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Curriculum Vitae

Mediation Appointments/Memberships:

  • Blair County Court of Common Pleas

Mediator – 1995 to present

  • Pennsylvania Bureau of Mediation

Mediator 

Arbitrator

  • FINRA

Mediator 

Arbitrator

  • Pennsylvania Council of Mediators

Recognitions:

  • National Registry of Who’s Who - Life Member

  • International Who’s Who of Professionals

Mediation/Arbitration Practice

Since retiring from an active litigation practice in 2000, practice is concentrated in mediation and arbitration of commercial, labor, personal injury and medical malpractice issues, both privately and for the court systems.

Legal Practice

Corporate and Governmental Representation

As a former Partner in the Firm of Jubelirer, Carothers, Krier & Halpern (now “Of Counsel”), concentration was in the following areas:

 

General counsel for many corporations based in central Pennsylvania.  Representation of the above entities involved dealing with all employment issues, including contract negotiations, grievance arbitrations and the creation of employee policies governing the work environment.

 

As an integral part of the representation of business entities,  public utilities and industrial development corporations regularly handles complex financial arrangements including the issuance of public bonds, Pennsylvania Industrial Development loans, Small Business Administration loans, Economic Development Loans and private financial arrangements using various financial vehicles representing all elements of the transaction; the borrower, banking institutions and public bodies. Certified as a SBA 504 loan specialist by the United States Small Business Administration.

Litigation

  • Commercial litigator, both Plaintiff and Defense, for private companies and public bodies, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for over twenty-five years.

  • Medical mal-practice defense litigator for over twenty-five years representing the major malpractice carriers in the Commonwealth as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Catastrophic Loss Fund (now MCARE Fund.)​

  • ​​​Eminent Domain – As an Assistant Attorney General and as private counsel represented both the condemnees and condemnors in complex eminent domain proceedings.

Solicitorships/Quasi Public Representations:​

Altoona City Authority 

Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation

Blair County Industrial Development Corporation

Fraternal Order of Police - Mountain City Lodge #8

Frankstown Township 

Frankstown Township Sewer Authority 

Representation of the above entities involved dealing with all employment issues, including contract negotiations, grievance arbitrations and the creation of employee policies governing the work environment.

 

Also, as an integral part of the representation of the Altoona City Authority, Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation and the Blair County Industrial Development Corporation regularly handled complex financial arrangements including the issuance of public bonds, Pennsylvania Industrial Development loans, Small Business Administration loans, Economic Development Loans and private financial arrangements using various financial vehicles representing all elements of the transaction; the borrower, banking institutions and public bodies.  Certified as a SBA 504 loan specialist by the United States Small Business Administration.

Governmental

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Assistant Attorney General – served for three years assigned to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to handle all phases of property acquisition through eminent domain for highway construction including assessment of damages through trial.

 

Equity Concepts North, LLC

Mr. Halpern established Equity Concepts North, LLC (and its predecessor HT Financial, Inc.) and ran the business for twenty years.  Mr. Halpern is a fully licensed investment professional and dealing with all forms of investments and life insurance.  Mr. Halpern also holds the designation of an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®).

Education

  • Dickinson School of Law, J.D.

  • Pennsylvania State University, B.S.

  • Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute, Certificated Mediator

  • Continuing education on an annual basis in the fields of mediation, law, investment advisory, securities and insurance

Court and Related Activities:

Teaching and Publication

  • Pennsylvania Supreme Court Disciplinary Board

Board Member - 1997 – 2003

Board Chair (2000-2001)

Hearing Committee Member - 1987- 1993

Hearing Committee Chairman – 1990-1993

  • Pennsylvania Bar Association

Attorney Discipline Study Committee 

Member

Vice-Chair 1994-1995

Chairman 1996 until committee was disbanded by sunset provisions

Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee – Member

Charitable Organizations Committee - Member

  • Blair County Bar Association – Past President 

  • Mercy Hospital, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Guest Lecturer - Legal problems facing ICU nurses 

  • Lecturer for Disciplinary Board (PBI sanctioned) - Legal Ethics - 1997-2003

  • Pennsylvania State University (Altoona Campus)

  • Guest Lecturer – The Law and the Medical Community – interactions – 1998-1999

  • Whole life Insurance, a tool with many facets, by M. David Halpern, Esquire, 

  • 26 PA Family Lawyer Issue No.4 (2004)

  • Saint Francis University

Adjunct Professor – School of Arts & Letters

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