Norris McLaughlin’s Judge Giordano Designated Chair of Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee

The law firm of Norris McLaughlin, P.A., is pleased to announce that the Honorable Emil Giordano (Ret.) has been designated as Chair of the Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He will serve a six-year term.

“The Orphans’ Court is a vital part of the Pennsylvania court system and provides necessary services for the public, and I’m honored to be a part of this committee,” said Judge Giordano, a Member in Norris McLaughlin’s Allentown office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group.

Procedural Rules Committee

The Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee reviews the rules that govern statewide practice and procedure in the Orphans’ Court and provides recommendations for updates or new rules as needed.

About Judge Giordano

Judge Giordano focuses his practice on estate and commercial litigation, as well as mediation and arbitration. He was a presiding judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, Third Judicial District, from 2004 through 2018, and was Northampton County’s first administrative judge of the Orphans’ County Division, where he oversaw estates and trusts of the county. Judge Giordano was named to the Statewide Orphans’ Court Task Force, an organization charged with implementing changes to the Orphans Court, and was the first judge in Pennsylvania to institute guardianship certification requirements for the protection of senior citizens. He previously served as Vice-Chair of the Orphans’ Court Procedural Rules Committee.

For 15 years, Judge Giordano presided over 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.

Judge Giordano is an arbitrator and mediator and is certified through the Harvard Law School Negotiation Institute in Advanced Mediation. He is a fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, and is affiliated with the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Mediation. A graduate of Villanova University School of Law, Judge Giordano earned his undergraduate degree from Moravian College where he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Notre Dame CYO and of the Board of Governors for the 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.