Swartz Campbell was founded in Philadelphia in 1921, and has long been recognized as a litigation defense firm. Now a multi-office, regional law firm with a national practice, the firm handles representation in state, federal and administrative courts. The firm operates from offices located throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Florida, and Ohio. The offices are strategically located to best serve the demands of our clients.

Our History

The Early Years
In an era when fidelity, trust and tradition have become uncommon virtues, Swartz Campbell LLC stands out as a shining exception. For over 80 uninterrupted years, Swartz Campbell LLC has provided legal services to and for the benefit of the insurance industry. Over those many years, the firm has grown and prospered with business and personalties. The seeds of integrity, industry and excellence planted by the founding partners have flourished in the Philadelphia legal community and beyond.

Charles Donald Swartz and William Taylor Campbell met at Temple Law School. Neither had attended college; both had passed entrance exams which allowed for their admission into Law School without an undergraduate degree. Following graduation, the young men clerked for a well known Philadelphia attorney, W. W. Smithers. Shortly thereafter, they decided to strike out on their own. On March 1, 1921, Swartz and Campbell opened a partnership for the practice of law at 1402-06 Pennsylvania Building (now the Robinson Building). In spite of (perhaps because of) their very different personalities, their symbiotic partnership prospered.

Don Swartz was a genial man whose personality and charm were only exceeded by his courtroom skills and litigation savvy. The sheer force of his personality served to fuel the practice. Don Swartz could not enter the Courthouse without stopping to chat with each court crier and tipstaff (each of whom he knew by name). His prowess in the courtroom was legendary and convincing, cajoling judge and jury of the certainty of his client's position. A September 21, 1927 letter to Don Swartz from J. Frank Scannell, General Counsel for the Federal Mutual Liability Insurance Company, indicates the high esteem in which he was held, even as a young lawyer:

"I know of no case since my connection with this company which has been handled as well as your handling of the affairs of the Federal Motor Freight Corporation..."

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We take pleasure in approving your fee of $1500... words cannot adequately appreciate what you were able to accomplish."

While Don Swartz battled in the courtroom, Bill Campbell toiled in the office. A fastidious man with keen business acumen, Bill Campbell managed the law office and provided the firm with an expertise on insurance coverage issues that was unique to the community. He was known for personally reviewing and preparing the initial pleadings for every liability matter assigned to the firm. His administrative skills enhanced (and perhaps harnessed) the abilities of his counterpart. Bill Campbell managed the office with an iron fist, but remained a compassionate and likeable mentor for the associates.

The business expanded. In 1926, a full time bookkeeper, Beatrice "Dot" Lutz, was added. She was to remain loyal and trusted in serving the growing firm for more than 50 years.

As the practice grew, so did the need for additional trial attorneys. In 1933, Ward C. Henry, an already accomplished Philadelphia trial attorney, was added to the ranks. Ward Henry's reputation served to solidify the success of the then small, but promising young firm. Swartz, Campbell & Henry opened offices in the Lincoln-Liberty Building (now the PNB Building) on the 17th floor, where the firm was to remain until 1980.

Coming of Age
Following its move to the Lincoln-Liberty Building (now the PNB Building) in 1933, Swartz, Campbell & Henry continued to flourish. The firm expanded its client base in providing services to the insurance industry. Additional attorneys joined the firm. Among them was Lynn L. Detweiler.

Lynn L. Detweiler was a lifelong Philadelphian. Both Lynn and his brother, Howard, had become lawyers. Their first exposure to the legal community had been through their father, a court reporter for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Lynn Detweiler was to embody the characteristics which have made Philadelphia lawyers famous. He was the consummate trial attorney, charismatic and unyielding. Lynn Detweiler was considered among the best litigators in Philadelphia. Attorneys who tried cases against him admired his skills and feared his demeanor. "He had ice water in his veins" remarked a losing opponent. Yet for all of his courtroom pluck, he was almost a shy man, preferring to work in his office rather than entertain clients.

During the 1940s and 1950s the firm continued its slow, steady growth. The reputation of the firm, along with the collegial atmosphere fostered by the founding partners, attracted attorneys to the firm. Joseph Head (whose brother founded Head Sporting Equipment), graduated Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania Law School. He joined Swartz, Campbell & Henry in 1954. His strong personality and dynamic trial skills became his trademark. Everything he did was done in a large fashion-whether it be his unrelenting persistence in litigation or his six marriages. He was said to inspire and terrify opposing counsel and associates alike.

Following his graduation from Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, William T. Campbell, Jr. joined the practice. "Young Bill" (as he was known) soon became a skilled advocate known in the community as a "lawyer's lawyer" and an exemplary gentleman. His quiet demeanor and unmistakable intelligence complemented the personality of his peers.

As Young Bill was restrained, the new attorney who joined the firm in 1956 was boisterous. William J. McKinley, Jr. left the legal staff at the PTC (forerunner of SEPTA) to join the firm. A trial lawyer "who never let the law get in his way," Bill McKinley was a master in the courtroom. In the days before pre-trial discovery, he would label a large film can with the plaintiff's name and display it prominently at counsel table. Inevitably, on cross-examination, the plaintiff would acknowledge the ability to engage in a litany of activities, thinking the can contained film showing incriminating actions. A creative orator, Bill McKinley once sang to a jury a portion of a closing argument. Unfortunately, that jury returned the largest verdict ever entered against him.

