Judge Giordano Named January 2021 Justinian Society Member of the Month
The Honorable Emil Giordano (Ret.), a Member of law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., and Co-Chair of its Litigation Practice Group, has been named the January 2021 “Member of the Month” by the Justinian Society of Philadelphia.
“The Justinian Society is extremely important to me as the son of an Italian immigrant who came to this country with no education or money and made a good life for his family. To be surrounded by and help others with similar stories has been a pleasure, and I am honored by the recognition,” said Judge Giordano.
About the Justinian Society
The Justinian Society is a legal organization in Philadelphia comprising attorneys, judges, and law students of Italian ancestry who celebrate generations of involvement within the legal community. The mission of a Justinian Society member is to promote continuing legal education, support the advancement of qualified and distinguished Justinians in public office, serve the Italian-American legal profession and community, and act against negative stereotyping of Italian Americans by upholding a positive image. Giordano joined the Justinian Society about 15 years ago to enjoy the comradery of other Italian lawyers and judges.
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. He is a fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators; is affiliated with the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Mediation; has been inducted into the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN) as a Diplomate Member for mediation; and has been selected to serve as an arbitrator and mediator to the Judicial Roster, Real Estate, and Pennsylvania at Large ADR Panels of Distinguished Neutrals for the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution.
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. On January 1, 2020, Judge Giordano was designated Vice-Chair of the statewide Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Judge Giordano earned his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in 1985 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.