Practice Groups

Our Business Practice Group is led by founding shareholder Jerry Dolchin. Unanimously voted “the nice guy” at the firm, Dolchin has maintained many of his client relationships for more than three decades. His gregarious nature and professionalism may bring clients to the firm, but it’s his razor sharp intellect and vast, up-to-date knowledge of business issues and tax law that keeps them here.

Every one of our business attorneys possesses two law degrees, an LL.M. (in tax), and a Juris Doctor; has broad transactional experience; and offers expertise in a sub-specialty, such as pension/profit sharing; real estate; healthcare; and estate planning and administration. 

Drawing upon this wealth of talent, we offer legal services in diverse and sophisticated areas of the law with the expectation that we can meet the needs of our target client — a businessperson, professional or entrepreneur who requires help in business and commercial areas of the law. Our client understands the importance of corporate and individual tax planning and occasionally may have the need for aggressive litigation support. We advise these clients in areas concerning licensure, professional contracting, and practice management, as well as offering guidance with various state and federal rules and regulations. 

At DS&T, every litigator is an experienced trial lawyer, having trained in such intense, high-volume arenas as the Attorney General’s office and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. DS&T’s litigators are experienced in all manner of courtrooms and hearings, including local and state courts, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. 

The group represents firm clients in all litigation matters, including commercial litigation; catastrophic personal injury; products liability claims; and employment and discrimination matters. DS&T has substantial experience protecting doctors from personal excess exposure in malpractice cases, and is one of very few firms to handle complex cases in Orphan’s Court. 

It is also one of a few firms in the region to have success in representing both defendants and plaintiffs in litigation matters. While most firms view a case from the narrow perspective of either a defendant or a plaintiff, DS&T has the unique advantage of understanding a case from all sides. 

DS&T helps clients with litigation in the following areas: Disputes with Insurance Companies, including: bad faith claims; civil RICO; and first-party billings; Professional Negligence, including: defense of excess claims; plaintiff's malpractice cases; and expert testimony (legal malpractice); Real Estate Litigation, including: contract disputes over sale agreements; claims for hidden defects; and construction disputes; Business Litigation, including: commercial collections; employment law disputes; and dissolutions; Orphan's Court Litigation, including: contested estates; disputed claims; and fiduciary disputes; and Criminal Matters, including: white collar defense; motor vehicle cases; and protection from abuse. 

Arlan Kardon, chair of DS&T’s Domestic Relations Practice Group who was recently recognized among the nation’s leading law professionals in Chambers High Net Worth 2021 Guide,  has been happily married for more than 30 years. As a daily observer of human emotion and turmoil, Kardon is all too aware of the pitfalls of marriage, and she uses what she sees to benefit herself and her clients.

The members of DS&T’s Domestic Relations Group have earned the reputation among their peers as tough negotiators and skilled litigators; however, they share a humane and respectful view of the family. Unlike common caricatures of divorce lawyers, Kardon and her team take an active approach, helping clients order their lives by way of strategic financial thinking, e.g. asset protection, analysis of income and expenses and the ultimate values of real and personal property. They also advise clients as to whether they need a pre- or post- nuptial agreement and structure custody agreements to keep the family functioning. 

The Domestic Relations Group works in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, representing high net worth clients in all areas of family law, including divorce; asset protection; equitable distribution in complex, high net worth litigation; custody; support; adoption; and pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements. Its members are committed to understanding the legal impact of the changing face of the American family -- such as same sex marriage and adoption, surrogacy law, grandparents raising children, and dual-income families -- and advising clients accordingly.