People

THOMAS J. FARNAN

Attorney

Thomas J. Farnan received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1985 and a law degree from the Notre Dame Law School in 1988. Admitted to practice by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1988, Mr. Farnan began his legal career as an associate at Cohen & Grigsby in Pittsburgh. He clerked for the Honorable William J. Zloch in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida between 1991 and 1992. From there, he moved to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, where he spent two years as law clerk for the Honorable Daniel A. Manion.  After finishing his clerkships, Mr. Farnan worked as an attorney at Robb Leonard Mulvihill LLP for 21 years, including 15 years as a partner in that law firm.

Mr. Farnan's notable cases include: Raquel v. Education Management Corporation, 196 F.3d 171 (3rd Cir. 1999); McKenna v. Sosso, 745 A.2d 1 (Pa. Super. 1999); Shenango Systems Solutions, Inc. v. Micros-Systems, Inc., 887 A.2d 772 (Pa. Super. 2005), and Melenyzer v. Tershel, No. 1204 WDA 2012 (Pa. Super. July 3, 2012). He obtained damages, attorney’s fees, and costs on behalf of the interim CEO and the Executive Vice President of Pittsburgh Mercy Health System in a commercial arbitration matter involving severance benefits. Krause and Furlong v. Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, AR 55 116 00311 05 (American Arbitration Association, February 2, 2007). More recently, he has practiced before Allegheny County’s Commerce and Complex Litigation Court, in Cleancare v. Balfurd, GD14-007127 (August, 2014), and Sant v. Branding Brand, GD-15-000219 (July 17, 2015). In the latter case, Mr. Farnan was granted an Order of Dismissal on behalf of a Pittsburgh technology firm in a breach of contract and employment case that is presently on appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Mr. Farnan has handled a variety of employment and civil rights cases before the EEOC and the PHRC and in federal and state court.  On November 4, 2015, he secured summary judgment on behalf of a care management and consulting services company in a multi-count lawsuit in which plaintiff made claims of negligence and sexual harassment. Reposky v. Complete Healthcare Resources Eastern, Inc., No 440 A.D. 2011 (Greene County).

Mr. Farnan has been a contributor at Forbes, writing two features: Native American Branding In American Football: A Forgotten History (July 16, 2014); and How Dwight D. Eisenhower Invented The Internet -- And The Desktop Computer (September 2, 2014), which focused on technology. He has also been a contributor to Pennsylvania’s The Legal Intelligencer, authoring features titled The 'Bundle of Sticks' in Oil and Gas Leases, that was published on July 26, 2011, and 'Mineral' Definition Case Could Have Big Impact on Shale, that was published on May 15, 2012. He has been an occasional guest columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. See: Watch the Words, March 10, 2003; Stay the Course, October 17, 2004; Waste and Sacrifice, March 25, 2007. On November 9, 2015, Mr. Farnan co-authored a piece that was featured in both Corporate Counsel and at Law.com:  The Problem With Email Investigations… And the Solution.

Mr. Farnan has lectured to business, risk management, and insurance representatives on issues involving employment practices and liability. He has been honored to be selected by his peers as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, a distinction shared by only 5% of the practicing attorneys in the state.

Of Counsel

MICHAEL A. FARNAN

Michael A. Farnan is an attorney with extensive experience both in corporate governance and litigation. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1989 and a law degree from the Notre Dame Law School in 1993. He worked as a Pennsylvania deputy attorney general in civil litigation and an agency chief counsel in Pennsylvania.

He is currently General Counsel for Branding Brand, a Pittsburgh based technology firm whose platform powers mobile sites and apps for some of the largest retailers in the world. His legal counsel has assisted Branding Brand with its rapid growth as well as raising more than $20 million in venture capital.

He founded The Farnan Law Office in 2007 and continues to provide counsel, advice, and occasional litigation support. His notable cases include: Buck v. Beard, 583 Pa. 431, 879 A.2d 157 (Pa. 2005); Buck v. Beard, 834 A.2d 696 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2003) (en banc); Montgomery County v. Department of Corrections, 879 A.2d 843 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2005) (en banc); Spruill v. Gillis, 372 F.3d 218 (3d Cir. 2004); Kovac v. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, et al., No. 2:09-cv-00400 (W.D.Pa. December 15, 2010), appeal at No. 10-4730 (3d Cir. September 13, 2011);  W.G. Tomko, Inc. v. Pa Gaming Control Board (No. 616 MD 2008 Cmwlth. Court January 23, 2009) (Injunction entered)(J. Leadbetter); Frank v. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, No. 2541 of 2012, (Westmoreland County CCP January 14, 2015) (successful jury verdict). 

Mike Farnan has been designated as a Pennsylvania Superlawyer each of the last 5 years.