DANVILLE — Attorneys E. Robert Marks and F. Porter Wagner practiced legislation for 15 years earlier than they began their very own legislation agency.
That was in 1970. They purchased a constructing on West Market Road in Danville to make use of as their workplace.
The partnership lasted 9 years till Wagner died of a coronary heart assault at a financial institution board assembly, recalled Marks’ son, lawyer Robert L. Marks. The legislation agency, nevertheless, has continued on.
At present, Robert L. Marks, in his fiftieth 12 months of follow, is senior accomplice in Marks, McLaughlin, Dennehy & Piontek, Danville’s longest working towards legislation agency. He joined the agency in the summertime of 1972 after receiving his legislation diploma from the Faculty of William & Mary Legislation College.
“My father continued working towards until 1987, when he handed away,” his son stated.
Wagner’s nephew, George O. Wagner IV, labored for the agency for about two years within the early Seventies earlier than his election to the state Legislature 4 occasions. He later was elected and served three four-year phrases as Montour County district lawyer.
Within the years since, the 52-year-old legislation agency has grown to 5 attorneys and 7 full-time and one part-time assist workers members. They follow out of the identical West Market Road constructing the agency’s founders bought within the Seventies.
Marks stated the assist workers, all paralegals, know all sides of the legislation. The agency’s attorneys follow legislation starting from private damage and actual property to property planning and felony legislation.
Moreover Robert Marks, the opposite attorneys are John L. McLaughlin, Michael P. Dennehy, each of whom acquired their legislation levels from the Dickinson College of Legislation, and Cory D. Piontek and Marks’ son, lawyer Robert L. Marks Jr., who acquired their legislation levels from Regent College College of Legislation.
McLaughlin, a Montour County chief probation officer earlier than he attended legislation college, joined the agency in 1983, Dennehy, in 1985.
“Bob’s father made me a proposal I couldn’t refuse,” Dennehy stated.
Robert L. Marks Jr. joined the agency in 1998, Piontek, a couple of 12 months later.
Piontek, who had gone to legislation college at Regent with Robert Jr., beforehand practiced in Virginia and Wisconsin earlier than returning to follow in Pennsylvania and the Danville legislation agency. Dennehy stated Piontek needed to go the bar examination within the three states to be admitted to the bar in every.
Dennehy stated most states require 5 years of excellent standing as an lawyer in one other state to be admitted to the bar with out having to take the examination. As a result of Piontek hadn’t practiced within the different states lengthy sufficient, he needed to take the bar examination thrice to follow legislation in every of the states.
Nice assist workersRobert Marks Sr. stated the agency has nice paralegals and clerical workers. He recalled Eleanor Gardner, who began working as a secretary for his dad in 1959, when he was with lawyer Arthur M. Peters. Gardner continued with the Marks agency till she retired in 2020.
“She was informed she wouldn’t final two weeks with my dad,” Marks stated with a smile. “Then they stated that to her about me once I got here again.”
Marks stated he was a public defender for 20 years. He was the primary when Montour County shaped the place, Dennehy stated.
Now Robert Jr. and Piontek deal with a lot of the public defender work.
“State legislation says different attorneys in the identical agency can do it,” Dennehy stated.
The agency’s largest areas of follow are wills and estates, actual property, Medicare and Medicaid advance planning and solictor work for the county, municipalities and the Geisinger Authority.
“We do a whole lot of basic civil litigation,” Dennehy added.
He stated, although, the agency doesn’t take custody, divorce and assist circumstances in Montour and Columbia counties, the place he and McLaughlin have been household court docket listening to officers since 1990.
Marks stated he hopes to follow for seven extra years earlier than he retires.
That led Dennehy to level out, “Bob must work 11 extra years to equal Eleanor.”