Current Employment Position(s)

Shareholder

Year Joined Organization: 1995

Lawyer Overview

John F. Ledwith received his A.B. and J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania after which he served in the United States Coast Guard. He has spent his entire career of over 35 years as a trial lawyer trying numerous cases in the state and Federal Court in the eastern part of Pennsylvania as well as New York. He has extensive experience in a wide range of litigation such as products liability, liquor liability, automobile and truck collisions, admiralty, asbestos etc. Mr. Ledwith has concentrated in construction litigation, defending construction companies against personal injury and property damage claims. He has represented national construction companies as well as regional and local companies. He has been involved in surety litigation and coverage issues in construction claims.

Additionally, Mr. Ledwith defends professional liability cases. He has defended many claims against architects and engineers. He also defends legal malpractice cases particularly those arising out of estate and estate planning legal work.

Mr. Ledwith is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New York. He is also admitted to the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Ledwith is a member of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York Bar Associations; the Defense Research Institute; the Pennsylvania Defense Institute; and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.

Mr. Ledwith is the former Chair of the Construction Law Section, the ADR Section and the Economics of Law Practice of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. He is also an active member of the Construction Law Committee of the DRI and was a speaker at the Construction Law Seminar presented by the DRI in 1997.

Mr. Ledwith has long experience in ADR. He was the first Chair of the Alternate Dispute Resolution Section of the Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel. Prior to that he was the Philadelphia Bar Association's Liaison with the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Federal Court for Court-Annexed Arbitration. In this role, he consulted with the Eastern District and other Federal District courts in the implementation of their programs for Court Annexed Arbitration. 

Areas of Practice

• Construction Law
• Professional Responsibility
• Products Liability Law
• Premises Liability -- Defense
• Trucking
• Toxic Torts

West Practice Categories

Construction Law, Professional Responsibility, Products Liability Law, Premises Liability -- Defense, Trucking, Toxic Torts

Bar Admissions

• Pennsylvania, 1965
• New York, 1985

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Defense Research Institute, Member, Construction Law Committee
• Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, Former Chair, Construction Law Section
• New York State Bar Association
• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Pennsylvania Defense Institute
• Philadelphia Bar Association

Honors and Awards

• AV Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell

Classes and Seminars

• Construction Law, Defense Research Institute, 1997
• Claims Representatives, Mealeys, April 3, 2003

Past Employment Positions

• United States Coast Guard, 1963 - 1964
• Law Office of Joseph R. Thompson (Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Trial Counsel), 1965 - 1971
• Schubert, Mallon, Walheim & de Cindis, 1971 - 1981
• LaBrum & Doak, Vice Chairman, 1981 - 1995

Education

• University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1963
  J.D.
• University of Pennsylvania, 1960
  A.B.

Published Works

• The Workers' Compensation Defense in Tort Cases, FDCC Quarterly, Vol. 54, No.3, Spring, 2004
• Additional Insured and Indemnification Issues, FDCC Quarterly, Vol. 52, No.1, Fall, 2001
• Construction Litigation: The Statute of Repose, Defense Digest, February, 1996
• Conflicts of Law: Lessons Worth Remembering, FICC Quarterly, Vol. 41, No. 4, Summer, 1991
• Reverse Bifurcation: A Way to Reduce Case Backlog, FOR THE DEFENSE, Vol. 24, No. 11
• Construction Litigation Issues: Pennsylvania's Statutory Employer Immunity, (Co-author), Defense Digest, Vol. 2, No. 6, 1996
• Construction Litigation: The Peculiar Risk Doctrine in Pennsylvania, Defense Digest, Vol. 2, No. 8, 1996
• Peculiar Risk Doctrine No Longer Entrenched, Defense Digest, Vol. 2, No. 10, 1996
• Federal Court Arbitration: The Philadelphia Story, FOR THE DEFENSE, Vol. 24, No. 4, April, 1982

Address

1845 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4797

Phones

(215) 575-2604

Faxes

(215) 575-0856

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.marshalldennehey.com