Honors

2004 - Awarded Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year by the Westmoreland County Bar Association.

Education

St. Vincent College (B.A., 1992, cum laude);
Widener University School of Law (J.D., 1994).

Up Close And Personal

Lee, a Westmoreland County native, was born and raised in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  After graduating from high school, Lee attended St. Vincent College in Latrobe, graduating in the top of his class in the Honor's Scholar Program with a degree in political science, history, and a minor in public administration.  Throughout college, Lee was employed by a local specialty steel plant as a metallurgical laboratory technician and department manager.  

Following his first year at Widener University School of Law, Lee was certified by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court as a Certified Legal Intern with the Dauphin County Public Defender's office, which gave him an early start in the courtroom representing indigent persons accused of various crimes.  Lee served two years as an officer on the Widener University Student Bar Association which was awarded Student Bar Association of the Year by the ABA.  During law school, Lee also completed a summer program in international studies at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, providing him with the opportunity to graduate from law school in two and a half years.

After graduating at the age of 24, Lee continued to work with the public defender's office and was appointed the position of Assistant Public Defender.  After a year of representing hundreds of clients and completing over 60 non-jury trials and several jury trials, Lee moved back home to western Pennsylvania.

Thereafter, Lee worked in a civil litigation firm where he honed his civil litigation skills while he continued to practice criminal law.  After seeing Lee in action, the District Attorney of Fayette County appointed him as a part time prosecutor.  He continued to work on a full time basis with his civil litigation firm while representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a part-time prosecutor. 

After completing his appointment at the District Attorney's office, Lee joined Meyer Darragh as an associate attorney.  In 2002, Lee was elected to the position of non-equity partner.

When Lee is not in the office, he is very involved with the local and state bar associations, and has served as Chairperson of the Westmoreland County Young Lawyers Division and Co-Chair of Zone 6 and Delegate to the PBA House of Delegates of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division.  Lee is also an adjunct professor at the Westmoreland County Community College as well as at his alma mater, St. Vincent College, and is director of the Saint Vincent's Mock Trial Department.  His Mock Trial team has received national recognition.

Based on Lee's contacts throughout the state with Judges and mediators, and also his involvement with the Westmoreland Bar Association's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Lee successfully completed the course of study in 2006 with The Pittsburgh Mediation Center to become a certified mediator.  Lee continues his efforts to promote ADR, particularly in the family law realm, by authoring local rules dealing with divorce masters' proceedings and custody disputes.

If you are looking for a lawyer that will bring experience, reasonableness and personality to the table, send Lee an e-mail or give him a call.