993. Over the years, Mr. McDonough has concentrated his practice in the areas of personal injury litigation; he has also represented governmental entities and officials in federal civil rights and employment lawsuits throughout Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania. Mr. McDonough has appeared in front...

Bob Gillespie is a second generation Plaintiff's lawyer +with a distinguished record of service to the public. He served eleven years in the Luzerne County District Attorneys Office, the last four as District Attorney. In 2007 and 2008, Pjiladelphia Magazine proclaimed him to be a "Super Lawyer"* an awrd only available to the top 5% of lawyers. He is also a "Million Dollar Advocate"* having obtained Million's of Dollars in Awards for his clients. Attorney Gillespie was recently named a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America, a society limited to 3,500 lawyers less then 1/2 % of those practicing...

Bernard Walter has been licensed to practice law since 1978 — over 40 years! He's an estate planning and estate administration attorney and a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum for attorneys who have won jury verdicts of more than $1 million. He's listed in Martindale-Hubbell's Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers AV with the highest possible peer review rating in legal ability and ethical standards.

The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation awarded attorney Walter its Pro Bono Publico Certificate of Achievement. He founded and is the co-chairman of the Elder Law Committee of the Luzerne County Bar Association. He also founded the...

Keith R. Pavlack is a 1986 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. He received his Doctor of Laws degree from Widener University School of Law in 1989. While at Widener he received the American Jurisprudence Award for commercial transactions.

During law school, Attorney Pavlack worked as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Anthony Semerraro in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. After his admission to the Bar of Pennsylvania Courts in 1989, Attorney Pavlack worked for the Philadelphia Housing Authority where he continued until 1991. Attorney Pavlack worked as an associate for Martin H. Philip Law Office, P.C until...

Rob has been certified as a workers’ compensation specialist and he is rated a SuperLawyer. He only accepts Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability cases.

Rob personally witnessed on the job injuries while working his way through law school as a member of the Teamsters Union. He worked with injured workers’ mistreated by the system. He has legally represented injured workers since 1997. For years he practiced law in Harrisburg with the former director of the PA Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and with a former Workers’ Compensation Judge.

He returned to his hometown, Pottsville, in 2006 after the birth...

I am the elected President of the Lackawanna County Bar Association in Northeast Pennsylvania for 2018. I have 30 years experience in the areas of Personal Injury and Estates. I represent persons injured at work or injured in vehicle and slip and fall accidents. My staff and I pride ourselves in putting in place investigative resources at the very beginning of a case so that witness statements and evidence are preserved for trial and settlement discussions with insurance companies. We assemble photographic and video presentations to enhance the value of the cases we take. We also carefully select...

Christian W. Francis is a trial lawyer serving Northeast Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. His practice is focused on representing individuals and small businesses in civil and commercial matters.

In his civil practice, Christian concentrates on car and tractor trailer accidents; medical malpractice lawsuits; slip and fall accidents; and, product liability lawsuits. Christian also defends individuals in all types of misdemeanor and felony crimes, from drunk driving (driving under the influence/DUI) to major crimes, in both state and federal courts.  Christian has successfully handled trials and appeals to the Superior Court on behalf of his civil and criminal clients.

Christian completed his...

Thomas P. Cummings has been a Partner with Dougherty, Leventhal & Price, LLP since 1996 has been with the firm since 1991. He focuses his practice on workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability cases. Tom works primarily from DLP’s Moosic, Pa. office and is a certified member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives. He has held various Board positions with the Lackawanna County Bar Association (Board Member, Young Lawyers\’ Division, 1991-1993 Secretary, Young Lawyers\’ Division, 1994-1995; Vice-President, Young Lawyers\’ Division, 1995-1996; President Young Lawyers\’ Division, 1997; Member of Executive Board, 1994-1998; Bar Association Finance Committee, 1996 Civil Rules Committee,...

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. ...

Bringing Philadelphia big law firm experience to our community, I am proud to help clients in Schuylkill County, Northumberland County, Columbia County and surrounding areas to represent them in cases involving car or truck accidents, medical mistakes, nursing home neglect, and other injuries, as well as in probate/estate matters and will drafting.