Herbert Aloysius Barton, who had previously joined the firm, continued his practice with Swartz, Campbell & Henry, in the areas of real estate and workers' compensation law. Although a fine attorney in his own right, his greatest contribution may have been the legacy he left the firm. A promising young Harvard Law School graduate who was working for the firm began to assist him in workers' compensation matters. This bright young lawyer, Richard D. Harburg, would later rise to become the preeminent workers' compensation attorney in the Commonwealth. With Herb Barton's retirement, Dick Harburg would begin the development of the Workers' Compensation Department in the firm, which eventually would become among the largest in the State.

As more attorneys joined the firm, the staff also grew. Elaine Parvin was hired in 1955 and worked for Bill Campbell, Sr. until his retirement in the late 1970s. Bill Campbell, Jr. successfully persuaded Ms. Parvin to work for him until his retirement almost two decades later. After witnessing the retirement of both Campbells, and devoting more than 35 years to the firm, Ms. Parvin finally retired in 1990.

With the beginning of the 1960s, the firm began to experience the change overtaking the country. Ward Henry retired. The firm adopted its present name: Swartz Campbell LLC. The founding partners, Don Swartz, and Bill Campbell, continued to guide the firm. The slow, steady growth of the firm underscored their commitment to excellence which was passed on to the lawyers they had hired to lead the firm into the future.

Transition and Growth
By the mid 1950s, Swartz Campbell LLC had developed a reputation in the Philadelphia Legal Community for litigation savvy. Don Swartz and Bill Campbell had passed the torch to the next generation of trial lawyers in the firm. Lynn Detweiler was fast becoming among the most prominent of trial lawyers in the city. In the midst of this success, a new generation of attorneys at Swartz Campbell LLC was born.

Richard D. Harburg, a Philadelphia native, was educated at some of the country's best schools. He received his Bachelors of Science degree in 1951 from the University of Pennsylvania; Harvard University granted him his law degree in 1954. He served for four years in the Coast Guard, and returned to his home town in December 1958 to practice law. Nate Richter, perhaps Philadelphia's best known and respected plaintiff's lawyer at the time, recommended the young Mr. Harburg for a position as an associate with Swartz Campbell LLC. In what would prove to be among the most propitious decisions of Don Swartz's long career, Dick Harburg was hired.

Dick Harburg began working with Herb Barton, handling, among other cases, the defense of workers' compensation matters. Ambitious and prescient, Dick Harburg saw the value of becoming an expert in this new area of law and soon became a master of it. Before long, Richard Harburg was recognized as the preeminent workers' compensation attorney in the commonwealth.

As his reputation grew, so did his practice. By the late 60s Dick Harburg was devoting all of his efforts to the defense of compensation claims. Nights and weekends were occupied by the analysis and defense of such claims. A young graduate of the Washington College of Law of American University, Charles S. Katz, Jr., was hired to assist Dick in 1971. The disarming charm of the young "Chuck" Katz, coupled with his legal skills further pushed the practice forward. With the passage of amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act in 1972, the practice grew dramatically. In quick succession, several energetic and gifted young attorneys, Ronald F. Bove, Martin J. Fallon, Jr. and Stephen J. Harlen, were hired by the firm. Dick Harburg's acknowledged expertise in the area of workers' compensation law was only exceeded by his ability to recognize exceptional young talent. The backbone of the department, soon to become the best in the state, had taken shape.

While the Workers' Compensation Department moved toward the top of the profession, the Property and Casualty Department kept pace. By the late 1960s the tort litigation explosion had begun. Products Liability took on a new meaning with the advent of a new creature in tort law, strict liability. Arbitration limits at the time placed in the trial pools every case in which alleged amounts in controversy exceeded $2,000.00. The need for new lawyers was immediate.

Curtis P. Cheyney, III, a lanky young graduate of Wake Forest Law School, was recommended to and hired by the firm in 1968. The success of Curt Cheyney seemed foreordained from the moment he began working for the firm. Charismatic, confident and driven, Curt wasted no time in demonstrating his value to the firm. His haunting work ethic forced him to return to the office after dinner to work well into the night. Within a few years of practice, he became a skilled trial lawyer whose advice on difficult legal issues was regularly sought by fellow attorneys and members of the insurance industry alike. But it was his role as a leader which most clearly separated (and continues to separate) him from his peers. Believing that the best way to learn is through experience and the best way to lead is by example, Curt has served as a sort of mentor at large, gently, graciously guiding the many young lawyers who aspire to emulate his success.

At the same time Curt Cheyney was moving the firm forward, another bright young man with finely honed trial skills was establishing his reputation within the firm and the legal community. Richard L. Goerwitz, Jr. had worked as trial counsel for the Pennsylvania Railroad. When he joined the firm, he continued to handle the defense of claims for the railroads. His gentlemanly rapport with juries and unflappable courtroom demeanor became his hallmarks. On one occasion following a particularly long trial involving an unusually large demand, the jury foreman returned with the one question defense counsel least want to hear: "Can we have a calculator?" Counsel for the plaintiff was beaming. Richard remained unfazed. Ultimately, the jury return with a verdict of less than the pre-trial settlement offer. Always gracious, Richard wished plaintiff's counsel better luck next time.

The collective memories of those involved in the front lines of the firm's litigation defense teams recall the 1970s as a blur of courtroom warfare. Day in and day out, firm attorneys, including Francis X. Brennan and Edward J. Marcantonio, battled in the Courts. Their efforts fueled the firm's reputation.

By the end of the 1970s, yet another generation of lawyers began with the firm. Frederick C. Fletcher, G. Daniel Bruch and James C. Haggerty were hired to assist the firm's senior partners. These energetic young lawyers would witness even greater changes in the law and the insurance industry than had those from whom they learned their trade. In the process, they and their peers began to lay the foundation for an unparalleled expansion of the firm which continues to today.