Paul F. Laughlin

Co-Chair, Behavioral Health Risk and Liability Practice Group
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    Paul is a member of the Health Care Department and serves as co-chair of the Behavioral Health Risk and Liability Practice Group. He began his career as a prosecutor but for the past 25 years has focused his professional efforts on matters involving medical/professional liability, corporate/commercial matters, construction/real estate, and civil rights litigation. He is also formally trained in handling dispute resolution processes, including mediation and arbitration.

    An active trial attorney, Paul has tried in excess of 130 cases to a jury verdict. He has successfully defended countless professional liability matters, including medical and legal malpractice cases. He represents physicians, physician groups, nurses, psychiatrists, hospitals, long-term care facilities and veterinarians in medical liability matters. In addition, he counsels attorneys, law firms and real estate agents in professional liability actions as well as professional licensing prosecutions. Paul also represents builders and contractors in construction cases, as well as government agencies in civil rights cases.

    Paul trained as a mediator at Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. He serves as a neutral arbitrator in alternative dispute resolution proceedings, and is certified to serve as an arbitrator in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Paul brings a unique perspective to the dispute resolution process, drawing from his background and extensive experience as a trial attorney. He places a priority on facilitating communication and promoting a positive negotiation process for all involved. Known for his empathy and integrity, Paul believes that an effective mediator not only develops a knowledge of the unique facts and issues of each case, but also takes the time to get to know the parties involved in each negotiation to determine their needs and keep the focus on the key issues.   

    Paul received his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame and his juris doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a business editor of The American Criminal Law Review. He began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office where, as a member of the Homicide Unit, he was entrusted with significant cases including numerous capital murder prosecutions. Paul was also selected to serve as a Special Assistant United States Attorney to assist in the coordination of a joint federal and local arson task force that culminated in the successful investigation and prosecution of the Quaker Lace factory arson, which was subsequently selected as a model for arson investigations and prosecutions nationwide.

    Significant Representative Matters

    Secured defense verdict after a four-week trial on behalf of a physician who was alleged to have been negligent by failing to administer iv-tPa and for failing to transfer patient for advanced stroke treatment. Evidence of damamges presented to the jury was in excess of $20 million.

    Successfully defended two neurosurgeons, a neurologist and a hospital in a jury trial involving a 21-year-old male who had been hospitalized following a car accident and subsequently passed away as the result of a ruptured aneurysm.

    Secured defense jury verdict in medical liability case involving brain injury allegedly caused by forceps, with damages projected by economists in excess of $50 million.

    Secured summary judgment in favor of client in a case involving an accident resulting in paralysis of a child. The verdict against remaining parties exceeded $30 million.

    Obtained favorable development in jurisprudence related to venue in medical professional lawsuits and in particular leading to removal of a Lehigh County health care provider from courts in Philadelphia.

    Classes/Seminars Taught

    Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave: How the Internet Can Make or Break the Medical Professional Negligence Case, 63rd Annual Joint Meeting of the Lehigh County Bar Association and Lehigh County Medical Society, September 9, 2014

    Highlights in Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Law, 2013 Trends in Health Care and Health Law Seminar, Marshall Dennehey, November 7, 2013  

    Caring for Yourself While Caring for Your Patients, Sacred Heart Hospital of Allentown's Family Practice Residency Program, January 2010

    CLE Trial Advocacy Seminar: Closing Arguments, 2008

    Anatomy of a Lawsuit, Sacred Heart Hospital, 2007

    CLE Seminar on Fraud and Abuse, Insurance Society of Philadelphia, 2006

    Mitigation and Litigation, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, 2006

    Tort Reform and The Impact Upon Medical Practitioners, presentation for physicians at Sacred Heart Hospital, 2005

    Disclosure and Reporting of Medical Errors, presentation for physicians at Pocono Medical Center, 2005

    Patient Safety and Risk Management Seminar, presentation for physicians at Easton Hospital, 2005

    M-Care Act, Re: Expert Witness, 2003

    Death Penalty Litigation, 2001

    Cross-Examination, 1997

    Expert Witnesses, 1995

    Lectures, Re: Closing Argument, Widener University and University of Pennsylvania Law School

    Published Works

    "Choosing a Mediator for Your Medical Malpractice Case: One Size Does Not Fit All," The Legal Intelligencer, Medical Malpractice Supplement, March 28, 2023

    "Child Protective Services Law: Implications for Behavioral Health Organizations," The Pennsylvania Lawyer, March/April 2021

    "Ethics in Government Act," American Criminal Law Review, 5th Survey of White Collar Crime, Volume 26, No. 3, 1989

    Admissions
    Pennsylvania
    1990
    Education
    Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1990)
    University of Notre Dame (B.A., 1987)
    Honors & awards
    Pennsylvania Super Lawyer
    2012-2018
    U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms – Service Recognition Award
    1995
    Year joined
    2003