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Youth Leadership Program Visits n^th Solutions, LLC

Last Friday, our Youth Leadership Program visited n^th Solutions, LLC, an electrical manufacturer in Coatesville. 

This program day is historically one of the most exciting days of the year thanks to n^th Solutiuons' President & Co-Founder, Eric Canfield. Eric kicked off the day with his introductions, his unique professional journey and the prestigious internship program. The program invites high school students to join the team at nth and find their own niche in the multitude of disciplines relevant to our core business, including product development, software development, web design, graphic design, and writing. As the cycle continues, seniors take on the positions of Lead Intern Managers to guide their peers and aid with the hiring and training processes for the next year. 

After guided tours from some of the interns, the YLP students were able to spend the afternoon on a series of special projects to promote teamwork, critical thinking, and at times some humor. 

Thank you to n^th Solutions and to Eric for inviting the students for a truly exciting day of learning and team building!

We're looking forward to visiting CTDI in the new year!

Holiday Party All "Wrapped" Up

It's official...last Thursday was CCCBI's last event of the year!

Over 100 Members and friends of the Chamber joined us at the Chester County History Center to celebrate the holiday season. We brought our Board of Directors, long-time members and so many new members together to build new connections and rekindle old relationships.

We appreciate everyone who joined us, the Chester County History Center for hosting, John Serock Catering for the delicious food, Chris Bradley for providing such wonderful live music, and our generous sponsors: DFT Inc., M&T Bank and Pennsylvania American Water!

Steve Aichele Honored as CCCBI's Distinguished Business Leader of the Year at Pennsylvania Society

By Jason M. St. John​​​​, Managing Partner, SAUL EWING LLP

Steve Aichele (Of Counsel, Philadelphia, Real Estate) was the Managing Partner when I joined the Firm 20 years ago (actually, it will be 20 years on January 1) and continues to be such an important mentor of mine – and countless others.  So you can imagine how special it was for me to have the great privilege to introduce Steve, on behalf of our Partners, to a standing room only crowd at the Midtown Hilton in New York City on Friday evening as a part of Pennsylvania Society as the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry’s Distinguished Business Leader of the Year. 

Surrounded by his family and several of our Partners, Steve was lauded for his decades of leadership and impact throughout Chester County PA.  Here are some of the highlights of my introduction:

Dedicated Public Servant:         

• Active duty Navy and Naval Reserve – retired as Captain with 25 total years of service to our country
• Local leader in Tredyffrin Township  - dozen years of work first as a member and Vice Chair of the Planning Commission, then as member and Chair of the Board of Supervisors 
• General Counsel and Chief of Staff to Governor Corbett (2011-2012)

Pillar of the Greater Philadelphia Community (and this list could have been a lot longer):  

• CEO Council for Growth of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
• Executive Committee member of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Chair of the Main Line Health Board of Trustees
• Former Executive Committee member, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
• Former Vice Chairman, Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority

Saul Ewing Leader, Friend, Mentor and Architect of one of the Strongest Land Use and Real Estate Practices in the Region:

• Other than his foray into public service with the Commonwealth, Steve has spent his entire legal career with Saul Ewing.  Over the course of 45+ years, served as the long-time Chair of our Real Estate Department, member of our Executive Committee and as our Managing Partner.
• Countless clients have relied upon Steve for his strategic thinking and exceptional lawyering – and has been part of some of the largest real estate development projects in the region.  His work has transformed the Philadelphia skyline – quite literally.
• Internally:
  • He has taught countless lawyers how to practice real estate law.
  • He has exemplified servant leadership –always putting the Firm ahead of his self-interest.
  • He has been the ultimate mentor and sponsor -- dedicated to spotting and developing the next generation of firm leaders (and the generation after that!)
  • His “Three E’s” – excellence, energy and enthusiasm – are embedded in the Firm’s and my DNA. 

I closed it out by saying that Steve has left an indelible mark on our Firm, our community and me personally. In response and with all of the humility that defines Steve Aichele - after being showered with accolades that were miles long, he closed out his remarks by saying that he shared the same answer to the question “What is your greatest accomplishment? as President George H. W. Bush answered in his later years.

 Now, George H. W. Bush could have mentioned so much - the successful military campaign of Operation Desert Storm, his two terms as vice president under Ronald Reagan, his years as U.S. ambassador to China, his leadership of the CIA, and of course, his Presidency. Instead, he simply answered, “My greatest accomplishment is that my children still come to see me.”  That, my friends, is Steve Aichele.

Holiday Hours Notice

Our offices will be closed from Wednesday, December 25^th to Friday, December 27^th AND Tuesday, December 31^st to Wednesday January 1^st so that our staff can celebrate with their loved ones. We can't wait to see you again in the new year!

Legislative Update

Philly and the Pa. Supreme Court are Top "Judicial Hellholes," a Tort Reform Group Says. Trial Attorneys Aren't Happy

Provided By Abraham Gutman, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are the nation’s top “judicial hellholes” for defendants in civil suits, according to a report by the American Tort Reform Foundation. The group, tied to an association that advocates for reform of civil litigation and represents business interests, has been ranking courts since 2002, and for years Philadelphia has been called out.

