Attorney Profile
Alesia S. Sulock
Areas of Practice
Contact Info
Overview
Alesia is a member of the Professional Liability Department where she focuses her practice on the defense of claims made and suits brought against a variety of professionals. She regularly defends attorneys in legal malpractice claims, wrongful use of civil proceedings claims, abuse of process claims and disciplinary matters. Alesia handles a wide variety of real estate matters, including defending real estate agents, appraisers and title agents in litigation and disciplinary matters, and advising corporate clients on real estate and property matters. Additionally, she defends other professionals, including accountants, non-profit organizations and directors and officers, and provides representation in commercial litigation matters.
Alesia regularly presents on risk management and legal malpractice avoidance topics for attorneys throughout Pennsylvania. She publishes extensively in this area as well, including co-authoring a recurring column in The Legal Intelligencer on professional liability themes. She is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Professional Liability Committee and Ethics Committee.
In 2012, Alesia earned her juris doctor from the Villanova University School of Law where she graduated cum laude. While in law school, she was on the executive board of the Villanova Law Moot Court Board and ran the annual Theodore L. Reimel Moot Court Competition. Prior to attending law school, Alesia worked as a corporate underwriter for a mortgage company in Philadelphia, PA.
Alesia attended St. Joseph's University as an undergraduate, and she graduated magna cum laude in 2006. She received several academic honors including the Presidential Scholarship and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
Results
Obtained summary judgment in numerous complex legal malpractice matters on the basis that plaintiffs' claims were barred by the statute of limitations following application of the discovery rule.
Obtained a defense verdict following a three week jury trial in a complex legal malpractice action, arising from allegations of an attorney's failure to provide competent representation resulting in the loss of an underlying claim against a car dealership auditing company, purportedly causing twenty million dollars in damages.
Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of an attorney accused of inadequately representing a police officer in a grievance proceeding following his dismissal from the police force.
Obtained summary judgment in a complex legal malpractice matter arising from an underlying telecommunications litigation which spanned thirteen years and included two appeals.
Obtained dismissal of plaintiff's legal malpractice claims arising from an underlying release and medical malpractice claim, on the eve of trial, based on arguments made in a dispositive motion in limine.
Obtained affirmance on appeal of the dismissal of claims against an attorney pursuant to Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 233.1.
Successfully represented clients in numerous disciplinary matters, resulting in findings of no discipline.
Thought Leadership
Attorney Well-Being as a Matter of Professional Competence, Professional Liability Defense Federation Annual Meeting, September 26, 2024
The Defense of Appellate Counsel in Legal Malpractice Actions, Client Seminar, June 4, 2024
Avoiding Legal Malpractice, Monroe County Bar Association, June 25, 2024
The Assessment of Damages in Professional Liability Claims, ILG Live Webinar, May 29, 2024
Socially Responsible: How to Ethically Use Social Media in Your Practice, Attorney Protective, CLE Webinar, May 22, 2024
The Business of Law, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, April 9, 2024
The Business and Ethics Basics of Law Firm Management 2024, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, January 26, 2024
Defending and Avoiding Disciplinary Complaints, Professional Liability Defense Federation Annual Meeting, September 2023
Avoiding Legal Malpractice, Dauphin County Bar Association, August 2023
Avoiding Legal Malpractice, Pennsylvania Bar Association, June 2023
Malpractice Avoidance, Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys Winter Conference, February 2023
Legal Malpractice Avoidance, Monroe County Bar Association, June 16, 2021
Avoiding Legal Malpractice, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, June 9, 2021
Trends in Claims Against Lawyers, Client Seminar, July 2018 and January 2019
"Attorney Well-Being Doesn’t Have to Be Spooky: Steps Attorneys Can Take to Support Mental, Emotional and Physical Health," PLUS Blog, October 29, 2024
"Socially Responsible Lawyers: Why You Need to Understand Social Media to Competently Represent Your Clients (Part 1)," The Legal Intelligencer, September 18, 2024
"'But I Could Have Gotten More!' Damages Speculation in Legal Malpractice Cases," The Legal Intelligencer, July 15, 2024
"Your Well-Being Matters: Attorney Mental Health and Professional Competence," The Legal Intelligencer, May 15, 2024
“Relevancy and Its Limits,” “General Admissibility of Relevant Evidence,” “Exclusion of Relevant Evidence,” “Character Evidence; Other Crimes, Wrongs, or Acts,” and “Methods of Proving Character,” Ohlbaum on the Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence, 2024, Contributing Author
"Restricting Restrictions: When Attorney Employment Agreements Run Afoul of the Rules of Professional Conduct," The Legal Intelligencer, March 21, 2024
"Risk Management in the Practice of Law," AttPro Ally, Attorney Protective newsletter, February 27, 2024
"Probable Cause as a Matter of Law in Dragonetti Cases," The Legal Intelligencer, November 17, 2023
"You Diligently Protect Your Clients; What About You? Part 2 (The Middle and the End)," The Legal Intelligencer, September 15, 2023
"You Diligently Protect Your Clients; What About You? Part 1 (The Beginning)," The Legal Intelligencer, July 14, 2023
"Why Your Mental Health Matters to the Disciplinary Board," The Legal Intelligencer, May 16, 2023
"When Disciplinary Counsel Knocks on Your Door, How Do You Respond?" The Legal Intelligencer, March 20, 2023
"The Attorney-Client Relationship: Keeping the Lines of Communication Open," PLUS Blog, May 9, 2022
"Engagement Agreements As A Legal Malpractice Avoidance Tool," The Pennsylvania Lawyer, March/April 2022 Edition
"Reinstating the Two-Year Statute of Limitations for Legal Malpractice Claims," The Legal Intelligencer, April 15, 2021
"Ten Ways to Avoid Committing Legal Malpractice in a Pandemic," PLUS Blog, January 18, 2021
"Responsive Pleadings," Pennsylvania Civil Pre-Trial Practice, 2018 - present, Reviewing Author
"Common Evidentiary Issues at Trial," Pennsylvania Civil Trial Practice, 2018, Reviewing Author, 2019 - present, Contributing Author
“Pennsylvania Legal Malpractice Claims: Moving Away From a (Nearly) Automatic Four-Year Statute of Limitations,” Defense Digest, Vol. 24, No. 2, June 2018
Pennsylvania Legal Malpractice Handbook, 2017 Edition, 2019 Edition, Published by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, Co-author
Case Law Alerts, regular contributor, 2015-present