THE CATHOLIC STANDARD AND TIMES
Vol.108 No. 8 Thursday, September 19, 2002

Lawyer’s Strong Faith Shapes His Practice
by Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer

By the time he was a seventh-grader at St. Francis deSales School, Gerald A. McHugh Jr., knew he wanted to pursue law as a profession.
“I enjoyed being a advocate on behalf of others,” said McHugh 47, who is now an attorney and president of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. He is also a lifelong member of St. Francis deSales parish in the Philadelphia-South Vicariate.

The trial attorney and shareholder in the Philadelphia firm of Litvin, Blumberg, Matusow & Young represents seriously-injured accident victims and families of those who have suffered fatal injuries in
cases that include aviation, trucking and construction site accidents. “If you can represent them in a way that recognizes the pain they’re suffering, it’s actually very consistent with what the gospel asks
us to do–to manifest our love for other people in the way we conduct both our personal and professional lives.”

McHugh also tackles other complex civil litigation, including product liability, workplace injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death cases.

He defined his approach to law as “a little unorthodox” in that he is non-confrontational. “When a client comes to see me, I don’t try to stoke anger. Instead, I talk about the fact that the law exists to protect, and provides rights not meant for extracting vengeance, but for...times of need.”

Last December, he became president of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Philadelphia Bar which makes annual grants to legal services and public interest organizations serving the indigent in Philadelphia.

Since appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1996, he has been chairman of the Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts Program, which funds legal services programs across the commonwealth.

A former volunteer teacher in the Philadelphia prisons, McHugh is also chairman of the board and co-founder of Hospitality House, a residential and drug/alcohol treatment center serving men recently
released form prison. The outreach endeavor began in 1982 at Our Mother of Sorrows Rectory and is now located in Kensington’s Norris Square.

McHugh is the second child and only son of Gerald A. Sr. and the late Louise McHugh. The 1968 alumnus of St. Francis deSales School graduated from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in 1972. He
received a bachelor’s degree in theology from St. Joseph’s University in 1976 and his Juris Doctorate form the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1979.

He joined the firm in 1981, after serving as a law clerk for two judges in the state of federal courts.

Family includes wife Maureen Tate, and four children; Laura, 21; Amy, 20; Colleen, 17; and Michael, 16.

The locally born advocate said growing up in the city has helped him be more understanding in his day-to-day work. “I have always been aware that all people do not start life with the same advantages. Many people caught in the cycle of crime need a chance to get back on a level playing field to see if they can become productive members of society.”

McHugh’s faith provides assistance and sustenance, as well. “I see a connection between the type of my practice I have and my faith, “ he said.