Siana Law Attorneys at Law

Social Media as the New Public Square? Borough Declared in Violation of the First Amendment for Deleting Resident’s Comment on its Public Facebook Page by Richard Jones and Michael G. Crotty

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The state of the First Amendment public forum in America has changed drastically in the last few decades with the rise of social media. Even today, social media continues to be a new frontier in human social interactions. Its recent effect on interactions with one’s local community and government are of particular interest. For example,…

Of Malls and Municipalities: Pennsylvania Borough Prevails Against Owner Claiming its Abandoned Mall is not a Public Nuisance by Richard Jones and Michael G. Crotty

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The popularity of American malls experienced a great decline throughout the 2000s. In recent years, their decline has accelerated, with projections indicating that 87% of large shopping malls could be closing within the next 10 years.

Likewise, according to reports, 2 million square feet of mall space was demolished in 2022. This has recently led to efforts to repurpose the spaces as residential, new types of retail, or a mix of both. Unfortunately, before they are demolished or repurposed (if ever), they often become property maintenance headaches.

Billboard Battle: Commonwealth Court Upholds Pennsylvania Borough’s Ordinance Separation Requirements By Richard Jones and Michael G. Crotty

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For municipalities, regulating billboards can be a complicated endeavor. In addition to the typical ordinance considerations, zoning for them often involves balancing safety considerations, nuisance impacts, aesthetic concerns, glare/lighting and a use whose reach often extends beyond whatever non-residential district in which they are zoned. And there is no shortage of billboard zoning battles in…

Eric M. Brown, Esquire

Siana Law Partner, Eric M. Brown, Earns Certification as Mediator for United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

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The Firm is pleased to announce that Siana Law Partner, Eric Brown, has become a Certified Mediator for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Brown was invited to become a certified mediator at the request of Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann. He was one of only 14 attorneys selected…

No Policy, No Problem? University Prevails Against Campus Officer Terminated for Internet Posts Despite No Policy By: Michael G. Crotty, Esquire & Richard Jones, Legal Intern

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The importance of having an employee social media policy was at the forefront in a recent Commonwealth Court decision. In Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education v. PASSHE Officers Association, the Court was asked to decide whether the lack of such a policy would prevent an employer (Kutztown University) from terminating a campus patrol officer…

Siana Law Welcomes James B. Halligan III

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Siana Law is proud to welcome James B. Halligan III to our team of Associate Attorneys. Mr. Halligan is a native of Havertown and currently resides in Upper Providence, PA. He is a graduate of Penn State University and Widener University School of Law. Mr. Halligan also completed a Master of Law (LLM) in Cyber…

The Landscape of Community Colleges’ Funding Might Soon Change, For Better or Worse By Michael J. Salek, Esquire

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Pennsylvania ranks 49th in the country in funding its state institutions of higher learning and 48th in affordability. In an effort to improve these statistics, Governor Shapiro has recently proposed a 15% funding increase for Pennsylvania’s state institutions of higher learning, including all fifteen (15) of the state’s community colleges. The interesting component of this…