Insights

Post & Schell Elects Eight New Principals in the Firm's Casualty, Employment, Energy & Utilities, Insurance, Professional Liability, and White Collar Practices 

July 13, 2020

Post & Schell, P.C. is pleased to announce that eight of the firm’s Associates have been elected as Principals:

• Richard J. Barca, Principal, Insurance Law Department, Philadelphia, PA office.
• Ian T. Baxter, Principal, Casualty Litigation Department, Allentown, PA office.
• Christopher T. Chancler, Principal, Casualty Litigation Department, Mt. Laurel, NJ office.
• Thomas R. Chawluk, Jr., Principal, Professional Liability Department, Philadelphia, PA office.
• Carolyn H. Kendall, Principal, Internal Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice Group, Philadelphia, PA office.
• David E. Renner, Principal, Employment & Employee Relations Practice Group, Pittsburgh, PA office.
• Devin T. Ryan, Principal, Energy & Utilities Practice Group, Harrisburg, PA office.
• A. Bryan Tomlinson, Principal, Professional Liability Department, Philadelphia, PA office.

“On behalf of our entire firm, I would like to offer our congratulations to each new Principal,” said A. James Johnston, President and Chief Executive Officer of Post & Schell. “Each attorney elected this year has shown a deep commitment to serving our clients throughout their careers and have invested themselves in the growth of Post & Schell and the success of their colleagues."

• Mr. Barca represents national and regional insurers in complex insurance coverage and bad faith matters involving general liability, excess liability, and other insurance policies. His practice includes counseling insurance claims professionals, brokers, and in-house counsel on all aspects and stages of the claims process and litigating complex insurance coverage and bad faith matters.

• Mr. Baxter’s practice is focused on achieving results for clients before state and federal tribunals. He has experience representing clients being sued for civil relief arising out of bodily injury and death, breach of contract, civil rights violations, and other defense sided litigation. He routinely defends large exposure claims demanding detailed attention and creative thinking. Mr. Baxter has experience defending clients in the gaming industry, liquor licensees, manufacturers and distributors of products, and property owners. He also counsel’s clients regarding best practices in alcohol management and service programs. Mr. Baxter is a life-long resident of the Lehigh Valley, and routinely practices before courts in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding counties.

• Mr. Chancler focuses his practice on products liability, construction defect, premises liability, motor vehicle/trucking liability, toxic tort, liquor liability, and general casualty cases involving catastrophic injuries and losses. His clients include companies in the hospitality, retail, security, and health care industries, as well as product manufacturers and distributors and commercial transportation and construction companies. Mr. Chancler handles all aspects of investigation, preparation, and trial on behalf of self-insured and insured clients and is currently admitted to practice in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania.  

• Mr. Chawluk's practice focuses on the defense of professional liability claims against health care providers, including physicians, nurses, hospitals, and healthcare systems. He also litigates other health care matters as they relate to hospital and outpatient medical facilities, as well as home health care and skilled nursing services. In addition to Professional Liability, Mr. Chawluk also represents institutions of higher learning, including colleges and universities, academic medical centers, medical schools, and teaching hospitals.

• Ms. Kendall conducts internal investigations and defends corporations, officers, and other individuals facing criminal and civil investigation. Her practice includes matters involving pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and financial companies, relating to potential criminal tax and money laundering violations, as well as allegations involving securities violations, mortgage, and financial institution fraud, the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law, and other fraud and regulatory statutes. 

• Mr. Renner represents and counsels employers in a wide variety of employment matters. He is an experienced litigator and has helped clients secure summary judgments, dismissals, and favorable settlements. Mr. Renner also helps guide employers through Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) employment discrimination charges and litigation, and wage and hour class and collective actions, as well as providing counsel regarding state and federal law compliance.  Mr. Renner is also a member of the firm’s COVID-19 Taskforce and has advised numerous clients on employment issues related to the global pandemic and new leave obligations under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

• Mr. Ryan represents electric, natural gas, water, and transportation network companies in a variety of proceedings before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC), including base rate proceedings, rulemaking proceedings, customer complaint proceedings, energy efficiency, and conservation (EE&C) plan proceedings, application proceedings initiated under Section 1102 of the Public Utility Code, and purchased gas cost cases.

• Mr. Tomlinson defends and counsels healthcare systems, hospitals, physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers in complex professional liability cases involving allegations of catastrophic injuries with significant liability and damage exposure. He is actively involved in each aspect of his clients’ cases, including preparing pleadings; responding to written discovery; arguing discovery, dispositive, and pre-trial motions; deposing witnesses; preparing medical providers for depositions; preparing witnesses and parties for arbitration and trial testimony; developing case defenses with medical experts; trial preparation; and settlement negotiations.