Attorney Christopher B. Slusser announced the addition of Attorney Joseph R. Baranko, Jr. and Attorney George R. Hludzik to the Slusser Law Firm team.
Atty. Hludzik earned his Juris Doctorate from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College in 1988 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Labor-Management Relations from the Pennsylvania State University in 1972. He has an extensive background in estates, real estate, and civil litigation.
He has served as solicitor for several municipalities, boards, and property owners, and represents more than 20 planned community associations throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. He has served as an arbitrator for several municipalities in contract negotiations with police departments and educational units.
Atty. Hludzik is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Luzerne County Bar Association, Lower Luzerne Bar Association, National Association of Elder Law Attorneys, Community Association Institute, and Elder Law Committee of the Luzerne Bar Association. He is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania State Courts, the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts, and the United States Supreme Court.
Atty. Baranko earned his Juris Doctorate from Temple University School of Law in 1983 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Elizabethtown College in 1980. His practice is focused on workers’ compensation, bankruptcy, social security disability, wills and estates, domestics/criminal law, real estate and general corporate law.
He has served as a solicitor for many municipal clients, and, most notably, briefed and argued the Readinger v. W.C.A.B. case in 2004 regarding earning power assessments and labor market surveys.
Atty. Baranko is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Law Section, Schuylkill County Bar Association, Luzerne County Bar Association, and Middle District Bankruptcy Court Bar Association.
“With Attorney Hludzik and Attorney Baranko joining our firm, we continue to add senior, experienced attorneys, with deep roots in the community, who focus on a wide range of legal matters. This enables us to continue to better serve our clients. Their background and experience make them great additions to our legal team and we are elated to have them aboard,” said Slusser.
Atty. Slusser is the founder of the Slusser Law Firm. A native of the Hazleton area, he graduated from the Pennsylvania State University and earned his Juris Doctorate from Widener School of Law. As a trial attorney, he focuses his practice on personal injury including automobile accidents, wrongful death claims, medical malpractice, and municipal law. However, the firm is a full-service firm also handling other matters including civil litigation, industrial accidents, workers’ compensation, social security disability, zoning law, wills and estates, construction litigation, property law, business/corporate law, real estate, and landlord/tenant claims.
Atty. John M. Solt has been a member of the Slusser Law Firm since 2009 and focuses his practice on personal injury and criminal defense matters. Since joining the Slusser Law Firm, Atty. Solt has headed the firm’s Criminal Defense Section and has significantly expanded that section of the firm’s practice. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Temple University with a degree in Political Science in 1998. Following college, Atty. Solt went on to attend Case Western Reserve University School of Law where he graduated in the top one-third of his class and was honored with the Paul J. Hergenroeder Award for excellence in trial tactics.
During his 13-year career, Atty. Solt has handled more than 1,000 criminal matters and recovered substantial sums for injured clients. He has tried cases to verdict in Luzerne, Lehigh, Dauphin, Lancaster, Berks, Schuylkill, and Philadelphia counties. In 2010, Atty. Solt was named a Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, a distinction awarded to only two percent of Pennsylvania attorneys under 40. In 2014, he received an invitation to The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers for the year 2015.
The Slusser Law Firm is proud to represent clients throughout Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania, including clients in Luzerne, Lackawanna, Carbon, Columbia, Dauphin, Monroe, Schuylkill, Berks, Chester, Philadelphia and Pike counties.