Harrisburg Attorney Named 2008 Chairman of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of PA
(Lemoyne, PA) - The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania announces
that Smith Barton Gephart, a founding partner of the Harrisburg law firm Killian
and Gephart, has been named the chair of the Disciplinary Board effective April
22, 2008.
"The Disciplinary Board has reached many achievements under the direction
of former Chairman Jonathan Newman and his predecessors," said Gephart. "It
is truly an honor to be named as chairman and I look forward to continuing
down that same positive path."
The Disciplinary Board is an independent agency funded by the Supreme Court
of Pennsylvania and consists of 16 members, of which 14 are attorneys and two
non-lawyers from across the state. It assists the Supreme Court in carrying
out its exclusive jurisdiction over the licensing and discipline of attorneys
in Pennsylvania. The members meet regularly to decide cases, policies and board
administrative matters.
Gephart has more than 40 years of experience in federal and state criminal
litigation. He has represented individuals targeted by the U.S. Department
of Justice, United States Attorneys' Offices, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
and several states' Attorney Generals.
"I've been in the law profession for many years so it is important to
me that the public's perception of lawyers is positive. We have roughly 60,000
active lawyers in the state and those who violate rules are very few, but it's
important to me that we weed out those few[who violate the rules] and maintain
the integrity of the profession."
The Harrisburg native is the past president of the Dauphin County Bar Association
and has been appointed to two three-year terms on the Disciplinary Board, which
included a year as vice chairman.
The Disciplinary Board's goals are to protect the general public, maintain
a high standard of integrity in the legal profession, and safeguard the reputation
of the courts of Pennsylvania. The Disciplinary Board was created by the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania to review conduct and assure compliance by all attorneys
to the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. For more information about
the Disciplinary Board please visit www.padb.us .
For more information regarding this release, please contact Jamie Fulginiti
at (717) 975-2148 or jfulginiti@hersheyphilbin.com.