Panella, who resides in Bethlehem Township, was born and raised in the Lehigh Valley. He's a graduate of Notre Dame Green Pond and DeSales University, where he majored in Marketing and ran Varsity Cross Country and Track.. He's a 2016 grad of Widener University Law School, where he served as a Vice Governor with the American Bar Association and was President of the Student Bar. He is engaged, and is expected to tie the knot in July.
After his graduation from law school, Panella became associated with Goudsouzian & Associates, one of the Lehigh Valley's top law firms. He served as a Conflicts Counsel and Custody Master in Northampton County for four years, where he gained experience representing indigent and incarcerated parents and in shielding children from abuse and neglect. He has also served as a Solicitor in numerous local boroughs and townships. In West Easton, he played an integral role in the creation of a police department.
In January, Panella was unanimously selected by Bethlehem City Council to serve as its Solicitor.
Panella is certainly a youthful candidate, but takes an old school approach to serving his community. These days, most of those seeking public office consider their community service as nothing more than working a phone bank for a political party. Panella has instead involved himself in service organizations like the Palmer Kiwanas and Easton Lions Club. He has also volunteered his services as Solicitor to the Northampton County Retirees' Association.
His entire career as a lawyer has been one of community service. He has done it on a family level. He has done it on a community level. This makes him uniquely qualified for the bench.
The knock on Panella is his relatively young age. But what's important is maturity, not chronological age. Some of the seasoned veterans on Northampton County's bench right now refuse to speak to each other, acting more like middle schoolers than impartial jurists.
21 comments:
"Some of the seasoned veterans on Northampton County's bench right now refuse to speak to each other, acting more like middle schoolers than impartial jurists."
Sounds just like our "esteemed" Supreme Court.
Re: Panella though, I'm curious as to why he only lasted 4 years as. Custody Master. Those are usually plum positions , often awarded to people with well known connections. If he could only serve in that capacity for four years, why be award him a 10 year judgeship?
I do not consider a Custody Master a "plum" position and have to wonder what planet you're on to ask that question. A custody master deals with parents at their worst, and it takes someone with the patience of Job. He left that position when he became solicitor to Bethlehem City Council in January, which takes up a lot of time. .
So he couldn't hack it as a custody master and yet he wants a greater responsibility?
“His entire career as a lawyer…” Come on, Bernie, that is six years, at best. This all reads as connections to me. His name got him in at the top law firm, his name got him the solicitor gig, his name, his name, his name. I have seen people given positions far too many times based on legacy and it is a lazy way to do things. This kid will, more than likely, win based solely on his name, and that is lousy. Why wouldn’t a law firm or municipality want to be connected to the kid of a superior judge?
And who cares if the judges are at odds? They work independently and don’t need to be pals.
The Master Title needs to be replaced !
Of all the so called "plum jobs" that you may find in the courts, "Custody Master" is at the bottom of the list. The Custody Master must decide who gets what in these divorce hearings and who gets the children and who gets the properties etc. etc. You never have happy clients. It is always a very sad procedure. Unfortunately, someone has got to do it and that someone has to be of strong character.
This is good for Northampton County. This guy was fantastic as a Custody Master, his settlement rating was incredibly high and the attorneys liked him a lot.
This is what we need, someone that’s looking to work hard. Not someone just ready to retire.
Gosh, you can’t tell us some judges don’t talk to each other and then not name them and explain what the tension is about. Help us out so we’re informed when it comes time to vote on 10-year retention decisions.
5:25- That was my point. Yet, O'Hare stoops to personal attacks. Look at the Masters in Lehigh County. They've been there for years- Lanshe, Loder, Roberts, Caffrey (before becoming a Judge) etc...it is a cushy job and very politically connected. It's rare for people to leave these positions. And, in Northampton County, didn't former Master Blair stay on the bench for what seemed like 75 years.
Trust me, when O'Hare was a lawyer and he was appointed a Master, he'd still be there.
8:50- I concur. C'mon Bernie, spill it.
"Gosh, you can’t tell us some judges don’t talk to each other and then not name them and explain what the tension is about. Help us out so we’re informed when it comes time to vote on 10-year retention decisions."
The tension arose over the PJ slot, which went to Judge Koury instead of Roscioli. It resulted in a sharp division within the bench. The judges on the bench need to get past perceived slights. I will dive a bit deeper and write about this in upcoming retention races if the friction continues. The point here is that age does not always mean maturity. My grandson at 22 is more mature than I am at 71. That is the context.
Seems like a nice kid, but let’s be honest and admit he’s decided to take advantage of his last name to get the “plum” job. Over 200k a year for a 37.5 hour work week and every holiday imaginable off. Oh, don’t forget the pension with the 3 multiplier. Can’t say I blame the kid either…..
When in the DA office, Roscioli rarely mingled with low brow county employees until she ran for judge
To me she always had a stick up her ass
Great, another rich white privileged judge in charge of sentencing black and brown people that live in communities that are under supported and over-policed.
Yawn.
Holy shamolie Bernie. You say you are only 71. I would have guessed you at 82 or 85. You are truly a wise man at only 71. Cmon, you're pulling our leg, right? You are an old fart correct?
"When in the DA office, Roscioli rarely mingled with low brow county employees until she ran for judge
To me she always had a stick up her ass"
I disagree completely. I always got along quite well with her. She always had a smile for me, even after I nearly knocked her over once. She was always friendly with me, even though that is sometimes unpopular. You have to remember that she's often distracted by her caseload. Some people are still able to smile and talk to others when they are busy. Others, myself included, can often walk by a person without saying Hi bc I am distracted by something else. In fact, that's how I walked into Judge Roscioli. She's a nice person.
"Holy shamolie Bernie. You say you are only 71. I would have guessed you at 82 or 85. You are truly a wise man at only 71. Cmon, you're pulling our leg, right? You are an old fart correct?"
I meant 17.
Panella would be a great addition to the bench. People have had only good things to say about his time as a Master. That’s real experience.
It must suck going through life as a permanent victim. Under supported lol. Get a job! Over policed? Most law abiding black and brown ppl want more police in their neighborhood because they’re sick of ducking bullets.
I tell you what doesn’t suck, living as a white person navigating through a system that was built entirely for your success. You don’t need to worry about having a first name OR last name that automatically disqualifies just because it doesn’t sound “white” enough.
And when you don’t get that job, you’re told that you’re just not good enough, but everyone knows that the reason you weren’t hired was because you’re not white. Now THAT sucks.
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registered on 12/30/2022
Not sure if it's just me but, because your dad is a judge hardly qualifies you to be a judge. Sure he has and some experience doing legal "stuff" but I wouldn't vote for him. I prefer a judge with real litigation experience not just a practicing lawyer. Maybe be a MDJ first, lose your cherry there first
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