Partner of Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C.

Location:
Erie, Pennsylvania

Phone:
814-273-2010

Background

Attorney Eric J. Purchase represents individuals and families suffering from injury or the death of a loved one. He was born and raised in Erie County, Pennsylvania. He is a 1988 graduate of Gannon University. In 1991, he received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh, graduating with honors. While at the University of Pittsburgh, Mr. Purchase served as editor of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review. In recognition of his class standing upon graduation, Mr. Purchase was inducted into the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Order of the Coif.

Before opening his Pennsylvania personal injury practice, Mr. Purchase was a trial lawyer with one of Erie’s largest law firms and served as both an equity partner and a practice group chairman. At that time, his practice consisted primarily of representing the region’s largest insurance companies and employers in trials and arbitrations. His cases included personal injury and wrongful death claims, contract disputes, insurance coverage disputes, insurance bad faith claims, medical malpractice claims, and shareholder rights disputes. Mr. Purchase has represented clients all over Pennsylvania, the United States, and overseas, including cases and clients in Singapore, Denmark, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Canada.

In 2006, Mr. Purchase founded his own law practice and ever since has devoted himself to representing individuals and families, primarily in cases against the larger insurance companies and corporations in the region. Today, Mr. Purchase’s legal practice successfully represents clients in auto accident, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and personal injury cases. (Mr. Purchase also represents local businesses and business people in commercial litigation cases, including contract litigation, shareholder/partner disputes, and other business disputes.)

Mr. Purchase has taught and lectured to other lawyers and insurance adjustors on many subjects, including trial tactics, Pennsylvania auto insurance, car accident law, and other injury law subjects. His lectures include Supreme Court approved Continuing Legal Education seminars, as well as private seminars for claims professionals. He serves at the highest levels of Pennsylvania trial lawyer associations, including the Erie County Bar Association, the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers, and the Pennsylvania Association of Justice.

Areas of Practice

Personal Injury – General
Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Accidents
Medical Malpractice & Nursing Home Negligence
Commercial Civil Litigation: Business Disputes

Litigation Percentage

99% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions

Pennsylvania, 1991
U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 1991
U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1997
U.S. Supreme Court, 1998

Education

University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- J.D. cum laude – 1991
- Honors: The Order of the Coif
- Law Review: University of Pittsburgh Law Review, Notes & Comments Editor, 1989 – 1990
Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania
- B.A. – 1988
- Major: Political Science

Published Works

A Roadmap to Justice: The Ultimate Guide to Car Accident Cases in PA, Word Association Publishers, 2010
The Problem of the Minority Discount in Business Valuation, Business Magazine, January, 2002

Representative Cases

Representative Clients

General McLane School District

Honors and Awards

Erie County Bar Association, President’s Award, 2015
Business of the Year Award, Kearsarge Volunteer Fire Department, 2001 – Present
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2013-2022

Professional Associations and Memberships

Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Board of Governors – President’s Club, 1992 – Present
Pennsylvania Bar Association, House of Delegates Political Action Committee Member, 2011 – Present
Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, Life Fellow, 2012 – Present
Erie County Bar Association, Board of Trustees, 2012 – 2019
Erie County Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section, Chairman, 2007 – 2008
Erie County Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section, Chairman, 2012 – 2013
Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Governors, 2012 – Present
Erie County Bar Association, Past-President, 2018
Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, President, 2020 – 2021

Classes/Seminars

Auto Law Update, Erie County Bar Association, 2009 – Present
Joint and Several Liability, Erie County Bar Association, 2011 – Present
Guest Lecturer, Medical Malpractice Litigation and Health Care Quality, Mercyhurst University, 2013 – Present
Guest Lecturer: Lawyers, Litigation and Settlement, Mercyhurst University, 2013 – Present
Apologies in the Medical Malpractice Context, Erie County Bar Association, 2012 – Present
Guest Lecturer: Medical Malpractice and the Adversarial System, Mercyhurst University, 2012 – Present
Civil Litigation for First Year Lawyers, Erie County Bar Association, 2011 – Present
Pennsylvania Tort Reform: Joint and Several Liability, Erie County Bar Association, 2011 – Present
Inside Secrets of ERISA: A Third Party Administrator Pulls Back the Curtain, Erie County Bar Association, 2011 – Present
Effective Use of Depositions at Trial, Erie County Bar Association, 2008 – Present
Underinsured and Uninsured Motorist Claims Practice, Erie County Bar Association, 2007 – Present
Bad Faith Insurance Claims and Trial Tactics
Emotional Distress Claims
Premises Liability, Slip and Fall Update
First Party Benefits Update

Past Employment Positions

MacDonald Illig Jones & Britton, LLP, Partner and Practice Group Chairman, 1991 – 2006
Eric J. Purchase, Attorney at Law, Sole Practitioner, 2006 – 2010

Pro Bono Activities

Volunteer Lawyer, Northwestern Legal Services

Ancillary Businesses

Judge of Elections, Erie County, 5th Ward, 20th District

Fraternities/Sororities

Tau Kappa Epsilon

Eric Purchase