Edward F. Chacker
Whether he is negotiating a settlement or trying a case to verdict, Edward Chacker is recognized as one of the leading trial lawyers in Pennsylvania. As Senior Managing Partner and Chair of Gay Chacker & Ginsburg, Edward has built a successful career representing clients in the personal injury and civil litigation arenas, particularly in cases involving car and truck crashes, workplace injuries, slip and fall accidents, medical malpractice, and police and correctional guard abuse. He is an approachable and compassionate advocate for his clients.
Some of Mr. Chacker’s notable verdicts and settlements include:
- $4.5 million settlement for the estate of a 90-year-old man who was struck and killed by a dump truck while grocery shopping with his son. As lead counsel of the client, Edward took on the case others did not believe had value due to the man’s age, and he achieved a successful resolution without the need for a costly jury trial.
- 9 million verdict for a woman who sustained severe emotional distress after witnessing a truck lose control on a highway and narrowly miss her vehicle at an intersection. Engineers recreated the incident and proved the woman suffered from psychosomatic injury.
- Million-dollar medical malpractice settlement for a five-year-old girl who was injured and required surgery after an IV was placed incorrectly. In addition to the settlement for her injury, the Philadelphia hospital installed a plaque on the wall recognizing their wrongdoing.
- $900,000 settlement for the family of a man shot through the heart by a police officer who claimed he had gun. Thorough investigation and witness interviews created doubt that the gun belonged to the victim, and the city made an offer to settle.
Through these and many other verdicts and settlements, Mr. Chacker has built a reputation for obtaining exceptional outcomes in very difficult cases. His ability to see the potential in clients’ unique situations has led him to obtain these unexpected results.
For decades, Edward has been recognized not only for his tenacious legal representation of individuals, but also for his pro bono work for the public at large. In 2012, he received the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association’s Justice Michael A. Musmanno Award, an award given annually to the person who best exemplifies the late Justice’s qualities of high integrity, scholarship, imagination, courage, and concern for human rights. Mr. Chacker was also the recipient of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Pillar of Justice in 2013. The Philadelphia Bar Association honored him with the VIP Chancellor’s Award each year from 1991 to 1994 and in 2003. Philadelphia’s Volunteers for the Indigent (VIP) Program recognized his firm for outstanding professional leadership and commitment to equal rights for all. Edward has also received the following awards and recognition:
- Pennsylvania Legal Services Ambassador for Justice Award, 2003
- Community Legal Services, Equal Justice Award, 1995
- Tau Epsilon Rho Law Society, For Service to the Bar and to the Community, 1993
- Community Legal Services, Recognition of Outstanding Service
Edward’s reputation as a skilled litigator and compassionate advocate has led him to frequently receive many case referrals from other law firms. With every case he takes on, he is devoted to obtaining the best results possible for the client.
Education and Background
Mr. Chacker earned his bachelor’s degree from Temple University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Toledo College of Law. He is admitted to practice in U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Federal Claims Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Edward is a Mediator and Arbitrator for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and he is a former Hearing Officer for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Disciplinary Board.
A frequent speaker before legal and educational organizations, Edward places a special emphasis on trial techniques during his lectures. He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows to discuss a range of subjects in the field of law. Mr. Chacker is also deeply involved in numerous charitable organizations in the community and nationwide.
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1973
- Federal Claims Court, 1990
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2003
Publications and Speaking Engagements
- Mediation Training Seminar, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, 1995, 1999, 2003
- Presenter, “Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims,” Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 1986 – Present
- Fee Disputes Program, Philadelphia Bar Association
- New Arbitrators Seminar, Philadelphia Bar Association
- “Breakfast with the Judges: Update on CCP Major Jury Programs,” Moderator of Young Lawyer Division Basic Legal Practice Seminar, Philadelphia Bar Association
- “Hot Tips in Auto Law,” Pennsylvania Auto Insurance Law Update, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
- Speaker, Mid-Year Meeting, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
- Speakers Bureau, Member, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
- “What’s It Worth and How to Get It,” Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
- Lecturer and Course Planner, “Nuts and Bolts for Young Lawyers,” Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association
- Lecturer, Luncheon Seminar Series, Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania
- Implementing the Anti-Fraud Measures of Pennsylvania’s New Auto Insurance Law, Roscoe Pound Institute, Temple University
- Lecturer, Pennsylvania Defense Institute/Philadelphia Area Claims Forum
- Lecturer, “Insurance Claims Seminar,” National Institute of Trial Advocacy
Professional Memberships
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Chancellor
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, President
- Philadelphia Bar Foundation, President (2004)
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Board of Governors
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Chancellor Elect.
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Secretary
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Assistant Secretary
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Budget Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Nominating Committee (Ex-Officio)
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Fee Dispute Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Chair, Fee Dispute Arbitrations
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Gender Fairness Task Force
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Business/Chancery Task Force
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Chancellor’s Century 3 Commission
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Lawyers Fund for Equal Justice
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Women in the Profession Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Mentor
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Member of Cabinet
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Women’s Rights Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Public Interest Section
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Minorities in the Profession Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Civil Rights Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Finance Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Joint Bench Bar Civil System Planning Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Charter and Bylaws Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Homeless Advocacy Project, Board
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Long Range Planning Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Civil Judicial Procedures Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Compulsory Arbitration Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Chair
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Arbitration Program Criminal Justice Section
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Annual Conference (Bench Bar) Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Association, Coordinator, Mid-Year Bench Bar Conference
- Philadelphia Bar Association Subcommittees: Philadelphia Motion Court Practice, Amicus Curiae, Subcommittee on Program Selection, Subcommittee on New Judicial Calendar
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, President-Elect
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, Vice-President
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Directors
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, IOLTA Coordinator
- Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program (VIP): Board of Directors, Standards and Monitoring Committee, Development Committee, Recruitment Committee, Community Legal Services, Fund Raising Committee
- Philadelphia Bar Foundation, Vice President
- Philadelphia Bar Foundation, Charter Member, Andrew Hamilton Circle
- Philadelphia Bar Foundation, Co-Chair, 200 for the 200th Fund Raiser
- Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Arbitrator, 1974 – Present
- Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Judge Pro Tem (Day Backward Program), 1993 – Present
- Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Settlement Master (Day Backward Program)
- Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Judge Pro Tem (Day Forward Program)
- Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Mediator
- Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, M-PER Program, Volunteer Arbitrator
- Recruitment of Law Firms to Participate in the Voluntary IOLTA Program, Chair, Justice Michael A. Musmanno Awards Dinner
- Recruitment of Law Firms to Participate in the Voluntary IOLTA Program, Assistant Secretary
- S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Mediator
- S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Arbitrator (Compulsory Arbitrations)
- Federal Prisoner Rights Litigation Panel
- The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Chair, Hearing Committee
- The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Hearing Officer
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Member, House of Delegates
- Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Governors
- Lawyers for Consumer Rights, Executive Committee Member
- Tau Epsilon Rho Law Society, Assistant Secretary
- Tau Epsilon Rho Law Society, Board of Directors
- Lawyers’ Club of Philadelphia, Director
- Temple Inn of Court, Master
- Adath Jeshurun Synagogue, Board of Directors
- Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Lawyers Section, Solicitor
- Cheltenham Little League, President
- Golden Slipper Charities, Membership Committee
- SEPTA Injury Hotline
- PTLA, Annual Sponsorship of the “Breakfast of Champions”