DOLCHIN, SLOTKIN & TODD, P.C.
About Us
The DS&T Story
After their careers in a major center city Philadelphia law firm, Jerry Dolchin and Mark Slotkin (1944-2015) formed their law firm in 1980, which when joined by Joel Todd (who retired in 2011) became Dolchin, Slotkin & Todd, P.C. in 1986. The three attorneys’ shared commitment to ethics and old-fashioned values soon became evident, as did their penchant for winning. They formalized this synergistic relationship to enable each attorney to offer more complete client services.
After more than two decades, DS&T has continued on this path of organic expansion, growing to meet the needs of its clients into a full-service, boutique law firm which still puts a premium on long-term personal relationships, loyalty, old-fashioned values and, of course, winning.
A major coup for the firm was the decision by one of Philadelphia’s leading family lawyers, Arlan Kardon, to join DS&T in 1990 to chair its Domestic Relations Practice Group.
The firm’s founding values and legal prowess are evident in its premier ranking of AV—the highest rating in both professional excellence and ethics—by Martindale-Hubbell®. These ratings, which are determined based on peer review, are one of the primary ways attorneys are evaluated by corporations seeking counsel and by other attorneys making referrals or seeking counsel outside their jurisdiction. Not only does the firm as a whole rank AV, but all of its senior shareholders have earned that same rank for their individual skills and ethics.
Conveniently situated in Two Liberty Place in downtown Philadelphia, the firm has three practice groups, with attorneys licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, New York, Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland. As part of its commitment to serve its clients with all of their legal needs, the firm also has offices in Alexandria, Virginia.
Our Philosophy
Working with a lawyer shouldn’t be painful. Our job is to help solve your problems — preferably before they arise — with smart planning, innovative thinking and a consummate understanding of changes in the law that could affect you professionally or personally. Our work together should leave you feeling confident and secure in your future.
Bigger is definitely not always better. We know… we’ve been there. Many of our lawyers are refugees from large firms — top-flight attorneys who chose to join us because they wanted the opportunity to develop more fulfilling relationships with colleagues and clients.
We built this firm to represent licensed professionals and businesspeople in all of their business and personal matters. Whether they are coming to us for estate planning, business litigation or even a criminal matter, our clients know they are being represented by someone who knows their personal and professional needs intimately.
How We Work
Many people and organizations are afraid to fully utilize their lawyer, because of what it can cost them. We want our phone number to be on your speed dial. That’s why it’s important for you to know up front that we are committed to maximizing the value of every dollar spent for our services. From the first minute you meet us, you’ll notice the difference. Unlike many larger firms, we meet with our clients one-on-one, not en masse. We have the breadth of experience to handle almost any legal issue you present. We don’t believe in large, impersonal meetings. We find that having too many lawyers in one meeting is distracting. Most clients can’t focus on the matter at hand, because they’re too busy worrying about how complicated their matter is and what such a large meeting is costing them.
Don’t confuse our choice to stay small and work intimately with small thinking. When it comes to protecting your interests, you can rest assured that we’ll utilize every resource at our disposal and tap every source for insight. The Dolchin Difference is that we’ll do this in the most cost-effective manner possible.
We enjoy the long-term relationships that we establish with our clients and utilize a team approach in dealing with their needs. We respect and cooperate with established client relationships in ancillary fields such as accounting, pension support, insurance and financial planning. This team approach fosters a closer relationship with our client and allows for a more comprehensive approach to their problems and concerns.
Within our firm, all of the work on your matters will be coordinated by attorneys with a broad view of their own responsibilities. This is in complete contrast with the norm at many larger firms, which are fragmented into myriad sub-specialties whose lawyers sometimes forget to talk to each other.
Each of our cases is managed by a primary attorney who has the option of drawing upon the human resources of the firm when grappling with an issue outside his or her area of expertise. You will never be shuffled from one attorney to another, each of whom is micro-focused on only their own area of the law. And, we never bill you when we need to take the time to explain your case to one of our colleagues.
By choosing to employ only seasoned attorneys who enjoy working in this client-focused way, we ensure that you get the attention and care you need from attorneys with the experience and expertise to understand complex issues in varied areas of the law.
