WALSH PANCIO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Center for Mediation
- Member of the Montgomery Bar Association
Bruce Pancio focuses his practice primarily in the areas of business and civil litigation, and zoning cases. Over the last 30 years he has handled thousands of civil lawsuits and has tried over 100 cases to verdict in many counties including Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Philadelphia and Schuylkill. He has argued cases in front of the Superior Court and Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. As an insurance defense attorney, he has represented some of the largest insurance companies and their insureds in both first and third-party claims.
Bruce is a member of the Center for Mediation and Arbitration in Montgomery County. He is frequently selected to serve as a mediator or arbitrator in civil cases. In 2016, Bruce was appointed by the Honorable William Furber, the President Judge of Montgomery County, to serve as a Discovery Master in the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County. In that capacity, he reviews discovery motions, listens to arguments from counsel, and makes recommendations to the assigned Judge.
Bruce graduated summa cum laude from Mercyhurst University in 1983. While attending Mercyhurst, he was a member of the varsity crew team for four years. In 1986, he earned his Juris Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law. He was admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1986.
Bruce is an active member of the Montgomery Bar Association, the third largest Bar Association in Pennsylvania. He has served in many roles during his time as a member. He is most proud of the time spent leading the MBA as its President in 2015.
Bruce and his wife Linda reside in Worcester, Montgomery County. Outside of work, Bruce is an avid cyclist and enjoys golfing.
Chelsea Dearden joined Walsh Pancio in August of 2018 and focuses her practice on civil litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Chelsea gained valuable experience and training as an attorney and law clerk at two prominent firms in Philadelphia.
Chelsea received her Juris Doctorate in 2017 from Widener University Delaware Law School and was admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in October of 2017. During law school, Chelsea was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society, the Moe Levine Trial Team, Phi Alpha Delta, and the Women's Law Caucus. As a member of the Moot Court Honor Society, Chelsea competed in numerous competitions, winning first place and best oral advocate in the 2017 Annual Distinguished Jurist Moot Court Competition. As a member of the Moe Levine Trial Team, Chelsea competed in the Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition with law students from all over the country. She also competed in Widener University Delaware Law School's annual American Association for Justice Mock Trial Competition and annual Alternative Dispute Resolution Negotiation Competition.
While in law school, Chelsea was awarded the James J. Manderino Award for Trial Advocacy by the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association as well as Widener University Delaware Law School's Trial Advocacy Certificate and Criminal Law Certificate, both with honors. Upon graduation, she earned Widener University Delaware Law School's Public Interest Pro Bono Distinction for her work at the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, United States District Court, District of Delaware office. Chelsea also gained valuable experience in law school while interning for the Honorable Mark I. Bernstein formerly of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas and the Honorable William R. Carpenter of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.
Chelsea graduated cum laude from West Chester University of Pennsylvania where she received her degree in Psychology. Prior to attending law school, Chelsea was employed as a behavioral therapist, working with children on the autism spectrum. She enjoys hiking, reading, and traveling and is a proud volunteer with the New Americans Campaign.
Practice Areas
Civil Litigation
The Honorable Joseph P. Walsh, a native of Philadelphia, is a founding member of Walsh Pancio, LLC. Joe has practiced for nearly 30 years in Montgomery County. His practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation, zoning and land use, municipal law, and estate administration. He has tried over 100 cases to verdict throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and has also handled multiple cases before the Superior Court and Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.
In 2016, Joe was appointed by the Honorable Thomas Wolf, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to serve as judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County. He was proud to serve as a judge from 2016 through 2018. His gubernatorial nomination to the bench was unanimously confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate. Judge Walsh received the highest recommendation for the position of Judge by the Judiciary Committee for the Montgomery Bar Association, and he was endorsed by the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), Fraternal Order of Police, PA State Police, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, IBEW 98 Electrical Workers, Operating Engineers 542, AFSCME, United Food and Commercial Workers 1776, Pennsylvania Narcotics Officers' Association, and the Montgomery County Medical Society. In his time on the bench, Joe presided over and decided several matters involving civil, criminal, and family law.
