Judge Giordano Designated Vice-Chair of Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee

The Honorable Emil Giordano (Ret.), a Member of law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., and Co-Chair of its Litigation Practice Group, has been reappointed to and designated Vice-Chair of the statewide Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania commencing January 1, 2020.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee and am so honored to have been designated the next Vice-Chair. I very much look forward to serving my term, assisting the committee to continue doing the good work in a community dear to my heart,” said Judge Giordano.

About Judge Giordano

Judge Giordano served as a presiding judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, Third Judicial District, from 2004 through 2018. 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. He was also the first judge in Pennsylvania to institute guardianship certification requirements for the protection of senior citizens.

For 15 years, Judge Giordano presided over 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.

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.

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

Norris McLaughlin, P.A., is a full-service, mid-sized regional law firm of 130+ attorneys with offices located in Bridgewater and Montclair, NJ; New York, NY; and Allentown, and Easton, PA. For more information, including a full practice area listing and attorney biographies, please visit www.norrismclaughlin.com.