PITTSBURGH, April 16, 2026―Duane Morris partner Robert L. Byer has been selected as the recipient of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s James S. Bowman Award and the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation’s Louis J. Goffman Award. Byer will be recognized at an awards luncheon at the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s annual meeting on May 6 in Pittsburgh.
The James S. Bowman Award honors a lawyer who is making a significant impact on the practice of administrative law and who is demonstrating leadership in mentoring administrative law practitioners.
The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation is the charitable affiliate of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. The Louis J. Goffman Award honors its namesake by recognizing individuals who embody the same outstanding commitment to pro bono service, making a meaningful and lasting impact in the lives of those in need of legal representation.
Byer concentrates his practice in appellate and legal issues litigation. He is a former judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline. Byer has argued or briefed over 300 appeals in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Eleventh, District of Columbia and Federal Circuits, the Pennsylvania appellate courts and the appellate courts of California, Maryland, Tennessee and Washington. He also has briefed and worked on appeals in the United States Supreme Court. His appellate work and legal issues litigation experience covers a wide range of legal areas, including corporate governance, intellectual property, administrative agency law, tax cases, Constitutional law, real estate and land use regulation, insurance coverage, contracts, professional liability, products liability and toxic torts. In addition to his work as an appellate lawyer, Byer has experience in complex civil and intellectual property litigation. He also advises major corporations on issues related to commercial contracts, corporate governance, corporate compliance (including export control and political contribution and lobbying issues), dispute resolution, ethics and internal investigations. Byer is a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a life member of the American Law Institute.
Byer has served two terms as chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Litigation Section and served for 15 years in the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates. He is a former member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Administrative Law Section Council and a former officer and director of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Byer is a life fellow of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation.
In 2025, Byer was the recipient of the 11th annual Duane Morris Pro Bono Leadership Award. The award honors attorneys who exemplify the spirit of pro bono: A selfless, longstanding and unwavering commitment to pro bono service; leaders by example, who accept pro bono matters without fanfare; and pro bono contributors who encourage and mentor other firm attorneys in pro bono service.
Since joining the firm in 2006, Byer has provided nearly 1,000 pro bono hours in 43 appeals before the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and United States Supreme Court. He has also provided advice to nonprofits advocating for systemic reform. In each of these matters, Byer has thoughtfully sought out important cases that will provide meaningful professional development and mentoring opportunities for associates. Some of the issues he has worked on include: reforming Pennsylvania pardon procedure to permit consent-style agendas for hearings; representing veterans contracting with the federal government as amici in advocating for the protection of service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses; various appeals concerning the constitutionality of sentencing juveniles to life without parole and immigrant’s removability orders; and representing a Pennsylvania Little League team in seeking and winning an appeal about installing lighting on their baseball fields. In all of these cases, associates took the lead role in court with Byer’s guidance.
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Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 900 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries. Duane Morris has been recognized by BTI Consulting as both a client service leader and a highly recommended law firm.
