Thomas J. Farrell, Chief Disciplinary Counsel for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, has been named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America.
The induction ceremony took place online during the recent spring meeting of the college.
An alumnus of Yale University and New York University School of Law, Farrell has been practicing law for 35 years. In his early career, he clerked for the Honorable Gustave Diamond of the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Pennsylvania and worked as a public defender in New York and as an Assistant United States Attorney in Pittsburgh. Following his government service, Farrell led his own civil and criminal trial and appellate practice in Pittsburgh for 20 years.
He is the author of Criminal Defense Tools and Techniques (James Publishing 7th ed. 2017) and co-author of the Third Circuit Criminal Handbook (Matthew Bender, Rev. Ed. 2018), as well as many articles on criminal practice and ethics. Farrell has taught as an adjunct professor at the New York University School of Law, Duquesne Law School, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Founded in 1950, the American College of Trial Lawyers is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Fellowship in the college is extended by invitation only, and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility, and collegiality. Lawyers must have a minimum of 15 years trial experience before they can be considered for Fellowship.