Phila. mass tort lawyer reappointed to Pa. Supreme Court Disciplinary Board

A Philadelphia mass tort attorney who specializes in mesothelioma cases has been

reappointed for another three-year term as a member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Board.

The high court, in a one-page per curiam order issued in late March, reappointed Howell K. Rosenberg to another term on the panel beginning April 1.

The Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Board, which is comprised of 13 members, 11 of whom are attorneys and 2 of whom are non-lawyers, is charged with enforcing the Rules of Professional Conduct and the ethical code for lawyers practicing in the commonwealth.

The positions are unpaid, although those wishing to serve on the board must be appointed by the high court.

Rosenberg, a partner with the Philadelphia firm Brookman, Rosenberg, Brown & Sandler, specializes in mesothelioma and other asbestos related injury cases, according to his bio on the law firm’s website.

The 63-year-old attorney, who obtained his law degree from Villanova University, cofounded Brookman Rosenberg in 1984.

Since that time, his bio shows, Rosenberg has specialized in representing plaintiffs who have suffered injuries arising from exposure to asbestos, latex, harmful drugs and substandard medical care.

Rosenberg’s bio says the lawyer has succeeded in obtaining millions of dollars in compensation from juries and through settlements for plaintiffs including those diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma, and children born with birth defects.

Rosenberg is a member of both the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, where he has served as a board member for the past decade, and the American Association for Justice.

He has been named a “Super Lawyer” in Pennsylvania every year since 2004, and he was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers as a fellow in 2006, the same year he was first appointed to a term on the state Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Board, according to his biography.

Rosenberg has also taught trial practice as an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law and at Temple University.

Throughout the course of his career, Rosenberg has lectured often on topics related to complex tort litigation, with an particular emphasis on asbestos cases.

Early in his legal career, Rosenberg served as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, including a stint under former Philadelphia District Attorney Edward Rendell, who later went on to become the city’s mayor and the commonwealth’s governor.

Rosenberg entered private practice in 1982, two years before he and others started his current firm.

In a statement issued by the Disciplinary Board, Rosenberg said he was excited by the reappointment.

“It will be intellectually challenging and provide me with the opportunity to serve,” he said.