About Bernard Edelman
Articles written by Bernard Edelman
Top Gun
Denny Shupe's high-flying careerTo Denny Shupe, being in a cockpit at 30,000 feet feels a lot like being in court. "You're in an enclosed environment, making instant mental computations to get the aircraft to perform," says the Philadelphia trial attorney and chair of litigation services for Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis. "When you're in a courtroom, you're also making instant computations, parrying the thrusts of opposing counsel." Shupe is comfortable in both environments. He has spent 23 years in the U.S. Air Force …
Clearing Lenny Bruce
That’s just what Robert Corn-Revere did in 2003What does Janet Jackson’s breast have in common with Lenny Bruce’s mouth? Robert Corn-Revere. He’s now a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Davis Wright Tremaine, where his practice focuses on First Amendment, Internet-related issues and FCC regulatory matters. In September, he argued before the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the “wardrobe malfunction” that exposed Jackson’s breast during the halftime show at the 2004 Super Bowl was neither planned nor approved by …
Weekend Renaissance Man
Jonathan Claiborne acts, motorcycles and provides color commentary for Terrapins footballAlthough Jonathan Claiborne’s father, Jerry, was the legendary head coach of the University of Maryland Terrapins football team 30 years ago, his son got no favors. Despite being a good high school athlete, he was a walk-on for the college team. But he worked hard, became a two-year starter at free safety, played in three bowl games and won the Talbot T. Speer Award for leadership, scholarship and athletic ability. The Terps were 28-7-1 during his varsity playing career, capped by a victory …
Gilbert's Arena
Scott Gilbert combines work with playScott Gilbert was once an anti-war protester and a law school dropout. So what’s he doing as a founding partner and chairman of his own law firm, Gilbert Heintz & Randolph? Has he been co-opted by the system? Not a chance. Gilbert is about the most unlawyerly lawyer you’ll ever meet. He wears T-shirts and jeans to work. In the lobby are two immaculate motorcycles. Signed album covers from Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead adorn the walls. That’s not even mentioning the game …
Turning Brownfields into Gold Mines
In medieval times, alchemists dreamed of transmuting iron into gold. Today, environmentalists and developers dream of transforming brownfields into gold mines: viable, valuable properties that can be added to the tax base of states and local municipalities. And when they do, Jonathan Spergel is the person they call. Brownfields are derelict properties that often teem with hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. To redevelop such sites is to wade into a thicket of …
Between Iraq and a Hard Race
Patrick Murphy is back from Iraq and focused on a new mission — this one for a seat in CongressThere are 119 veterans of military service in the U.S. House of Representatives. Patrick Murphy wants to be the 120th. Murphy is an earnest 32 year old, clean-cut, focused, and insightful. He has to be. Since April, he has been an associate at Cozen O’Connor, practicing commercial litigation. More important, he’s running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District. If he wins the primary next May, he will face incumbent Michael Fitzpatrick in the fall. What he …
A Patriot Acts
Craig Trebilcock can’t stomach injustice, whether he finds it in Iraq or here at homeTo some people, Craig Trebilcock is the head of the immigration law practice at Barley Snyder in York. To others, he is Lt. Col. Trebilcock, a JAG lawyer in the Army Reserve who has served his country in Germany, Bosnia and, most recently, Iraq. The guy is as patriotic as they come. So is it not ironic that Trebilcock’s most famous legal victory came as a result of arguing against the U.S. government on behalf of Chinese refugees seeking asylum? “No, I don’t think so,” he …
Ring Master
In the legal world, Jimmy Binns is the undisputed champWhat do Marvin Hagler, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson have in common? All have lost to Jimmy Binns. Not in the ring, but in the courtroom. In this arena, Binns is a champion. An elegantly pinstriped, white-maned trial lawyer who drives a burgundy Jaguar, Binns has had a memorable 42-year career. A summary on his Web site of his legal experience runs a tight 13 pages. He is licensed to practice in 20 states and in Puerto Rico. He is admitted to all 11 Circuit Courts of Appeals. He …
Stop! In the Name of Love
Between patent infringement discussions, Robert Benson had a visionOn August 14, 1998, Robert Benson was sitting in the well-appointed conference room of a top law firm in Dallas, Texas, one of 20 lawyers from several firms actively engaged in the give-and-take of a strategy session on a patent infringement lawsuit, when a burst of complete clarity invaded his consciousness. “In an instant,” he says, “this idea came into my head that I would start Christian homes for orphaned and abandoned children, the most hardcore kids. It was as if all else was …
Judge Seamus McCaffery: Have Gavel, Will Travel
This former cop doesn’t wait for criminals to come to his courtroom. He seeks them outSeamus McCaffery doesn’t need the license plate that proclaims JUDGE on his custom Harley, an unmistakable yellow Heritage Softail Classic, to identify him as Philadelphia’s most popular jurist. His reputation, which precedes the vroom of his bike, was enhanced when he volunteered to preside in Nuisance Night Court in South Philly and was burnished nationally as “the judge who brought law and order to the NFL” when he presided over “Eagles Court” at the old Veterans …
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