Andrew W. Barbin P.C.
5 Kacey Court, Suite 102, Mechanicsburg, Pa 17055
717-506-4670 Andrewbarbin@awbpclaw.com
Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough. Abraham Lincoln No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it. Theodore Roosevelt The law isn't justice. It's a very imperfect mechanism. If you press exactly the right buttons and are also lucky, justice may show up in the answer. Raymond Chandler God grant me the Serenity to accept things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And a Good Lawyer to help me know the Difference. Anonymous
There are no legal resources on this page. Understanding the law is not a matter of knowing the meaning of words. The law is an ocean of nuances, and it is a fool who embarks without a seasoned captain. A little knowlege can be a dangerous thing, particularly as it relates to potential litigation.
This page is intended to provide insight into whom we are, what we do, and whether we would be a good fit for you, in addressing whatever issues may lead you to seek guidance of an attorney. It is our goal to make sure you find the best assistance for your challenge, and if we are not the best fit we will assist you in finding who might be. Click on these links for the Homework Assignments for New Clients, Write Your Own Future and Backpack Exercise.
Areas of Practice
I am a litigator and counselor at law. I accept cases across the state and occasionally venture into adjoining states for Pennsylvania parties. My license in Ohio is currently inactive but can be reactivated if a need arises, other out of state metters are handled by pro hac vice (for this case only) admission to practice.My typical cases involve Employment, Construction, Business Disputes, Business Organizations, Non-Profit Organizations (including religious entities and organizations), Defamation, Ethics and Licensing Matters. Most of my cases come from other attorneys or former clients and generally involve either complexity or a need to level a playing field that is unbalanced by the power of the person against whom suit must be brought or defended. There is something in my Irish Viking heritage that loves a battle with difficult odds. One does not get to Valhalla doing right angle accident cases. Perhaps, though, it is a byproduct of watching John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart movies with my dad as a youth.
The firm does not generally accept cases involving criminal, divorce, or bankruptcy matters. I used to indicate "no criminal, no divorse, no bankruptcy, no exceptions," but God has a sense of humor, and every time I did God laughed and unusual circumstances compelled me to take another such case. These areas are necessary and honorable areas to practice; however, I am very competitive and each has a slippery slope to places I would not wish to visit for those who might lose perspective in the heat of combat. I also do not generally accept personal injury cases involving serious injuries, as I have colleagues I respect who specialize in such cases. I generally refer such cases to them. A jack of all trades can be a master of none, this all the more true in the practice of law. Sometimes the best advice I can give a prospective client is the name of two colleagues who are better able to assist them.
Staff:
Andrew W. Barbin, Owner/Lead counsel. A summary of qualifications including education, employment history, representative cases, and professional, community and religious associations and activities may be found by clinking on my name. Other insight can be gleaned from the other pages of this web site.
Maxine Goodman, Office Manager. I could not have done half of what I have done without the tireless efforts and incomparable skill of my Maxine. She has been a legal secretary longer than I have been an attorney and anything that needs to be communicated to me should be communicated to her. She is the palace guard who completes triage so that I can focus on the priorities of any given day; at the same time, she is the blood hound who tracks me down when a real emergency compels my attention. She is active in church and civic activities working with service dogs, volunteering as a poll worker and active in church.
Ryan Webber, Associate. After many years as a solo practitioner, I decided to hire an associate in May 2011. I was fortunate in my selection of Ryan Webber who has proven to be amiable, diligent and able. Mr. Webber earned his BA from Lebanon Valley College in 2007. While at LVC he was a recipient of the Vickroy Scholarship, was a member of the track and field team, and studied abroad in Perugia, Italy. Ryan earned his JD from Widner University School of Law in 2010, where he was a member of the Trial Advocacy Honor Society, participated in the Hugh B. Pearce Trial Competition, and was a Widener Scholar. Ryan did legal internships with the Department of Health, the law firm of Reilley, Wolfson, Sheffey, Schrum, & Lundberg (Lebanon), and the Department of State. Ryan provides litigation support and handles general practice matters for the firm.
Attorney Client Relationship
There is no magic wand; and I do not make up the facts or the law. All a good lawyer can or should provide to a client is the benefit of their education, experience and creativity. My clients are partners in the process and are encouraged to take an active role, particularly in the process of marshaling the facts. While I am responsible for understanding of the law and crafting a litigation strategy, the client invariably knows the facts better than I can know them, because they lived them. Often they know more than they think they do, and with assistance of an objective third party to draw facts out and organize them, the clients are able to see the hidden causes and connections which had escaped them previously when they stood to close to see the big picture.
Counseling is as important as litigating. While I doubt anyone would describe me as "touchy feely," I do take the counselor at law portion of my vocation seriously. With individuals, the "where do I go from here" questions are often as important as the "how do I vindicate my interests regarding what is already done" issues which are the focus of any litigation. The events which give rise to litigation can be traumatic, and the process itself can be traumatic. I do my best to counsel clients through the process, and work with their therapists when appropriate. My approach is holistic. Even the most mundane financial matters involve people with complex motivations and perceptions; understanding the players is a key to any successful litigation strategy. Any hope of doing this accurately depends on an effective partnership between client and counsel.
What you see is what you get. I am not a big fan of political correctness, nor do I believe that I should try to be something I am not to appease a potential or actual client. A primary reason for this page (and the remainder of this web site) is to allow a prospective client to get a sense of who we are and what we do. One size does not fit all, and never will. It is essential that you have an open relationship with your attorney and feel comfortable sharing the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable. You cannot afford a personality conflict with your counsel; too much is riding on your ability to work as a team. An undisclosed fact can unravel the best plan, and even the appearance of conflict between an attorney and their client can embolden adversaries. My political, religious and philosophical points of view can be easily gleaned from the pages of this web site. While I do not believe my personal views have ever affected my ability to represent a client, I believe disclosure is warranted to ensure the client is not affected by their reactions to my beliefs.
I do not decide when to settle. It is always and only the client’s case. Choices and probabilities will be analyzed and explained, advice will be unequivocal, but the decision whether or when to settle itself is always the client’s alone. I am a devout believer in free will. At the end of the day, the predominate effects of any case will be on the parties, not their counsel. At the same time, I respect my own free will by only taking on cases or clients I believe in. We agree on a basic approach and goal at the outset to avoid conflicts down the road. If an undisclosed fact or unforeseen turn in the case puts us at irreconcilable odds on whether or how to proceed, I will continue until an orderly transition to new counsel can be made. Such events are exceedingly rare, but I owe myself an obligation to be true to my conscience, and frankly do not think either my interests or the interests of my client would be served by me trying to feign support for something I did not believe in.
Dispute Resolution Philosophy
Mediation works. Almost all cases settle before trial. All cases begin with a range of probability of success and value. It is the job of the litigator to develop and present facts in a way to move the settlement value from one end of the range to the other. Barring the rare case which must go to trial, this means that counsel’s primary job is educating the opposing counsel to the facts and law which favor their client’s position, to explain the ethos, pathos and logos (credibility, emotion and logic) of the case in such a way that the opposing counsel is able to convince their client to settle further along the range of value toward my client’s best outcome. I believe in Mediation because it works and allows for creative outcomes which would not be available in court. It is also a vehicle for expedited and economical exchange of information which can streamline the discovery process and reduce litigation expense. While I believe a certain amount of discovery is essential before mediation is attempted, It can often dramatically reduce litigation expense by allowing the parties to get to where the finger gets pinched sooner in the process. Because I know it works, I have been active in promoting Mediation and participated in the founding of the Alternative Dispute Resolution programs for the Montgomery County, Dauphin County and Cumberland County Bar Associations.