Every year, the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspection updates contractors and subcontractors on the requirements needed to operate in Philadelphia. While some requirements have been longstanding, workers and contractors should be aware and mindful of what is required of them to be permitted to perform construction and to help keep workers safe. To operate construction services in Philadelphia, one set of rules a contractor must follow is the Contractor Operational requirements. These are codes…

Like most events in our lives these days, Sheriff Sales of real estate have gone virtual. Bucks County, Pennsylvania has joined Philadelphia, Montgomery, Berks, Adams, and Monroe Counties in holding virtual county Sheriff Sales. An online auction company, Bid4Assets, is used by each of these counties to produce virtual sales. The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office has held two virtual town halls to introduce the platform and answer the public’s questions regarding the change.…

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Please find several frequently asked questions regarding sexual abuse/assault, along with answers below. If you are survivor of sexual abuse, do you have a viable civil claim? Unfortunately, not all sexual abuse claims are viable civil cases. For an individual to have a viable civil sexual abuse claim, it is critical that there is a viable defendant who has the ability to compensate the victim for their injuries…

On March 24, 2021, Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub arrested Dr. Richard Kondan for violating multiple components of the Drug Act. Dr. Kondan, 58, works in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Dr. Kondan was charged with illegally prescribing highly addictive opioid medications to at least 14 of his patients. In addition, the investigation by the Attorney General’s Office and Bucks County Detectives revealed that, for 16 years, Dr. Kondan failed to keep…

Winter is coming – and with it comes snow, sleet, and freezing rain. In the Philadelphia area, the average yearly snowfall is 22.4 inches. Winter driving is dangerous. According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than 116,000 Americans are injured and over 1,300 are killed on snowy, slushy, or icy pavement every winter. Pennsylvania is one of the top five deadliest states for wintertime car accidents, often caused, at least in part, by poor visibility…

The Philadelphia Code places the burden upon both owners and tenants to remove snow and ice from their sidewalks.  Chapter 10, Section 720 requires owners and tenants to thoroughly clear a path not less than 30 inches in width on all sidewalks bordering the building or premises within 6 hours after the snow or ice has ceased to fall.  This ordinance further states that it shall be a violation to place snow or ice that…

Although this winter season has already seen a great amount of snow accumulation, weather forecasters are predicting more snow will hit us in the coming weeks. Of course, all of this snow makes for dangerous walking conditions. As the amount of snow accumulation continues to increase, so does the chance of being hurt as a result of slipping on ice or snow. There are a few things that you should do if you are hurt…