Our Attorneys
Joseph E. Vogrin, III

Of Counsel
Attorney-at-Law
(412) 553-7130

jvogrin@mdbbe.com


Peer Review Rated

 

 

Areas of Practice
Municipal Law


Bar Admissions
Pennsylvania
 
Press Releases
June 3, 2009 - Listed in 2009 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
 

Practice

Engaged in the practice of municipal law.

Professional Background

Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania in 1972.  Also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania; the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; the Supreme Court of the United States.
Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers - Criminal.
Who's Who in American Law (2005-2006).
Listed in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009).

Professional/Civic Activities

Solicitor - Shaler Township (1986 - present)
Solicitor - North Hills Council of Governments (1988 - present)
Solicitor - Reserve Township (1998 - 2007)
Solicitor - Haysville Borough (2005 - 2007)
Solicitor - Ohio Township Sanitary Authority (1983 - 2007)
Solicitor - Ross Township Civil Service Commission (1993 - 2007)
Solicitor - Quaker Valley Council of Governments (1988 - 2007)
Co-Counsel-Allegheny County & Western Pennsylvania
     Association of Township Commissioners (1996 - 2008)
Past Chair Association of Municipal and School Solicitors
     of Allegheny County
Past Counsel of Borough’s Association of
     Allegheny County, 1991, 1994, 2003
Director of Association of Municipal and School
     Solicitors of Allegheny County
Solicitor, Borough of Avalon, (1992 - 2005)
Municipal Authority Sub-Committee of Municipal and
     School Solicitors Association of Allegheny County
Program Advisory Committee of Pennsylvania Bar
     Institute of Municipal Solicitors
Curriculum Review Committee Member of the
     Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officer’s Education
     Training Commission
Allegheny County Bar Association
Pennsylvania Bar Association

 

Publications and Articles

 

Pennsylvania Driving Under the Influence Law and Practice, 2 Vol., (Bisel, 1998),
     (Supp. 1999), (Supp. 2000), (Supp. 2002), (Supp. 2005).
Top-10 Reasons Why Act 24 Is a Nightmare, The Lawyers Journal, June 24, 2005
Tougher DUI Penalties Now in Effect, The Lawyers Journal, March 5, 2004
Get Ready for Pennsylvania's New DUI Law, The Lawyers Journal, January 9, 2004
DUI Traffic Stops in Pennsylvania Changed Forever After Gleason and its Progeny,
     The Lawyers Journal, February 7, 2003
ReadyLAW, Pennsylvania Law Weekly (PA LAWnet Website)
Guilty Knowledge: A New Constitutional Standard
Police Advisory Bulletins: Basics of a Search Warrant; Execution of a Search
Warrant; Plain View; Open View; Probable Cause; Search Incident to Arrest;
     Stop and Frisk; Vehicular Searches
Motor Vehicle Stops and Law of Search and Seizure, Pennsylvania Bar Institute
     (2004) Power Point Presentation
Pennsylvania Bar Institute Driving Under the Influence Manual - Substantive and
     Evidentiary Issues, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009
Bridge-the-Gap DUI Manual, 1984, 1986

Education

Duquesne University School of Law (J.D., Law Review, 1972)
Duquesne University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1969)

 

Teaching Experience

Instructor - Allegheny County Police Academy:  Crimes Code - Arrest,
     Search & Seizure - Jurisdiction - Use of Deadly Force
Faculty Member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association/Pennsylvania Bar
     Institute Driving After Imbibing Program, 2005 (Pittsburgh)
Faculty Member of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute - GUP, DAI Program,
     2005 (Pittsburgh), 2006 (Pittsburgh)
Faculty Member of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute - Driving Under the Influence
     Program, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003 (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh,
     Scranton, West Chester, Erie), 2004 (Philadelphia, Mechanicsburg, Pittsburgh,
     Norristown), 2006 (Pittsburgh), 2009 (Pittsburgh)
Faculty Member of Pennsylvania Bar Institute - Motor Vehicle Stops and Law of
     Search and Seizure, 2004 (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh)
Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2004 (Wilkes-Barre) -
     Panelist - The New PA DUI Law - From the Bottle to the Throttle
Pennsylvania State Police Operation Nighthawk - 2006 (Scranton) (Philadelphia)
Pennsylvania State Police Operation Nighthawk - 2005 (Slippery Rock) (Altoona)
     (Lancaster)
Pennsylvania State Police Operation Nighthawk - 2004 (Wilkes-Barre, Meadville,
     Hershey)
Allegheny County Bench-Bar (2004) – DUI 101 – How to Handle the Basic DUI Case
Instructor - City of Pittsburgh Police Academy:  Criminal Procedure; Mandatory
    In-Service Training
Lecturer - Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association

Up Close And Personal

Ask any police officer in Allegheny County and the chances are pretty good they learned a bit of law from Joe Vogrin. For over 30 years, Joe has taught criminal law to over 3,500 young and old police officers at various locations including cadets at the Allegheny County Police Academy and the City of Pittsburgh Police Academy, teaching Search and Seizure, Arrest, Crimes Code, and Use of Deadly Force.

And few attorneys in Pennsylvania know motor vehicle law as well as Joe. In fact, he wrote the book: Pennsylvania Driving Under the Influence Law & Practice, first published in 1998.  All of this is just one reason why folks who got in trouble with the state’s Motor Vehicle Code called on Joe to represent them.

However, most of his colleagues and hundreds of local officials know Joe for his work on behalf of local municipalities and their authorities. A past chair of the county bar association’s municipal and school solicitors section, Joe has served many local governments as their top lawyer. He has advised local officials, civil service boards, sanitary commissions, councils of government, and municipal associations.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Joe graduated magna cum laude from Duquesne University and its law school where he was a member of the law review. But before that he had a stint in the U.S. Navy where he gained expertise as a Serbo-Croatian interpreter.

A 32nd degree Free Mason and Past Master of John A. Brashear Lodge, F. & A.M., Joe brings together great personal skills and diverse interests.

He and his wife Elaine, a registered nurse, live in the North Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh.

Since 2007, Joe is serving Of Counsel to the Meyer Darragh law firm.

 

   

* CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties, Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.

Rating Explanation: Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell Ratings fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.