Richard H. Maurer

Biography

Gained over the course of a 30-year career, Richard H. Maurer’s litigation experience has ranged from class actions to civil rights, with a wide variety of cases in between. Richard was drawn to trial work at Georgetown Law, where he focused on evidence, procedure, and legal history. He devoted most of his third year to the grueling Criminal Justice Clinic, defending indigent clients from charges brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. After graduation, He passed the bar exams of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Richard maintains an active license in each state, and is also admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court and several Circuit Courts of Appeal.

Richard began his career in the courtroom, serving as an Assistant Public Defender in Reading, Pennsylvania with a caseload that provided trial experience early on. His first trial ended with a defense verdict, and since then he has taken about 40 cases to jury trial, with many more bench trials, civil and criminal. As a faculty member of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, he returned to Georgetown Law in 2017 to teach direct and cross examination for recent graduates.

In 1996, Richard joined White and Williams in Philadelphia, which then represented Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen of America. While working his way up to Partner, he researched and drafted literally thousands of briefs and motions, with the hands-on approach that still works best for him. In the year 2000, Richard defended a notorious Internet defamation case, where a teacher at Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem sued an Eighth Grader and his parents after he created a website that included an interactive “shoot the teacher game.” Since then, he has regularly defended cases in Northampton and Lehigh counties, including premise liability claims for insureds of the Lititz Mutual Group.

Richard works closely with Eastburn and Gray colleague Jennifer Brown defending municipalities in tax litigation. His other recent matters include the defense of a business fraud case in New Jersey Superior Court, construction defect cases in Philadelphia, and appeals to the Third Circuit.

Education

Richard received his J.D. from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and his B.M. from the Julliard School in New York City.

Bar Admissions

• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey
• New York

Professional Organizations

Richard is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Volunteer and Community Work

• Board Member, Old Allentown Preservation Association

Personal Data

Richard recently won First Prize in the amateur cello division of the Global Musicians League virtual competition. As a board member of the Old Allentown Preservation Association, he writes frequently on urban quality-of-life issues.