Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas

After a construction project that was marred by a lawyer who got on the other side of the development deal, a new courthouse has opened in Philadelphia for domestic relations and juvenile cases, Newsworks reports. The Legal Intelligencer reports how "the courthouse's development process was not a smooth affair. Former Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel lawyer Jeffrey Rotwitt served as an attorney for the state courts in their efforts to find a developer for the building, but then teamed up with the developer, Donald W. Pulver. Rotwitt had been splitting the development fees with Pulver along with taking advanced payments on his fee agreement with the court." However, advocates for the new courthouse said dilapidated facilities are being replaced with a state-of-the-art courthouse that will better serve justice, both news outlets reported.

Interesting development for the Philadelphia court system: With Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge John W. Herron having to retire because he has hit the age of 70, The Legal Intelligencer's P.J. D'Annunzio reports that Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Kevin Dougherty is likely to lead the court's trial division next. Dougherty has turned around the family court by dealing with a custody-case backlog and securing a new courthouse, but, on the other hand, his family is politically active. For example, His brother is International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 98, union leader John Dougherty.
 

The Legal Intelligencer's P.J. D'Annunzio and Hank Grezlak report on the latest judicial corruption scandal in Philadelphia: "The recent guilty plea of a Philadelphia Municipal Court judge to case-fixing charges and the suspension of two other judges, all occurring with the Philadelphia Traffic Court scandal still fresh in the public's mind, has seriously damaged the reputation of the Philadelphia judicial system, members of the legal community said."

Former Municipal Court Judge Joseph C. Waters Jr. has plead guilty to fixing cases for donors who contributed to his campaigns. Other Municipal Court judges allegedly are under federal investigation and the U.S. Attorney's Office is predicted to look at the entire court system.

Three judges are going to  be added temporarily to the Philadelphia family court in order to address a severe backlog in custody cases, The Legal Intelligencer's P.J. D'Annunzio reports. Frank Cervone, executive director of the Support Center for Child Advocates in Philadelphia, told The Legal that the current state of affairs in custody cases is "upsetting" and said the court should add more judges. "The impact of these cases on children and families is profound, Cervone said, and the court should take an 'all hands on deck' approach to tackling custody reform," The Legal further reported.