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JOHN A. DI PIETRO is managing partner of Di Pietro Law Offices, East Norriton, Pennsylvania. He earned his J.D. degree from the University of Notre Dame. In addition to being a civil litigator for most of his career, Mr.Di Pietro also brings in excess of 34 years of experience in real estate, zoning, land use, business and municipal law to his practice. He has served as solicitor for many municipalities and zoning and planning boards. In addition to representing local governments, Mr. Di Pietro has acted as legal counsel for real estate developers, general contractors and financial institutions. More recently, he has served a five-year term as in-house underwriting counsel and marketing agent for a major title insurance company. Mr. Di Pietro has substantial experience in teaching land use, zoning , title and real estate law courses and seminars for members of the Pennsylvania Bar and for various professional organizations, including National Business Institute. He often is a guest columnist on legal issues in a variety of internet media outlets. Mr. Di Pietro is a member of the Pennsylvania, Montgomery County and Philadelphia bar associations, and has practiced before several federal district courts as well as state and appellate courts. HARPER J. DIMMERMAN is an adjunct professor at Temple University's Fox School of Business and a columnist with The Legal Intelligencer. He lectures to other attorneys, has been interviewed by various media outlets and featured by The Legal Intelligencer. Mr Dimmerman is the recipient of the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Stars designation in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011. He is published with the American, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia bar associations. Mr. Dimmerman is the principal and founder of The Law Office of Harper J. Dimmerman P.C., a boutique Philadelphia-based practice with an emphasis upon Pennsylvania and New Jersey general litigation and real estate matters. In his capacity as an approved attorney, he is authorized to provide land title insurance throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for residential and commercial transactions. Mr. Dimmerman is co-founder of a real estate consulting company. He is co-chair of the Law Practice Management Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Mr. Dimmerman recently served as a board member of the Naval Square Condominium Association, was co-editor for the Brandeis Law Society publication, was co-chair of the Solo and Small Firm Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association from 2004-2009, was a voting member of the Young Lawyer's Division from 2005-2007 and was a member of Philadelphia County's Mortgage Foreclosure Steering Committee. He is a graduate of Vassar College and holds a B.A. degree. Mr. Dimmerman earned his J.D. degree, cum laude, from The University of Miami School of Law (honors include: membership with the Business Law Review; Dean's List; Recipient of Dean's Certificate of Achievement in Legal Research & Writing II; and Recipient of Cali Excellence for the Future Award in Legal Research & Writing II), matriculated at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, and the undergraduate evening division of Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania. JAMES S. ETTELSON is a partner with the law firm of Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP, in Philadelphia. He practices in the areas of corporate law, business law, real estate law, land use and zoning. Mr. Ettelson has represented a number of major commercial and residential developers and has been involved in a diverse range of real estate litigation. He is a frequent lecturer on topics related to zoning and land use law, real estate transactions and condominium/planned community law and is an adjunct professor at St. Josephs University. Mr. Ettelson is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and before the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; the U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit; and the Supreme Court of the U.S. He earned his B.S. degree from Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. degree from Temple University. Mr. Ettelson is a member of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and American bar associations. He also has served more than four years as a member of his township's Planning Commission and was elected to three full terms as a Lower Merion Township Commissioner and subsequently served as board president. WILLIAM C. HART is the principal and CEO of Title Law Associates (TLA). TLA is a small boutique firm that works as title insurance consultants, publishers of title litigation news and educational materials directly related to the title insurance industry. He has worked as a course planner and written and lectured extensively on real estate titles and title insurance principles for numerous real estate title seminars both locally and nationally. He has 40 years of experience in the title insurance industry, having previously worked as vice president and chief title officer of American Title Insurance Company and its parent Meridian Title Insurance Company; and as chief underwriter of T.A. Title Insurance Company. Mr. Hart is a published Westlaw® author, having acted as a state reviewer and contributing editor to Patton and Palomar on Land Titles , 3rd Ed., (Thompson/WestGroup, 