The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Plain English Committee will present its 2022 Clarity Award to Daniel J. Siegel, owner of Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel LLC, Havertown, at an awards luncheon during the PBA Annual Meeting, May 11-13 in Hershey.
The award was created by the committee to recognize “those who have done the most to foster plain English in the legal field.” The committee’s mission is to reward and encourage efforts to improve access to the law by demystifying legal language and to enable lawyers to better counsel clients and increase respect for the legal profession by removing the barriers of legalese.
For more than 30 years, Siegel has focused his practice on workers’ compensation, personal injury and Social Security disability claims, handling cases from major mass torts to small claims matters. He also assists families with estate planning, such as wills, living wills and powers of attorney. In addition, Siegel often serves as a silent second chair for other attorneys through various phases of trial and as an appellate counsel in state and federal courts.
A frequent speaker and author, Siegel has presented at more than 400 events, written more than 250 articles and published 14 books on legal topics. Examples of his use of “plain English” can be found in his writing that aims to be clear and succinct and to avoid legalese. He often uses drawings, tables, bulleted lists, footnoted citations and other attributes to make his legal documents more understandable for his audiences.
Siegel’s nominator said: “He wants his audience to see what matters or understand it without having to read tons of material. He often says no one reads legal documents because they are dense; they read novels, so write like it’s a novel.”
Active in the PBA, Siegel serves as chair of the Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, member of the Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Committee and member of the Plain English Committee. His other professional interests include serving as chair of the American Bar Association Law Practice Division’s Professional Development Board, member of the Delaware County Bar Association’s Board of Directors and member of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Professional Guidance Committee.
His accolades include being named Best Lawyers 2022 Workers’ Compensation Law—Claimants “Lawyer of the Year” in
Philadelphia, Philadelphia Business Journal—Best of the Bar and Delaware County Daily Times—Best Personal Injury Firm in Delaware County.
Siegel holds a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College and a J.D. from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law.
For more information on the PBA Annual Meeting, visit https://www.pabar.org/pdf/2022/AnnualMeeting2022.pdf.
Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association exists to promote justice, professional excellence and respect of the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 27,000 lawyers who are members of the association.
{This blog post is reprinted verbatim from the press release issued by the Pennsylvania Bar Association at Pennsylvania Bar Association > News and Publications > News > News Releases > 2022 > April > Havertown Lawyer Daniel J. Siegel to Receive Pennsylvania Bar Association Clarity Award (pabar.org)}