Municipalities across Pennsylvania face increasing demand to provide public access to parks, trails, and natural open spaces. Fortunately, Pennsylvania law offers strong liability protection for municipalities and private landowners who open their land to the public for recreational purposes. The Recreational Use of Land and Water Act (referenced as the “Recreational Act”) was enacted to…
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,…
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.
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…
Siana Law congratulates Partners, Eric Brown and Michael Crotty for being selected as top-rated lawyers by Super Lawyers in 2025. Mr. Brown and Mr. Crotty have been selected for their work in Municipal Law. Well done Eric and Mike! Get to know these outstanding members of our team. The Super Lawyers published list of attorneys…
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…
Siana Law attorneys Michael G. Crotty and Andrew M. Rongaus look forward to attending the 2022 Annual PSATS Educational Conference & Exhibit Show, April 24-27 at Hershey Lodge and presenting the following seminars: Mr. Rongaus will present with Steve Wheeler from SRW Strategies, “Issues in Policing 2022 – A Briefing for Public Officials” Mr. Crotty…
Siana Law recognizes Andrew M. Rongaus, Esquire for his recent article, Proof of COVID-19 Vaccines: What Your Borough Needs to Know which is featured in the August 2021 issue of the PA State Association of Boroughs (PSAB), Borough News Magazine. Andrew’s Bio | Areas of Practice | Contact Us All rights reserved. This publication may…
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has written the ending chapter of a bike race accident case stretching back to May of 2015. The finale is a lesson in caution. Municipalities cannot rely on releases alone in hosting, allowing or condoning third party events on municipal property (including roads). In Degliomini v. City of Philadelphia, a cyclist…
Michael G. Crotty, Esquire recently contributed to the feature article, What You Need to Know About Personal Liability, Township Officials Can Combat Lawsuits with Knowledge, Best Practices, and Insurance, which was published in the August 2020 issue of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors‘ PA Township News. “There is such a range of claims that…