2003); editor-in-chief of Title Management Today; and editor of the Title Law Associates National Underwriting website located at www.titlelawannotated.com . He is the author of The Law of Titles Underwriting Series published by Title Law Associates including: Title Insurance Underwriting, Principles and Exception Language, 1988, rev. 6th ed. 2002; The Law of Titles in New York, 1978, rev. 1996; The Law of Titles in Pennsylvania, 1996, rev. 4th ed, 2002; The Law of Titles in Florida, 1996; The Title Insurance Underwriting Process, 1994; Instructions as to the Use of Title Insurance Endorsements, 1992; Standard Title Underwriting Practices , 1991; The National Title Law Digest, 1400 pages, 2007; and co-author of Hart, Title Clearance and Underwriting Guide scheduled for publication in 2011-12. Mr. Hart received his A.B. degree from Florida Southern College and his MBA degree from Chelsea University, United Kingdom. He read for the law in New York and attended the New York University Real Estate Institute, where he received post graduate diplomas in real estate finance and real estate law and title examination. He is currently a member of the Standard and Poor's Vista Research Group, known as the Society of Industry Leaders, where he specializes as a title industry consultant. ERIC M. HURWITZ is a partner in the mortgage and lending litigation practice group at the law firm of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, in Cherry Hill. Mr. Hurwitz has experience litigating claims brought against lenders arising from the origination, servicing, reporting and collection of various consumer credit products such as mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, short-term loans, and other secured or unsecured credit products. He also has handled matters involving title insurance claims, lien priority disputes, and class actions involving financial products and services. Mr. Hurwitz has a full range of experience in federal and state trial and appellate courts, as well as mediations and arbitrations, both regionally and throughout the country. He is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and various federal district and appellate courts nationwide. Mr. Hurwitz also has written on the topic of litigation risk in the wake of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. He earned his undergraduate degree magna cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Boston University School of Law. JAMES L. PEARL , Esquire, is admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar, and he is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of Vermont and his J.D. degree from Widener University School of Law. Mr. Pearl is a principal at Offit Kurman, Attorneys at Law. Offit Kurman is a full-service law firm assisting clients in the mid-Atlantic region with offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Marlton, New Jersey; and in Owings Mills, Maple Lawn, Bel Air and Bethesda, Maryland. Mr. Pearl has extensive experience counseling clients through all aspects of commercial, industrial, retail and residential real estate and business, commercial and financing transactions. He also provides legal services in a wider variety of business and commercial areas starting from the planning of the business and the initial formation of the entity through to the operation and growth of the mature business. In addition, Mr. Pearl provides counsel and representation in a wide range of commercial litigation matters in such areas as real estate, breach of contract, general business disputes and labor and employment. Prior to joining Offit Kurman, he was the principal attorney in the Law Offices of James L. Pearl, and he also worked as an assistant city solicitor in the Real Estate and Economic Development Division of the City of Philadelphia Law Department. BRIAN H. SMITH is a partner with the firm of Lamm Rubenstone LLC in Trevose, Pennsylvania, where he focuses his practice in all aspects of creditors' rights, including residential and commercial mortgage foreclosures, title insurance defense, ejections/evictions, replevins, representation of creditors in bankruptcy court, and collections, as well as in general commercial litigation. He is admitted to practice in all Pennsylvania state courts, and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the U.S. District courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western districts of Pennsylvania. Mr. Smith co-wrote the article "Navigating Through Uncertainty: A Landlord's Rights and Remedies When Personal Property is 'Left Behind' By A Tenant," "The Applicability of Police Power," and "Title Insurance Policy Exclusions to Nonconforming Zoning Uses in Pennsylvania-Let The (Title Insurance) Buyer Beware." He is a frequent lecturer on mortgage foreclosures, title insurance issues and general collection matters, and successfully litigated the case of In re Brown, 311 B.R. 409 (E.D. Pa. 2004) which upheld the right of a lender whose original mortgage had been lost and never recorded to seek relief from the automatic stay of 11 U.S.C. sec. 362 to pursue a state court quiet title action to permit a copy of the mortgage to be recorded as if the original, and therefore avoid automatic unsecured creditor status in the underlying bankruptcy. Mr. Smith earned his B.A. degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from Dickinson College and his J.D. degree from Widener University School of Law.
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