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Practice areas

Recognitions

• “Superlawyers”, Philadelphia Magazine, 2005, 2006

Education

• Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University, J.D., 1977
• Lycoming College, B.A., 1974
  

Mr. Dowling's career as a trial lawyer began as Assistant District Attorney in Dauphin County where he worked for 3 1/2 years. He joined Rhoads & Sinon LLP in 1981, and has handled a wide variety of litigation. Early in his career he successfully defended physicians and hospitals in malpractice cases and defended municipalities in civil rights cases. In the criminal arena, he has obtained acquittals for clients charged with assault, vehicular homicide, official oppression, aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation. Mr. Dowling's primary emphasis, for the past 25 years, is in personal injury litigation, including automobile, product liability, medical malpractice and workplace injuries. He continues to represent clients in the following types of cases:

• automobile/truck accidents,
• pedestrian accidents,
• liquor liability actions against bars and clubs,
• actions against PennDOT for defective highways,
• premises liability claims,
• underinsured motorist claims,
• medical malpractice claims,
• legal/accounting malpractice claims,
• civil rights claims,
• workplace injury claims,
• product liability cases,
• sexual assault,
• railroad claims, and 
• criminal law.

Mr. Dowling’s practice is not limited to Pennsylvania. He has represented clients whose legal actions arose in Maryland, New Jersey, California, Florida and Michigan. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum which is limited to trial attorneys who have demonstrated exceptional skill, experience and excellence in advocacy by achieving a jury verdict or settlement in the amount of One Million Dollars or more.

Significant Trial Verdicts (Plaintiff)

• Hynen v. Melissa Cummings, et al., – Dauphin County, 2008 Jury Verdict $2,216,000
• Sands v Wagner, et al.– U.S.D.Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2003, Jury Verdict $1,250,000.00
• Bartell v Straub – Snyder County, 1988, Jury Verdict $1,500,000.00
• Mick v. Young, et al. – Lebanon County, 1998, Jury Verdict $1,000,000.00

Criminal

• Commonwealth v. Charles, 2 Counts Vehicular Homicide - Not Guilty, Snyder County
• Commonwealth v. Hosler, 2 Counts Assault, 2 Counts Official Oppression, 1 Count Ethnic Intimidation - Not Guilty - Dauphin County-2008

Recent Settlements

• $1.2 Million - 2005 – Medical Malpractice, Birth Related Injuries
• $1.0 Million - 2005 – Auto Accident, Wrongful Death Claim
• $400,000 – 2006 - Construction Site Accident, Back and Shoulder Injuries
• $725,000 - 2007 - Wrongful Death/Product Liability Action
• $320,000 - 2007 - 34 Year Old Single Man, Partial Hearing Loss
• $675,000 - 2007 - Auto Accident/Dram Shop, Wrongful Death Claim (79-year-old-retired male)
• $715,000 -  2007 - Auto/Truck Accident, Wrongful Death Claim (36-year-old male)
• $990,000 - 2008 - Auto/Truck Accident, Loss of Eye (Plaintiff - Age 55, Retired)
• $975,000 - 2009- Wrongful Death Claim (2-year-old child)

Significant Appellate Decisions

• Consevage v. Page - (Pa.  Superior Court - January 2005) (Superior Court reversed trial court, which had granted summary judgment in a med. mal. case in favor of ER Physician.)
• DeRita v. Project Adventure, et al. - (Pa. Superior Court, 2005) (Pa. Superior Court reverses trial court and awards a new trial to parents in Wrongful Death, Product liability, case involving their daughter.  The Superior Court held that the trial court improperly allowed negligence concepts into a case involving strict liability, and that the trial court’s curative instructions were inadequate.)
• Cooper v. Schofstall – (Pa. Superior Court, 2004) (Superior Court established the discoverability of an expert witnesses Federal 1099 forms.)
• Wisniski v. Brown & Brown  - (Pa. Superior Court, 2004) (Pa. Superior Court established a duty of an insurance agent to inspect commercial property.)
• Schroeder v. Department of Transportation – (Pa. Supreme Court, 1998) (Pa. Supreme Court  reversed Commonwealth Court and restricted and   limited spoliation as a defense in design defect cases.)
• Bartell v. Straub – (Pa. Supreme Court, 1991) (Supreme Court reversed Commonwealth Court concerning statutory immunity for highway defects in a case against PennDOT.)

Bar & Court Admissions

• Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Seminars & Speaking Engagements

Publications

Professional & Community Affiliations

• Pennsylvania and Dauphin County Bar Associations
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America
• Pennsylvania Association for Justice
• Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Lecturer
• Member and Former Chairman, 1991 - present, Lower Paxton Zoning Hearing Board
• Board Member, Keystone Area Counsel - BSA

One South Market Square, 12th Floor, P.O. Box 1146, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1146