Chief U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti announces the selection of Richard A. Lanzillo as a Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Lanzillo will fill the magistrate judgeship position in Erie, PA vacated by Judge Susan Paradise Baxter upon her swearing-in as a District Judge. Mr. Lanzillo will be sworn-in and assume his duties on September 24, 2018. A formal investiture ceremony will be scheduled at a later date. 

Mr. Lanzillo earned his undergraduate degree from Mercyhurst University in 1983 and his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1987, where he graduated summa cum laude and was a member of the Order of the Coif. He is AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated and included in The Best Lawyers in America (Commercial Litigation). Mr. Lanzillo is a shareholder of the Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C. law firm and also serves as its Vice President.

He has extensive experience in complex commercial, employment and civil rights litigation and appellate practice, and has served as a mediator and neutral evaluator in the Court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program. He has lectured extensively on state and federal trial and appellate practice, as well as municipal, labor and commercial law topics. 

The announcement of Mr. Lanzillo’ s selection was the culmination of a broad search process that began in 2016. The Court appointed a selection panel, comprised of attorneys and non-lawyer leaders in the community. The selection panel solicited and reviewed all applications and conducted interviews before making its final recommendation to the Court. The procedures followed by the Court and the selection panel were in accordance with those approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States regarding the selection, appointment, and reappointment of United States Magistrate Judges. 

Having considered the recommendation of the selection panel, the appointment of Mr. Lanzillo was made by the District Judges, according to Chief Judge Conti. “The Court is fortunate to welcome Richard Lanzillo to the bench. He is an excellent lawyer whose commitment to equal justice and diverse legal skills are well-suited to serve the people of the Western District of Pennsylvania,” Chief Judge Conti said.