Press Release
Duane Morris Partner Robert Byer Appointed to Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee
PITTSBURGH and PHILADELPHIA, June 21, 2011—Duane Morris partner Robert Byer, head of the Appellate Litigation division of the firm's Trial Practice Group, has been reappointed to serve on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee. He will serve a three-year term to commence on June 30. The committee's principal function is to make recommendations to the state supreme court for refining and updating the Rules of Appellate Procedure in light of experience, developing case law and new legislation.
Byer, who practices out of both Duane Morris' Pittsburgh and Philadelphia offices, is a former judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline. He has briefed or argued nearly 200 civil appeals in federal and state courts in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States. Byer is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a member of the American Law Institute, and has written numerous articles and spoken at many seminars on appellate advocacy and procedure.
Byer recently led a team of Duane Morris attorneys in representing the Association of Corporate Counsel, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Philadelphia Bar Association in obtaining a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in Gillard v. AIG Insurance Co., which overturned a 2008 Pennsylvania Superior Court decision that severely limited the attorney-client privilege.
In addition to his work as an appellate lawyer, Byer has experience in complex civil and intellectual property litigation. He advises major corporations on issues related to commercial contracts, corporate governance, corporate compliance, dispute resolution, ethics and internal investigations. Byer received both his J.D. and B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and also engaged in postgraduate studies at Harris Manchester College, Oxford University.
About the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee
Originally called the Advisory Committee on Appellate Court Rules, the Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee was created by order of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1973. In addition to making recommendations to the court regarding appellate procedure, the committee also responds to appropriate inquiries and suggestions made by lawyers, trial and appellate judges and justices, court officials and personnel and the public. The committee also receives and responds to requests from the supreme court—either directly or through suggestions in cases—to address issues of particular interest to the court. Committee recommendations are generally published for comment, except where there are exigent circumstances or the change is ministerial in nature.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, a full-service law firm with more than 700 attorneys in 24 offices in the United States and internationally, offers innovative solutions to the legal and business challenges presented by today's evolving global markets.