The report defines a “judicial hellhole” as having an “unfair and unbalanced manner” that disadvantages defendants. In other words, the report says, these courts are “the worst of the worst.” In the most recent report, published Tuesday, the Philadelphia court and the state’s highest court shared first place. The report pointed to the proliferation of “nuclear verdicts” that surpass $10 million and “problematic” state Supreme Court decisions on medical malpractice and product liability. Specifically, the report noted a change that went into effect last year allowing patients to file medical malpractice cases in any jurisdiction in which the medical provider conducts business, not just where their care took place.

The report points to large verdicts from recent years: a $2.2 billion verdict against Monsanto in a Roundup weedkiller case from January, a nearly $1 billion verdict against car manufacturer Mitsubishi in October 2023, and a $725.5 million verdict against Exxon in May.

“Lawsuit abuse in the City of Brotherly Love has reached a fever pitch with nuclear verdicts becoming the norm and novel theories of liability flourishing,” the report said.

Some trial lawyers weren’t happy with the honorific. Thomas Kline, a Kline & Specter attorney who litigated the Roundup case, called the report “a tired drumbeat” and its title an “ad hominem attack.” The large verdicts singled out by the association were handed by jurors in Philadelphia, Kline said, and all verdicts undergo the scrutiny of judges in the appeal process. The $2.2 billion Roundup verdict, for example, was later reduced to to $400 million by a judge. And plaintiff’s don’t always win. Monsanto won three of seven trials in Philadelphia. And last week, a Philadelphia judge ordered a new trial in a medical malpractice case that had resulted in a $45 million verdict against Temple University Hospital, saying that the jury’s decision did “not make logical or legal sense” and that the award of future economic damages was “exorbitant.”

Philadelphia has ranked among the top six hellholes since the 2017 report. This year, courts in New York City, South Carolina, Georgia, and California rounded out the top five. “Whenever there is a result holding accountable a corporate wrongdoer, that jurisdiction becomes a hellhole,” Kline said. The report highlights a growing problem for the city, said Curt Schroder, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform, which advocates for tort reform. “Whether you call it a judicial hellhole or a plaintiff attorney’s paradise, Pennsylvania’s legal climate, it needs a reset,” Schroder said in a statement.

More than 171,000 jobs are lost due to excessive litigation each year, the report said. Citing that data, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry called for reform to prevent what it called “lawsuit abuse.” “Without these reforms, Pennsylvania will remain at a significant competitive disadvantage for attracting employers,” Luke Bernstein, the chamber’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

John Hare, an attorney with Marshall Dennehey who was involved in the Mitsubishi case, said Pennsylvania state law can make it harder for defendants in product liability cases. But the eye-popping verdicts of recent years are also part of a national post-pandemic trend, Hare said, with the American public seemingly becoming more anti-corporate. Plus, Hare said, Philadelphia has trial lawyers who know how to garner sympathy for their clients. “And not only garner sympathy to the clients, but generate anger at the defendants,” he said. “And that is a verdict multiplier.”

The worst? The best?

The number of medical malpractice filings in Philadelphia this year is on pace to increase by nearly 50% compared with a three-year pre-pandemic average. Filings in the Philadelphia suburbs have declined sharply. Lawyers say they file in Philadelphia because the court system is efficient and predictable.

Lisa Rau, who was a civil judge in Philadelphia until she retired five years ago, studied the efficiency of Common Pleas Court for her 2019 master’s thesis in judicial studies in the University of Nevada. In 1995, Philadelphia ranked as the second-worst among large city courts for the length of time it took a case to conclude. By 2004, the National Center for State Courts applauded Philadelphia as “arguably the best-managed large urban civil trial court operation in the nation,” Rau’s thesis said. “Part of the criticism in calling it a judicial hellhole comes from the fact that the court won’t delay things forever,” the retired judge said. And in an efficient court that handles a high volume, large verdict are bound to happen, according to Rau.

Rhonda H. Wilson, a solo personal-injury practitioner, took offense at the report’s description of Philadelphia and its efficient case-management system as “the worst of the worst.” “I think Philadelphia is the best of the best,” she said.

©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Read more about this ruling in our Weekly Legislative Update, distributed every Friday. Please email abby@chescochamber.org to join our mailing list.

Member Spotlight

Chester County Intermediate Unit

Achieve2Gether uses a person-centered approach to develop community opportunities based on the unique skills and interests of each individual.

The Chester County Intermediate Unit greatly values our partnerships with the businesses serving our local community, as they provide us with the means to better support individuals with disabilities, enhance our services, and create meaningful connections between our adult participants and our community partners.  Through these valued partnerships, Achieve and Achieve2Gether provide participants with community-based experiences to build connections, relationships and a sense of belonging in their local community.  At the heart of the CCIU's adult programs, we believe that when our community comes together, we all achieve more.

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