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Attorney announces bid for a seat on the Fayette County bench

By Susy Kelly skelly@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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Attorney Jack Purcell announced his candidacy on Friday for judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Fayette County.

Purcell has been practicing law for nearly three decades, serving as partner at the law firm of Davis & Davis for 22 years. During his legal career, Purcell said he has briefed and argued over 100 appellate cases, including six cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

“I look at the law as not just a job or profession,” Purcell said. “It’s a calling.”

Born and raised in Brownsville, Purcell described himself as the son of working parents who embraced education and community involvement. “They instilled in me a strong work ethic,” he said.

“I know what it is to work hard in the law,” he said. “I’ve spent my career working, and fighting for working people.”

Half of his practice is devoted to representing working people who have issues with medical malpractice, insurance coverage or employee benefits, Purcell said. The two types of clients that Purcell said are closest to his heart are law enforcement and coal miners, who he said have incredibly difficult and important jobs.

Those individuals face tough adversaries in court, he added. “My purpose is to give them a fair shot at winning, and I’m proud to do that.”

The other half of his practice, he said, involves representing communities. Purcell, of Farmington, presently serves as solicitor for 12 municipal bodies and social service agencies including Frazier School District, Redstone, Luzerne and Jefferson townships, and the Fayette County Housing Authority.

Purcell said he is familiar with the types of issues that come before the Fayette County bench.

“The issues of our past are still with us,” he said, “and the issues that are ahead are rushing toward us.”

The area has a history of problems with drug and alcohol abuse, family dysfunction and mental health issues, he said, all of which impact the crime rate. One solution Purcell said he would pursue is the continuation and expansion of problem-solving courts such as veterans’ or drug and alcohol courts, which strive to achieve long-term recovery and prevent repeat criminal behavior.

In his experience, he said, careful monitoring by the court works.

“I’m capable of stepping in and doing that work,” he said.

In his experience on the board of Southwestern Legal Services, Purcell said he’s been proud to see tackling domestic violence become a priority.

“This county has dealt with domestic violence in a very enlightened and strong way,” he said, and he wants to make clear that there will be serious ramifications for people who commit acts of violence at home.

Moving forward, Purcell identified natural gas development as an issue he expects the court will deal with more regularly in the future.

“It does present a good opportunity,” he said, “but it does come with a potential cost.” Purcell said he believes reasonable, fair regulations should be put in place to prevent the kinds of negative impacts the region saw when coal production was at its height.

Purcell said he is well-versed in zoning and land use law, and he had the opportunity to study mineral law at West Virginia University Law School. “There will be complicated litigation,” he said, “and I’m fully prepared to handle it.”

Purcell said he’s comfortable with complex cases because he’s handled several in his career, before a variety of courts. “I’ve been before many judges,” Purcell said, “and hopefully I’ve learned something.”

Purcell is a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church in Uniontown where he serves a lector. He also volunteers his time at the East End Concerned Citizens group. Purcell is a member of Order of Sons of Italy in America, Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Giuseppe Mazzini Lodge.

Purcell is a husband and father, married for 21 years to Annamarie (Perry) Purcell of Uniontown. The couple’s daughter, Johnna, is a junior at Uniontown Area High School.

The two judicial seats were left by retiring Senior Judges Gerald R. Solomon and Ralph C. Warman.

The primary election is May 21.

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