Biographical Sketch

Honorable Jack Anthony Panella

Northampton County Court of Common Pleas

Judge Jack A. Panella was sworn into office on October 24, 1991 and was subsequently elected to a ten-year term commencing January 1, 1994. He presides over civil and criminal trials and is also the Administrative Judge for Asbestos Litigation.

Judge Panella was admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1980. He was selected to serve as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Michael V. Franciosa, a position he held until August 1982. From 1982 to 1991, he maintained his law practice as a sole practitioner. He had a diverse private practice with an emphasis in civil and criminal litigation. His clients included Larry Holmes, the former world’s heavyweight boxing champion.

After the completion of his judicial clerkship, Judge Panella returned to public service in December 1982, when he was appointed an Assistant County Solicitor for Northampton County, a position he held until May 1987. In May 1987, he was the youngest attorney in Northampton County history to be appointed County Solicitor. He served in that capacity until his appointment to the Northampton County Bench in 1991 by Governor Robert P. Casey.

Judge Panella is a member of the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, as well as the Pennsylvania and Northampton County Bar Associations. He is Chair of the Commonwealth Partners Program, which involves a statewide series of meetings attended by judges and legislators to discuss and resolve issues of mutual concern. In recognition of the success of this program, Judge Panella was awarded the President’s Award from the Conference of State Trial Judges. Judge Panella is also a member of the Judicial Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges.

Judge Panella is on the Adjunct Faculty of Temple Law School, where he teaches advanced trial techniques, and Northampton Community College, where he teaches criminal justice.

On August 26, 1997, Judge Panella was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to be a judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline. In June 2000, he was elected President Judge by his fellow judges. The Court of Judicial Discipline is a constitutional court, which hears charges filed by the Judicial Conduct Board against judicial officers. His four-year term expired in August 2001.

Judge Panella’s community activities, past and present, include Solicitor and Board Member for United Cerebral Palsy of the Lehigh Valley, President and Board Member of the Boys and Girls Club of Easton, UNICO and the Sons of Italy. Judge Panella also sits on the President’s Council of DeSales University. He is a past member of the Boards of Easton Hospital and Northampton Community College, as well as the Advisory Board for Turning Point. He has been an officer of the Clinton Palmer Inn of Court for four years.

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