Civil Litigation Attorneys in Central Pennsylvania

Retired Judges John Kennedy and Judge John Uhler lead the Firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution team.

Mediation and Arbitration are two common methods of resolving disputes quickly, efficiently, and with much lower costs than litigation. Our attorneys bring decades of experience to this area of practice. The lawyers on this team have had significant training in facilitative and evaluative mediation. As a team, these attorneys have the ability to consult with each other and utilize others in the firm for research if needed. Our facility is a comfortable neutral site for mediation and arbitration. See attorneys’ bios for more details.

CGA Law Firm’s broad range of practice groups can help our clients minimize the need for litigation through strategic planning and foresight. Occasionally, litigation is necessary to protect your legal rights, and our team of knowledgeable and veteran litigators have the skill, knowledge, and tenacity to aggressively advocate for you in court. Regardless of whether our clients have made the business decision to initiate a case, or whether they have been sued and forced to defend claims brought against them, our only goal is to provide outstanding representation throughout the litigation process to preserve and protect our clients’ interests..

Our Litigation attorneys provide clients the expertise and creativity to enforce their contractual rights. We believe that the provider of a service or product deserves to be fairly compensated for their work, and we provide multiple avenues, both in and out-of-court to assist clients in maximizing their recovery.

On the flip side, a consumer, whether individual or business, has a right to expect that a product or service they contracted for will be delivered as anticipated, and will only have to pay for those products and services that meet expectations.

Finally, as many commercial litigants know, establishing liability is just the first step in enforcing a contractual right. CGA’s Litigation Attorneys are also talented and experienced at collecting from judgment debtors through various methods of judgment enforcement. When necessary, we work closely with our colleagues in CGA’s Bankruptcy Department to develop strategies to recover from entities or individuals who may be experiencing solvency issues.

We represent owners, purchasers, sellers, contractors, and government entities in disputes relating to timely and satisfactory performance of construction contracts. Whether the issue involves mechanics liens, delay claims, liquidated damage claims, negligent construction, or claims arising under public bidding laws, we have handled complex disputes in state and federal courts. In these construction litigation cases, we believe CGA provides an attractive alternative to large statewide firms that do not have local offices.

Our corporate litigation clients include the entire gamut of companies, from small, closely held businesses to partnerships, limited liability companies and C-corporations. We are versed in everything from setting up a business to owner retirement, succession, minority owner freeze out, termination of employee owners, enforcement of shareholder agreements, theft of trade secrets and proprietary information, liquidation, dissolution, valuation of ownership interests in various types of buyouts and other proceedings, breach of fiduciary claims and control issues. This category also includes suits between small businesses and the government, such as eminent domain and other regulatory issues as well as suits between small businesses.

Election laws merge issues arising under our United States and Pennsylvania Constitution, our Federal and State Statutes and may be exacerbated by current politics. Direction is given as to who may vote, where one may vote, and who is eligible to be elected. The eligibility of and rules governing the prospective candidates are governed by these fundamental resources as well. Our attorneys stand ready to assist candidates and voters challenged by these laws and regulations, and have been involved in candidates’ petition contests, determining residency requirements of candidates and review of candidates’ expense reports.

Environmental law is an ever-changing, complex mix of federal, state, and local laws, regulations and policies. Environmental law litigation matters include, but are not limited to, defending against actions brought by the Federal Government and other entities involving the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), contaminated site cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and liability Act (CERCLA), and enforcement by other federal and state level governmental agencies. Violations of environmental laws are generally civil offenses that may result in monetary penalties or civil sanctions such as injunction. Violations of some environmental laws even provide for criminal penalties.

Our environmental law services include, but are not limited to the handling of: contaminated site clean-up; civil and criminal enforcement; environmental aspects of business transactions and litigation; natural resources; oil, gas, and sub-surface mining issues; solid and hazardous waste; permitting; litigation and compliance issues; and other civil and administrative enforcement actions. We handle environmental issues at all levels from local governments, to state and federal violations.

Disputes involving an estate, trust, and/or guardianship account requires a talented and experienced legal team in order to proficiently advocate and provide sound legal counsel on behalf of our client, irrespective of whether the client is a fiduciary, the estate or trust, a potential beneficiary, or a claimant. CGA boasts an estates litigation team with more than one hundred (100) years of litigation practice before the State Trial and Appellate Courts enhanced by substantial direct experience as Judge in the Orphan’s Court.

CGA attorneys litigate cases in state court, federal court, and administrative venues in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. Although the substantive issues involved in each dispute are unique, the rules and procedures remain fairly consistent for each tribunal in which we practice. Our experience in the various forums allows us to guide our clients through the dispute resolution process, no matter the substance of the quarrel. The breadth of understanding among our team of attorneys, paralegals, and administrative staff enables us to serve our clients in almost any dispute. And our ability to tap the knowledge of our many colleagues practicing in other substantive areas of law allows us to do so knowing we are armed with the best understanding of substance as well as procedure.

The Litigation Department handles various cases for individuals, businesses, charities, and municipalities. These include a wide range of topics such as contracts, consumer protection, construction, corporation and shareholder disputes, election law, environmental, landlord tenant issues, and real estate. Disputes might arise between neighbors, business acquaintances, or total strangers. CGA attorneys handle many types of cases including those that are not specifically listed here. Contact us today to set up a consultation for your case.

CGA represents residential and commercial landlords and tenants in various disputes. This includes litigating or defending cases involving eviction, unpaid rent, lease breaches, consumer protection, collections, inhabitability, and security deposit disputes.

Landlord Tenant cases typically begin at the Magisterial District Justice (MDJ) level. However, more complex matters may be tried in the local Court of Common Pleas. No matter the complexity or venue, CGA will be there to assist at every level of your case. Contact Us today to schedule a consultation.

CGA is able to provide limited legal assistance for people who have suffered personal injuries from certain causes. This might involve slip and fall cases, car accidents, intentional torts such as assault and battery and other non-work related injuries. If CGA is unable to handle the case internally, we will work with you to locate a trusted colleague who specializes in your specific type of personal injury action who can handle the case.

Real estate law can involve any number of different situations. Our real estate department can assist you with everything from routine residential transactions to major commercial developments, and everything in between. Sometimes these transactions become difficult, and when this happens you need attorneys who are able to protect and enforce your rights. CGA’s Litigation Department is able to handle a wide array of real estate actions: quiet title, Landlord Tenant, breaches of contract, property boundary disputes, partition actions, foreclosures, easements, rights of way, zoning, Residential Seller Disclosure violations, assessment appeals, and the many other types of real estate cases that can arise. There is a reason CGA asserts “One Firm, All the Law You Need.” Should you need legal assistance in the negotiation or litigation process, the attorneys at CGA are here to help you.