Of Counsel
Charles E. Wasilefski was born on June 26, 1945 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He undertook his undergraduate education at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1967. Following graduation, Mr. Wasilefski entered the United States Army and served with the 1st Air Cavalry Division as a combat infantryman in Vietnam. After serving in the Army, he attended law school at the University of Toledo College of Law and graduated in December, 1972. While in law school, Mr. Wasilefski served on the Editorial Board of the Law Review and held the position of Research Editor.
Mr. Wasilefski was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1973 and became associated with the law firm of Coburn, Smith, Rohrbacher & Gibson in Toledo, Ohio where his practice was concentrated in the litigation of business and corporate legal issues. In 1974, Mr. Wasilefski was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar and became associated with the Harrisburg law firm, Hurwitz, Klein, Benjamin & Angino. With this firm, he had a mixed practice with a primary emphasis on litigation, both civil and criminal.
In 1980, Mr. Wasilefski became a shareholder in Peters & Wasilefski. For over 35 years with this firm, he has continued to concentrate his practice in the area of litigation. He has successfully litigated numerous cases in the Courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania all over the state and in the Federal Courts for the Eastern District and Middle District of Pennsylvania. He has also successfully argued cases in the Appellate Courts of Pennsylvania and in the Federal court system. He has litigated cases in the areas of motor vehicle, products liability, medical and other professional malpractice, commercial, construction, insurance, employment, workers’ compensation, business and corporate. Mr. Wasilefski is a member of the bars of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Wasilefski also provides counseling and other legal services to business clients to assist them in the ever changing and competitive world of business. He also provides legal services to clients in the areas of real estate and trusts and estates.
Mr. Wasilefski provides private alternate dispute resolution services in both mediation and arbitration. He has received training as a Mediator at the Key Bridge Foundation Center in Washington, D.C. and is a panel member of the Dauphin County Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Service. He had been appointed by the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County as a Chairman of one of the compulsory arbitration panels for the period 2003-2004. He has served as an arbitrator for the 2-year term of 2009-2010.
Mr. Wasilefski is a member of various professional associations including: Dauphin County Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He serves on a number of committees in the Dauphin County Bar Association, including the Court Rules Committee and the Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee. Mr. Wasilefski was President of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute in 2011-2012. He has served as Vice President for the Southern Region of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute and a member of the organization’s Long Range Planning Committee and various task forces related to the legislative and court relations. He also held the position of Regional Director and co-chair of the Environmental Committee. He also holds membership in the Association for Conflict Resolution, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, and the Defense Research Institute, in which he held the position of State Representative to the Board of Directors of DRI from 2007-2009. In 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, Mr.Wasilefski was named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in the area of business litigation. He has also been included in “Best Lawyers in America” for a number of years.
Mr. Wasilefski has been an instructor at the Harrisburg Area Community College and a guest lecturer at the Dickinson School of Law. He has written and lectured on litigation topics for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and The Pennsylvania Defense Institute. He has also lectured before several civic groups and other community, professional, business and corporate organizations. He has also been active in community services by serving on several boards in other volunteer activities that provide for the youth of the community.
Areas Of Practice:
Arbitration and Mediation
Auto/Truck Liability
Business and Corporate Litigation
Business Formation
Construction
Employment
General Tort
Insurance
Litigation
Professional, Medical and Legal Malpractice
Products Liability
Real Estate
Wills and Estates
Workers’ Compensation
Bar Admissions:
Pennsylvania, 1974
Ohio, 1973
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania
U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court
Education:
University of Toledo College of Law, Toledo, Ohio
J.D. – 1972
King’s College, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
B.S. Business Administration – 1967
Classes/Seminars:
Guest Lecturer, Dickinson School of Law
Instructor, Harrisburg Area Community College
Professional Associations and Memberships
Pennsylvania Bar Association, Member
American Bar Association, Member
Dauphin County Bar Association, Member
Dauphin County Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel Member
Dauphin County Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
Dauphin County Bar Association, Court Rules Committee
William Lipsitt American Inns of Court, Master, 2011 – 2015
Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Member
Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Director (2000-2004)
Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Vice President Southern Region (1989-1991) (2005-2010)
Pennsylvania Defense Institute, President Elect, 2010 to 2011
Pennsylvania Defense Institute, President, 2011 to 2012
Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Environmental Committee Co-Chair (2000-2004)
Pennsylvania Defense Institute, Long Range Planning Committee (2000-present)
Defense Research Institute, Member
Defense Research Institute, Pennsylvania State Representation (2006-2009)
Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, Associate Member
The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Associate Member