Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Daniel E. Cummins, Esquire is a partner in the Scranton, Pennsylvania law firm of Foley, Cognetti, Comerford, Cimini & Cummins with 15 years of insurance defense experience in Northeastern Pennsylvania, including insurance defense work in the Poconos area and the surrounding counties.

He is currently accepting new clients along with other referrals including service as local counsel, defense arbitrator, or mediator in matters arising in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Attorney Cummins practices in the state and federal courts that cover the Northeastern Pennsylvania counties that include, but are not limited to, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Sullivan, Bradford, Monroe, Northampton, Carbon, Lehigh, Schuylkill, Columbia, Northumberland, Montour, and Lycoming.

Mr. Cummins has focused his practice on defending motor vehicle accident liability cases and UIM/UM arbitration matters along with premises liability and products liability cases. Mr. Cummins is also routinely summoned by his clients to handle matters involving insurance coverage questions and insurance subrogation claims.

Attorney Cummins is a cum laude graduate of Villanova University ('90, B.A., English) after which he attended the Dickinson School of Law ('93, J.D.) and completed his law school studies at the University of London in London, England (Spring, '93).

After graduating from law school, Mr. Cummins served as the Senior Law Clerk for the Honorable Harold A. Thomson, Jr. in the Pike County Court of Common Pleas for two years before going into private practice, where he has focused on insurance defense litigation ever since.

Along the way, in addition to practicing law, Mr. Cummins has also worked as an adjunct instructor for the paralegal program at the Worthington-Scranton campus of Penn State University.


AWARD-WINNING CIVIL LITIGATION COLUMNIST/WRITER

Mr. Cummins has published many articles that have appeared in the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, the Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, the Pennsylvania Lawyer magazine, and the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal. Attorney Cummins' numerous articles have analyzed and predicted trends in a wide variety of areas of civil litigation law and have also provided practice tips for fellow members of the bar.

More recently, at the request of the editors of the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, a statewide legal news publication, Attorney Cummins has become a regularly contributing columnist on civil litigation issues. As noted below, several of his articles have been recognized for their excellence in legal journalism.

As a complement to his Pennsylvania civil litigation column in the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, Attorney Cummins also recently started a blog on the same topic, the first of its kind by a Northeastern Pennsylvania attorney. The blog, which provides updates on cases and trends in Pennsylvania civil litigation law, can be found at www.torttalk.com. Readers of the blog may subscribe to have updated posts e-mailed to their attention.

In 2010, Attorney Cummins was hired by the George T. Bisel Company, Inc., a publisher of legal treatises, to write the annual supplement for the Pennsylvania Trial Advocacy Handbook.

AWARDS AND HONORS

Lawyers on the Fast Track

In September, 2005, Attorney Cummins was honored as one of only 35 lawyers across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under the age of 40 to be recognized by American Law Media as a "Lawyer on the Fast Track." This recognition was issued by a committee comprised of bar association leaders and a law school dean and was given to attorneys who have exhibited excellence in advocacy, advancement of the law, community service, and service to the bar. To date, Mr. Cummins remains one of only three attorneys from Northeastern, Pennsylvania to ever have been so recognized.

Schnader Print Media Awards

In both 2006 and 2007, Attorney Cummins was awarded First Place in the Weekly Newspapers category of the noted Schnader Print Media Awards, honoring excellence in legal writing and analysis in Pennsylvania publications, for articles of his that appeared in the Pennsylvania Law Weekly.

More recently, in 2010, Mr. Cummins was awarded second place in Beat Coverage and second place in Editorial/Commentary categories for Weekly Newspapers in the Schnader Print Media Awards Competition.

Who's Who

In 2005, Mr. Cummins was selected for inclusion in the 2005-2006 Honors Edition of The United Who's Who Registry which lists accomplished men and women based on their current position who have demonstrated outstanding leadership or achievement in their occupation, industry or profession.

More recently, in 2008, Attorney Cummins was selected for inclusion in Cambridge's Who's Who, an international Registry whose membership is limited to professionals who have demonstrated leadership and achievement in their industry and occupation.

Super Lawyer-Rising Star

In 2007, Attorney Cummins was also recognized in the Super Lawyers-Rising Stars edition of the Philadelphia Magazine as one of the top young attorneys in Pennsylvania.

Martindale-Hubbell Rating

Mr. Cummins has earned a BV Rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory which denotes a high to very high level of legal expertise and the highest ethical standards as determined by the bar and the judiciary.

