KNOW YOUR ATTORNEY
“Never think you are asking your attorney “dumb” questions”. The only dumb question is the question not asked.”
-Donald F. ManchelYour Lawyer Is the Key to a Successful Case
Meet Donald F. Manchel, Esq.
"We have the experience needed to tell the client when to settle, when to take the case to trial, and what his or her injury claim is worth."
Mr. Manchel is the Founding Partner of Donald F. Manchel & Associates. He received Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Laws degrees from Temple University. He handled over 2,000 criminal defense cases as a Philadelphia Public Defender.
For more than 35 years, Mr. Manchel was a Founding Partner in a law firm handling only personal injury cases. His trial expertise includes product liability, FELA, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and automobile accident cases.
In founding his own firm, Mr. Manchel has forged a team of experienced attorneys, paralegals and support staff who believe, as he does, that each client deserves personal attention. Each case will be assigned to one attorney who will manage it from beginning to end, aided by an unchanging support staff.
Mr. Manchel is licensed to practice law in all Federal and State Courts. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations, the American, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia Trial Lawyers' Associations, and the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. He has been named an Advocate byThe American Board of Trial Advocates, Pennsylvania Chapter, and is also a member of the Million-Dollar Advocates Forum, a national organization limited to trial attorneys who have achieved trial verdicts or settlements of $1,000,000 or more.
Meet Mitchell S. Clair, Esq.
“We keep one client with one lawyer, so we decide with great care which attorney handles a given case. The client always knows how the case is proceeding.”
Mr. Clair is a Partner in Donald F. Manchel & Associates. He earned his Law degree from Temple University in 1987. In law school, he was on the editorial staff of the Law Review.
Mr. Clair is licensed in Federal and State Courts. He is a Past Chairman and a member of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers’ Association’s Amicus Curae Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Associations.
Mr. Clair has recently pursued two of the most significant automobile insurance cases tried in Pennsylvania. These hinged upon the right of an injured person to a fair settlement from his/her own insuror. He has also secured personal injury settlements of $1 million and more. Most recently, Mr. Clair was selected to defend the reputation of a well-known trial judge, and successfully won the case.
Meet Jane B. Marton, Of Counsel
“All of us are dedicated to getting the maximum recovery for each client. And if we're needed, we continue to help clients manage their situations after their cases are settled."
Mrs. Marton specializes in medical negligence and major catastrophic cases. She has secured awards as high as $3.2 million in medical negligence and malpractice cases.
Mrs. Marton graduated from the University of Tulsa Law School in 1984. She practiced law in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. In Philadelphia, she successfully pursued many large medical malpractice cases as a member of a large firm before joining Donald F. Manchel & Associates in 1997.
Meet Joseph Monaco, Esq.
“I treat every case as though it were my own. I work to keep each case moving full steam ahead from day one through settlement.”
Joseph Monaco is a 2nd generation trial attorney who practiced in a personal injury boutique with his father and sisters before joining Donald F. Manchel & Associates in 1997. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and is a cum laude graduate of the University of Dayton and received his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in 1989. Since marrying his wife, Vicky, in 1993, he has resided in Eastern Montgomery County, Pennsylvania where he has become an active member of the community. He is a Past President and member of the Kiwanis Club of Glenside. While President, the club was honored by Kiwanis International with the Emerald Award for outstanding community service.
At Donald F. Manchel & Associates, Mr. Monaco practices exclusively in civil litigation on behalf of injured victims. He concentrates in the areas of premises liability, FELA, motor vehicle liability, products liability and wrongful death. Mr. Monaco has tried cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and State of New Jersey along with several United States District Courts. He has also argued before the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Mr. Monaco is an active member of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and America Trial Lawyers Associations as well as the Philadelphia Bar Association, and is a noted lecturer for continuing legal education seminars, where he has spoken on investigating a premises liability claim and evidentiary issues in motor vehicle cases. Mr. Monaco has handled hundreds of personal injury cases and has secured individual settlements in excess of $1 million.