Attorney at Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C.
Location:
Erie, Pennsylvania
Phone:
814-273-2010
Email:
Email me
Background
Philip B. Friedman has a well-deserved reputation as a superior trial attorney. Representing clients throughout Pennsylvania he focuses his practice on federal and state criminal defense and personal injury and wrongful death litigation. The types of criminal offenses that Mr. Friedman handles include driving under the influence, vehicular homicide, possession and distribution of drugs, and diversion of medication by healthcare professionals including physicians, nurses and dentists.
A fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a former chairman of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Mr. Friedman has been actively involved in numerous professional organizations throughout his career. He is a past president of the Erie County Bar Association and a past member of the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. His other memberships include the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Pennsylvania Association for Justice. Mr. Friedman is AV Preeminent peer review rated for Martindale Hubbell and has earned a 10.0 “superb” peer review rating through AVVO.
Mr. Friedman attended Washington and Jefferson College and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in political science in 1975. He then pursued his legal education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1978. Admitted to practice in both Pennsylvania and New York, he is also admitted to practice before numerous Federal District Courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third, Sixth, Eighth and Tenth Circuits, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Mr. Friedman is also an avid triathlete. He recently won world championships in his age group at the ITU Sprint World Championships in Cozumel, Mexico (2016) and in Rotterdam, Netherlands (2017). He won silver medals at the World Championships in Gold Coast, Australia in 2018 and in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2019. In August 2021 he won the national title in his age group in sprint triathlon.
Practice Areas
- Litigation & Appeals
- Criminal Law
- Driving Under the Influence
- Homicide by Motor Vehicle
- Drug Cases
- Homicide
- Personal Injury – Plaintiff
- Medical Malpractice
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Death Cases
- Commercial Litigation
- Federal Civil Cases
- Federal Criminal Cases
- Professional Disciplinary Actions
- First Amendment Cases
Education
- University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- J.D. – 1978
- Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania
- B.A. – 1975
- Major: Political Science
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania, 1978
- New York, 1988
- U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 1979
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1994
- U.S. District Court District of Nebraska, 1998
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Arkansas, 1991
- U.S. District Court Western District of Arkansas, 1991
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 1999
- U.S. District Court Western District of New York, 2004
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1979
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1985
- U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 1991
- U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 1998
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1986
Professional Associations
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Member, Criminal Procedural Rules Committee, 2002 to 2008
- Erie County Bar Association, President, 1997 to 1997
- Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Chairman, 1994 to 1995
- Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Vice Chairman, 1993 to 1994
- Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Chairman, Rules Committee, 1992 to 1993
- Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Chairman, Rules Committee, 1995 to 1996
- Judicial Evaluation Commission, Member, 1997 to 1998
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Member, Task Force on Civil Justice Coalition, 1999
- American Inns of Court, Master, 1996 to 2002
- Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Member
- Pennsylvania Association For Justice, Member, Board of Governors
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Member, House of Delegates
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Zone 7 Governor, 2017 to 2020
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2004 to 2021