Title	Publisher	Published
Auto Law - Post-Koken UM/UIM Update	Pennsylvania Defense Institute and Northeastern Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Assoc.
Provided civil litigation update on auto law issues.
Tort Talk Expo 2011	TortTalk.com
Planned, organized, and presented at day-long CLE seminar sponsored by my blog www.torttalk.com. Presented a Civil Litigation Update and provided practice tips under a program entitled Little League Tips for Big League Lawyers.
View Attorney Cummins' articles by clicking on JDSupra Link. Below is a list of seminars planned and presented by Attorney Cummins:
Pennsylvania Defense Institute - Civil Litigation Developments 2011	Pennsylvania Defense Institute	August, 2011
Planned, drafted written materials and presented CLE Seminar. Presented Topic of "Claims Rep Pet Peeves."
A League of Extraordinary Speakers: Critical and Developmental Topics in Litigation	Pennsylvania Defense Institute	August, 2010
Provided a Post-Koken UM/UIM Update.
Auto Law - Post-Koken UM/UIM Update	Pennsylvania Association for Justice	December, 2010
Provided update on the law in Post-Koken matters.
Civil Litigation Update 2011	Luzerne County Bench Bar Conference 2011	November, 2010
Planned and presented Civil Litigation Update seminar.
Claims Rep Pet Peeves	Northeastern Pennsylvania Claims Association	April, 2010
Provided practice tips to address and prevent pet peeves commonly voiced by insurance claims representatives about attorneys.
Expert Discovery Issues	Pennsylvania Association for Justice	October, 2010
Provided analysis of Barrick v. Holy Spirit Hospital decision in a tele-seminar.
Post-Koken Update 2010	Luzerne County Bench Bar Conference 2010	November, 2010
Planned and presented post-Koken litigation update.
UM/UIM Update	Pennsylvania Bar Institute	April, 2010
Provided Post-Koken Update for written materials for seminar; did not present at seminar.
2009 Civil Litigation Update and ABC's of IME's Seminar for Pennsylvania Defense Institute	Pennsylvania Defense Institute	August 27, 2009
Prepared and presented two-part CLE seminar on 2009 Civil Litigation Update and ABC's of IME's (Independent Medical Examinations)
2009 Civil Litigation Update at Luzerne County Bench Bar Conference	Luzerne County Bench Bar Conference	November, 2009
Prepared and presented 2009 Civil Litigation Update to members of the Bench and Bar of Luzerne County.
2009 Civil Litigation Update for Lackawanna County Bench Bar Conference	Lackawanna County Bar Associations	October, 2009
Prepared and presented CLE Seminar entitled 2009 Civil Litigation Update to approximately 100 attendees at the 2009 Lackawanna County Bench Bar Confernce.
Lessons From Lawyer Caricatures CLE Seminar	Daniel E. Cummins	March, 2009
Planned and presented CLE course entitled "Lessons from Lawyer Caricatures" during the Lackawanna County Bar Association's Breakfast CLE Series. The seminar consisted of practice tips gathered from the review of various clips of famous TV and movie attorneys (My Cousin Vinny, Tom Hagan from the Godfather, Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld, etc.).
Mediation and Arbitration Tips CLE Seminar	Pennsylvania Association for Justice	December, 2009
Prepared and presented CLE seminar on Mediation and Arbitration Tips for civil litigation matters.
2008 Civil Litigation Update/Mediation and Arbitration Tips	Daniel E. Cummins	October, 2008
Planned and presented two CLE seminars, a "2008 Civil Litigation Update," and "Mediation and Arbitration Tips" for the 2008 Lackawanna County Bench-Bar Conference.
Koken Update/Mediation and Arbitration Tips CLE Seminar	Daniel E. Cummins	December, 2008
Planned and presented two CLE seminars at a Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAAJ) Auto Law Program. The CLE seminars were entitled "Koken Update" and "Arbitration and Mediation Tips."
Lessons From Lawyer Caricatures	Daniel E. Cummins	November, 2008
Planned and presented CLE seminar entitled "Lessons From Lawyer Caricatures" at the 2008 Luzerne County Bench-Bar Conference. The seminar consisted of practice tips gathered from the review of various clips of famous TV and movie attorneys (My Cousin Vinny, Tom Hagan from the Godfather, Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld, etc.).
Lessons from the Godfather Trilogy: Universal Principles and Practical Advice	Daniel E. Cummins	July, 2008
Planned and presented CLE seminar entitled "Lessons from the Godfather Trilogy: Universal Principles and Practical Advice" for the Lackawanna County Bar Association's Breakfast CLE Series. This seminar showed clips of famous quotes from the Godfather movies and applied them as tips for lawyers to improve their practice (e.g. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse," "It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business.").
Mediation and Arbitration Tips	Daniel E. Cummins	August, 2008
Planned and presented a CLE seminar entitled "Mediation and Arbitration Tips" for the Pennsylvania Defense Institute's 2008 Conference.
2006 Civil Litigation Update	Daniel E. Cummins	November, 2006
Planned and presented CLE seminar providing a "2006 Civil Litigation Update" at the Luzerne County Bench-Bar Conference.
Lessons from the Godfather Trilogy: Universal Principles and Practical Advice	Daniel E. Cummins	November, 2005
Planned and presented CLE seminar entitled "Lessons from the Godfather Trilogy: Universal Principles and Practical Advice" for the Lackawanna County Bar Association's Breakfast CLE Series. This seminar showed clips of famous quotes from the Godfather movies and applied them as tips for lawyers to improve their practice (e.g. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse," "It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business.").