The law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., is pleased to announce that the Honorable Emil Giordano (Ret.), whose career includes 15 years of distinguished service in the Pennsylvania justice system, is leading its Allentown Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practice. Judge Giordano is a Member of the firm and Co-Chair of the Litigation Practice Group, with a focus on estate litigation.

As an arbitrator and mediator, Judge Giordano is certified through Harvard Law School Negotiation Institute in Advanced Mediation, is a fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators and is affiliated with the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Mediation. From 2004 through 2018, Judge Giordano served as a presiding judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, Third Judicial District. He was Northampton County’s first administrative Judge of the Orphans’ County Division, overseeing estates and trusts of the county, and was named to the Statewide Orphans’ Court Task Force, an organization charged with implementing changes to Orphans’ Court.

“We are honored to work alongside Judge Giordano,” said Graham Simmons, the firm’s Pennsylvania Administrative Partner and Co-Chair of the Business Law Group, “He has had an impressive career as a judge and a litigator in Northampton County. His experience settling disputes in the Court of Common Pleas and beyond since his return to private practice will benefit businesses and individuals in the Lehigh Valley and across the state of Pennsylvania whose interests are most effectively handled in mediation.”

Simmons added, “Judge Giordano was the first Judge in Pennsylvania to institute guardianship certification requirements for the protection of senior citizens. He has a unique vantage point about guardianship and estate matters from his tenure with the Orphans’ Court. In addition to leading our ADR practice in Allentown, Judge Giordano co-chairs our litigation practice and handles estate litigation for clients, including issues of elder abuse or misuse of the power of attorney.”

“Certainly, there are estate disputes where litigation is the only viable option, particularly with allegations of fraud or mental incompetence. But often estate and other types of disputes are best addressed through alternative dispute resolution,” said Judge Giordano. “For small to mid-sized businesses, for example, mediation can help to promote a cordial dissolution of a relationship, which can be important if the best possible outcome for both parties is to prevent hostility from affecting their future interactions.”

As the judge of the Orphans’ County Division Court, Judge Giordano adjudicated thousands of fiduciary matters alleging misconduct by trustees, executors, agents under a power of attorney, guardians, or others who oversee another’s affairs. For fifteen years, Judge Giordano served as Judge for many jury trials and non-jury trials, hearings and motions, and a wide range of disputes under Pennsylvania and Federal Law, including construction, commercial litigation, professional malpractice, CERCLA, Civil Rights, condemnations, labor and land use appeals, criminal, and domestic relations. Prior to his position with the judiciary, Judge Giordano served as an assistant public defender, assistant district attorney and as a civil litigator.

“Forums for mediation or arbitration can move quickly over several weeks, providing relief to the disputing parties and enabling them to get back to their lives and businesses. In general, litigants hope to expedite the resolution of their matters, but the court system suffers from backlogs in many areas, forcing litigants to wait for up to a year for their date in court,” explained Judge Giordano.

The ADR practice at Norris McLaughlin, P.A. includes several retired judges who serve as mediators and arbitrators. Their experience helps parties resolve disputes for matters involving attorney ethics and fees, banking, corporate dissolutions, deadlocks and acquisitions, energy, environmental, estates, health care, information technology, insurance, intellectual property, labor & employment, matrimonial, products liability and utility issues.

In addition, lawyers at the firm utilize ADR as an alternative to traditional litigation in appropriate circumstances, as it may be a faster way to achieve results.

Judge Giordano is a member of the Board of Governors for Saint Thomas More Society, and the Northampton County Bar Association Wills and Trusts Committee Lecturer. In 2005, he was the first judicial recipient to receive the Lehigh Valley Crime Victims Council Award for Outstanding Commitment to Victim’s Rights.

Judge Giordano earned his J.D. in 1985 from Villanova University School of Law and his B.A. from Moravian College in 1982. A proud Moravian College alumnus, he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor for undergraduate classes. Born in Brooklyn to Italian immigrant parents, Judge Giordano was the first in his family to attend high school and is a graduate of Bethlehem Catholic High School, which presented him with its Distinguished Graduate Award.

About Norris McLaughlin, P.A.

Founded in 1953, Norris McLaughlin, P.A., is a mid-sized, regional law firm that serves the legal needs of businesses and families in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. With offices in New York City, Bridgewater, Montclair and Short Hills, NJ, as well as Allentown, Pennsburg and Easton, PA, the firm’s 125 lawyers represent established and emerging middle-market, privately-owned companies, Fortune 500 corporations, and individuals. Norris McLaughlin enjoys an international reputation for excellence through its membership in Meritas, the largest worldwide affiliation of high-quality, mid-sized law firms. With Meritas, Norris McLaughlin is able to extend its services to clients in every state and in more than 80 foreign countries.