Samuel C. Totaro, Jr., (Sam) received his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Ursinus College in 1969 and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Memphis in 1974. Sam then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Kendall Shoyer in the Philadelphia Orphans’ Court - the division of the Court of Common Pleas that handles Wills, Trusts and Estate law. Sam entered private practice in the areas of estates, wills, trusts and added a field of law which later became one of his specialties, adoption law. In 2006, Sam joined the law firm of Mellon Webster & Shelly, P.C., where he continues to practice in the above areas of law.
Sam is admitted to the Bars of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the United States Tax Court. He is a member of the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity, as well as the American, Pennsylvania and Bucks County Bar Associations. He is also a certified mediator in the Bucks County Courts.
Sam is best known for his accomplishments in the field of adoption law and related adoption litigation. His accomplishments include:
• Participation in more than 3,500 adoptions of children, representing adoptive parents, birth parents and agencies
• Member of the Bucks County American Inns of Court
• Treasurer of the Bucks County Bar Foundation
• Former President of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (1996-1997), a national organization of attorneys, law professors and judges, whose practice has an emphasis in adoption law
• Appointed by President Ronald Reagan to a Special White House Task Force on Adoption in 1987
• Appointed by Governor Tom Ridge to a committee to revise Pennsylvania’s very antiquated Adoption law
• Recipient of the Distinguished Service Awards from the National Council on Adoption, Washington, D.C. (1995) and the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (1997)
• Advisor to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (1989-1994) during the drafting of the Uniform Adoption Act
• Appeared as an expert on adoption issues on Good Morning America, the Phil Donahue Show, CNN, Sally Jesse Raphael Show, Court TV, NBC 10 Evening News, Maury Povitch Show, as well as numerous local television and radio shows
• Lead counsel in Gibbs v. Ernst, 647 A.2d 882 (1994), in which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court established the right of adoptive parents to be compensated for the failure of adoption agencies to fully disclose all relevant information in their possession to the adoptive parents prior to adoption. This case has been cited by over 20 Supreme Courts of other states in addressing this issue
• Cited in Time magazine, Philadelphia magazine, Lawyers Weekly and other newspapers and magazines
• Designated by Philadelphia Magazine for five consecutive years as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, a distinction given to the top five percent (5%) of all Pennsylvania lawyers, and the only attorney named in the field of Adoption
• Recipient of the U.S. Congressional Angels In Adoption Award in 2005
• Subject of a movie based upon one of his better known cases and shown as a CBS Sunday night movie of the week, "A Father for Brittany," which continues to be shown on The Lifetime Channel
Sam is also active in Bar Association and other community affairs. He is:
• A past Director of Bucks County Bar Association
• Past Chairman of the Bucks County Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Committee, which created a unique program in Bucks County to help individuals consider mediation and avoid costly litigation
• Recipient of the Mark E. Goldberg Award for Community Service by the Bucks County Bar Association in 2004
• Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Silver Springs - Martin Luther School, a private school for emotionally disturbed and challenged children
Sam is a frequent writer and lecturer on adoption law. He resides with his wife and two children in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, where they are active in community and church affairs.
Email Sam at STotaro@MellonWebster.com
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