Shaping the Law

Raynes McCarty attorneys are committed to protecting the rights of families who have undergone tragedy. This commitment extends beyond the courtroom and into the legislature, where Raynes McCarty lawyers often play major roles in shaping the law.

Legislation

• On eight occasions, the Governor of Pennsylvania has presented a Raynes McCarty attorney with the pen used to sign a law that one of our lawyers helped to draft.
• Two Raynes McCarty lawyers are consistently ranked by Pennsylvania Report among the 50 most influential people in Pennsylvania public life.
• Two attorneys in the Firm redrafted the Pennsylvania Statute of Limitations for claims by minors, thereby reforming the law to protect the rights of children.
• A Firm attorney rewrote Pennsylvania's Wrongful Death Statute to preserve the rights of the families of fatal accident victims.
• A Firm lawyer helped draft legislation that funds legal services for the poor, the disabled, and the elderly.
• Firm attorneys were instrumental in rewriting Pennsylvania's law on medical malpractice in 1976, in 1996, and again in 2002.
• A Firm attorney revised the law concerning the liability of volunteer doctors, thereby protecting physicians who donate their time while still preserving patient rights.
• A Firm lawyer helped draft the first no fault statute governing the rights of automobile accident victims.
• A Firm attorney participated in the task force that proposed the legislation under which governmental agencies can be held liable for wrongful conduct.
• Raynes McCarty lawyers are routinely asked to testify before committees of the Pennsylvania legislature as to the direction that the law should take.

Judicial Selection and Administration of Justice

• Raynes McCarty attorneys have served as members of judicial selection committees, most notably serving multiple times on the Philadelphia Trial Court Nominating Commission, and chairing the Pennsylvania Appellate Court Nominating Commission.
• A Firm attorney has twice served as a member of the Selection Committee for Magistrate Judges for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
• A Firm member currently serves on the Civil Rules Advisory Committee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
• Members of the Firm have served on committees appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, including the Lawyers Disciplinary Board, the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board, and the Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts Board.

Legal Scholarship and Education

• Firm attorney Gerald A. McHugh, Jr. co-authored the critically acclaimed legal textbook Pennsylvania Torts: Law & Advocacy, which fills two volumes of the Pennsylvania Practice series, and is a visiting professor for evidence at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.
• Firm Attorney James F. Mundy co-authored a standard reference for the auto practitioner, Pennsylvania Financial Responsibility Law.
• Articles authored by Raynes McCarty attorneys have appeared in the Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, the Philadelphia Lawyer, the Barrister, the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, the Legal Intelligencer, and ATLA's Trial.
• Firm attorney Martin K. Brigham is the editor and lead author for Injured on the Job, a guide to the legal issues confronted by injured workers that is published by the Philadelphia Project on Occupational Safety and Health.
• Raynes McCarty lawyers have lectured at the State Conference of Trial Judges, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association and area law schools.