Since leaving the bench, Joe is a frequently sought arbitrator and mediator in civil disputes, where he assists parties and counsel in resolving matters in equitable and amicable means. He was recently selected and certified as an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association (AAA), where he hears and decides commercial, construction, and consumer matters brought under the jurisdiction of the AAA.
Joe is a career-long member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Montgomery Bar Association (MBA), and has held numerous positions within the MBA. He is a past president of the Montgomery Trial Lawyers' Section. He also served as the Chair of the Government Relations Committee, and was responsible for working directly with Pennsylvania legislators to solve the most eminent problems facing attorneys in Montgomery County.
Aside from his service as a judge, Joe has also served the community in numerous roles for over 15 years. He served on the Board of Supervisors of Montgomery Township from 2010-2016 and served as the Chairman of the Board during his service. He has also served as solicitor of the Montgomery Township Zoning Board, as Chair of the Montgomery Township 300th Anniversary Planning Committee, as solicitor for the North Penn Police Athletic League, and as School Director of the North Penn School District Board of Directors.
Joe graduated from Widener University Delaware Law School, cum laude, in 1991 where he served as an Editor of the Law Review; he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia in 1988. He has been admitted to practice in state and federal courts throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Joe and his wife Nancy, who have been married for 25 years, are the proud parents of three daughters: Shannon, a graduate of the University of Georgia; Bridget, who attends the University of Pittsburgh; and Maggie, who attends the University of Delaware.
Practice Areas
Civil Litigation
Michael Lyon joined Walsh Pancio in May of 2018. With more than ten years of experience, his trial practice focuses on the representation of individuals, corporations, and entities in personal injury, premises and motor vehicle liability, commercial tort, and contract cases. He also regularly practices in the areas of estate planning and drafting, contract negotiation and formation, and gaming law, with a particular emphasis on sports gambling legalization and regulation in Pennsylvania. He has represented clients in all aspects of litigation, from pleadings through trial and appeal.
Mike has successfully represented clients in state and federal courts throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as in appellate matters in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. He is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and all state and federal courts throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He has also been admitted pro hac vice to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Mike is an active and enthusiastic member of the Montgomery Bar Association (MBA). He served as Chair of the Young Lawyers' Section of the MBA in 2019, and was elected to a three year term on the MBA's Board of Directors beginning in 2020. He was also named to the MBA's Law Reporter Committee and is past Chair of its Continuing Legal Education Committee. He is a graduate of the MBA's prestigious Leadership Academy and was selected for the Academy's inaugural 2.0 class in 2020. He is also an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), where he was selected as a member of the PBA's Bar Leadership Institute for 2017-18. He serves as a Zone 9 Delegate to the PBA's House of Delegates. He is the Vice Chair of the PBA's Gaming Law Committee, and also serves on the PBA's Quality of Life and Federal Practice Committees.
In his community, Mike was appointed to the Zoning Hearing Board of Montgomery Township in 2020 after serving as a commissioner on the Township's Planning Commission since 2015. He was also elected to the Board of Directors of Manna on Main Street, a nonprofit food distribution and supply organization in Lansdale, PA. He was a founding member of CrossFit Kanna in Ambler, PA and continues as both a member and adviser of the organization. He has been an adjunct professor at Villanova University School of Law, where he taught Trial Advocacy and served as coach of Villanova's well-renowned National Trial Team. He also represents low-income tenants in landlord-tenant matters on a pro bono basis in the MBA's EPIC (Eviction Prevention & Intervention Coalition) program.
Mike is a 2006 graduate, cum laude, of Villanova University, and a 2009 graduate, cum laude, of Villanova University School of Law. He served as Managing Editor of Research and Writing for the Villanova Law Review and was a member of the winning trial team at the Lone Star Classic in San Antonio, Texas in 2008. He received the David E. Worby Scholarship at Villanova in 2008, presented for excellence in Trial Advocacy, and was also a co-recipient of the Center for Forensic Economic Studies Excellence in Litigation Award in May of 2009.
Mike resides with his wife and two children in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania. He is an avid golfer and a fan of all sports (especially his beloved Villanova Wildcats), CrossFit, travel, and history.
Practice Areas
Civil Litigation