Buchanan's Kevin Brobson Swears In as Judge in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, PA, January 8, 2010 — A strong contingent of attorneys and government relations professionals from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC's Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices watched proudly as their former colleague P. Kevin Brobson was sworn into office as an elected judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Brobson is the second Buchanan shareholder to join the court. The first was Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt, who began her term in January 2002.

"We will miss Kevin as a member of our firm, but we are very proud of his accomplishments," stated Buchanan CEO Jack Barbour, who was among the attendees of Brobson's swearing-in ceremony at the Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg on Wednesday. Also among the attendees were Attorney General Tom Corbett, who gave the commission and remarks, and Jack Stover, co-chair of Buchanan's Litigation Section spoke at the event.

The Commonwealth Court is made up of nine judges who serve 10-year terms. The court generally decides cases in three-judge panels and sits in Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. This court, which was established in 1968, is unlike any other state court in the nation. Approximately 10% of its cases are filed in the court's original jurisdiction, and its cases overwhelmingly involve "public law" (state administrative law). Thus, the Commonwealth Court has directly affected the citizens of Pennsylvania for the past 40 years.