James E. Pocius

Jim Pocius contributes articles on workers compensation law to IRMI.com.

As a shareholder in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, office of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman and Goggin, and a member of the firm’s workers compensation department, Mr. Pocius supervises the workers compensation attorneys in the firm’s Scranton, Allentown and Harrisburg offices. His practice is dedicated to the full-time litigation of workers compensation, federal black lung, and employers liability claims. He exclusively represents insurance companies and self-insureds. His experience includes full file development and litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Federal Black Lung Administrative Law Judges, Workers’ Compensation Judges, and Appellate Courts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining his current firm, Mr. Pocius was in private practice, specializing in defense of civil litigation, workers compensation, and federal black lung. He was associate solicitor of the City of Scranton from 1988 until 1990, and associate professor at Marywood College, teaching workers compensation in the American Bar Association (ABA)-approved legal program from 1987 until 1997. Mr. Pocius has also served as an associate attorney with Lenahan & Dempsey, P.C., in Scranton; as a legal clerk to the Honorable Judge James J. Walsh, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County; and as a member of the legal staff of Dollar Savings Bank in Pittsburgh.

In addition to numerous in-service presentations dealing with workers compensation and federal black lung issues for various employers, insurance companies, and self-insured administrators, Mr. Pocius has addressed the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the CPCU Society on several occasions. He has been a speaker for the ABA, the National Workers Compensation and Disability Conference, and the National Business Institute and Lorman Business Institute. He has also been a speaker for Pennsylvania Education Systems. He has written articles for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, and the Pennsylvania Defense Institute. Mr. Pocius was coauthor of "Analysis of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act," in IRMI Workers Comp: Coverage, Laws and Cost Containment; "Defining the ADA," for the Pennsylvanian magazine, and "Litigation in Workers’ Compensation Claims," for the ABA national magazine, Compleat Lawyer. He is also responsible for multiple articles published in the Defense Digest on behalf of Marshall, Dennehey concerning various workers compensation issues. Recently, Mr. Pocius was elected as a Super Lawyer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the area of workers' compensation defense.

Mr. Pocius earned his JD degree from the Dusquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh in 1978, and his BA degree in pre-law from Pennsylvania State University in State College in 1974. He was selected for the Dusquesne Law Review, was a student representative from Dusquesne Law School to the ABA, and was news editor for the law school magazine, Jurist. Mr. Pocius is a member of the American Bar Association and the bar associations of Pennsylvania and Lackawanna County, and the Pennsylvania Defense Institute.

Articles on IRMI.com

Legal Trends: Workers Compensation Law

Workers Compensation and Medicare Conflict over Settlements Update (August 2003)

Illegal Employment Contracts and Workers Compensation Injuries (April 2003)

Can Workers Agree To Waive Workers Compensation Rights in Arbitration and Waiver Agreements? (October 2002)

Workers Compensation and Medicare Update (June 2002)

Return to Work—A Forgotten Aspect of Workers Compensation (January 2002)

Statutes of Limitation in Workers Compensation Cases (August 2001)

Workers Compensation and Medicare (May 2001)

Workers Compensation and Course of Employment (February 2001)

The Employer/Employee Relationship in Workers Compensation (November 2000)

Jurisdiction in Workers Compensation Cases (September 2000)

Workers Compensation Social Legislation versus a Vigorous Defense (April 2000)