A shareholder in the firm’s Casualty Department and recipient of Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV Preeminent rating, Seth represents construction companies and contractors, trucking companies, bars, commercial property owners and managers, and amusement parks and insurers throughout Pennsylvania. His practice focuses on high-exposure matters involving catastrophic injury or death in the areas of construction accidents and defects, trucking, liquor liability, premises liability, and sports and amusement. An accomplished trial lawyer, Seth has tried numerous jury cases in Philadelphia and across eastern Pennsylvania, securing multiple defense verdicts.
Prior to joining Marshall Dennehey, Seth was a staff trial attorney for seven years at Nationwide Insurance. He handled general defense litigation including automobile liability, construction matters, and premises liability. Before joining Nationwide Insurance, Seth entered private practice at a small civil litigation firm in Philadelphia, where he handled a range of civil litigation from premises liability to complex product liability matters.
Seth was appointed to judge pro tem for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and to the Investigative Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention.
Seth graduated from Temple University School of Law in 1992. He attended college at The American University where he graduated in 1988 with honors.
Honors & awards
AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
BTI Client Service All-Star
2024
Year joined
2003
Pro Bono
Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia
Results
Consolidated Cases Successfully Transferred to Correct Venue
Construction Injury Litigation
February 5, 2024
We successfully transferred two consolidated cases involving alleged falls by construction workers from Philadelphia to Cumberland County. Our clients were located in Lancaster County, and the only codefendant was located in Philadelphia County. We filed preliminary objections as to venue, arguing that the codefendant was a “phantom” defendant named to obtain venue in Philadelphia County. The court was convinced by our arguments. This ruling cuts against the current trend of giving broad deference to plaintiffs on venue issues.
Thought Leadership
Seth J. Schwartz Named a BTI Consulting Group 2024 Client Service All-Star
Construction Injury Litigation
June 4, 2024
Seth J.
On the Pulse...Construction Injury Litigation Practice Group
Philadelphia - Headquarters
Pittsburgh
Construction Injury Litigation
December 1, 2023
Recent data released from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that construction laborers accounted for 11.9% of all reported fatal falls, slips, or trips in 2020 across all occupations. Defense Digest, Vol. 29, No.
Classes/Seminars Taught
An Overview of Construction Defect Litigation in Pennsylvania, Nationwide Insurance Company, December 16, 2014
Commercial Defense Practice in New York, New Jersey & Pennsylvania, Nationwide Insurance Company, December 5, 2014
Commercial Defense Practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Nationwide Insurance Company, December 2013
Brief Overview of Pennsylvania Contractual Indemnity and Additional Insured Issues, Nationwide insurance Company, April 2012
Numerous presentations to property managers and insurance companies regarding effective claims handling and tender issues
Pennsylvania Amusement Park Association Annual Conference, 2007