Bernard 'Bud' Berman is the senior member of the firm. He focuses his practice in the areas of Family Law (divorce, property distribution, support, custody, pre-nuptial agreements), personal injury, and civil and criminal litigation. He has also represented many clients in Workers Compensation, Social Security Disability, real estate transactions, and business contracts. His role as General Counsel to The Grand Chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa, a national organization, has taken him to many States in the US, as well as to Canada and the United Kingdom. Although his main focus is Delaware County, he has tried cases in Chester County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia and Bucks County, in Local, State and Federal Courts. He has served as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association in commercial, securities and personal injury matters, and has tried his clients' cases before American Arbitration Association panels.

Raised in Drexel Hill, Delaware County, PA, Mr. Berman graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1958 and was Valedictorian. While at Upper Darby, he was in a number of theater productions, was an editor of The Acorn, the weekly school newspaper, was a member of the wrestling and tennis teams, and was voted 'wittiest'. He has chaired and worked on many Reunion Committees for the class of 1958. Mr. Berman then attended Swarthmore College, and graduated in 1962. At Swarthmore, he was Sports Editor of The Phoenix, the College newspaper, the varsity wrestler at 126 pounds for three years, a member of Phi Sigma Kappa national fraternity, president of the Inter Fraternity Council, chairman of the college's Men's Judicial Committee, and a member of the Little Theater Club. Following Swarthmore College, Mr. Berman attended Columbia Law School in New York City, from which he graduated in 1965 with an LLB. He later received a Juris Doctor from Columbia.

While at law school, Mr. Berman married Mona, his high school sweetheart, and now his wife of 39 years. His civic and professional activities have included the Parks Commission of Nether Providence Township, Board of Directors of Congregation Ohev Shalom, President of the Simon Wolf Lodge and the Southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware Council of B'nai B'rith, Fee Dispute Resolution Committee of the Delaware County Bar Association, the Special Committee to Revise Rules of Civil Procedure, Lions Club, Jaycees. He is a member of the Court of Honor and is Past President of the Grand Chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa, a national college fraternity. He chairs the Risk Management and Insurance Committee for the fraternity. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of PSKP, Inc., a property holding and management non-profit organization.

Mr. Berman sails and races his 14 foot Catboat 'Cat Nip' on Barnegat Bay in New Jersey with Mona as his First Mate, assists Mona in keeping their garden on Long Beach Island beautiful, and plays tennis (his three-days-a-week doubles group has been playing together for more than 25 years). He and Mona have appeared together in theater productions of The Rose Valley Chorus and the Ohev Shalom Players.

For other more on his interests and involvements, please refer to the BMB weblog.

Stephen M. Asbel has been with the firm since 1990. His primary areas of practice are wills and estates; personal injury; family law; and business contracts and transactions. Mr. Asbel, along with Bernard Berman, wrote the prevailing brief in the landmark estate case, In re Estate of LeVin, 419 Pa.Super. 89, 615 A.2d 38 (1992), in which the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled for the first time that the discretionary power and fees paid to an institution as an executor and trustee under a will can constitute a substantial benefit for finding undue influence in procuring a will.

Mr. Asbel has argued before the Supreme Court and Superior Court of Pennsylvania and in various Courts of Common Pleas throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania. Mr. Asbel is a member of the Delaware County panel of attorneys for arbitrations and he has sat as an arbitrator in many cases ranging from personal injury torts to contractual disputes.

In his will and estate practice, Mr. Asbel seeks to educate clients as to their rights to plan their estates, make living wills and other provisions and to work closely with the client to tailor a plan that will meet the client's specific needs including personal concerns, tax considerations and asset preservation. Mr. Asbel is concerned with issues pertaining to patient's rights to make choices regarding medical care and offers options to clients to protect those rights including medical powers of attorney and surrogates and living wills. Mr. Asbel is a member of the Delaware County (Pennsylvania) Bar Association.

Mr. Asbel was raised in Haverford Township, Delaware County and graduated from Haverford High School in 1982 where he was a member of the National Honor Society, the Student Senate, the Scott's High-Q (now Delaware County Hi-Q) academic quiz competition team (captain) which won regional championships in 1981 and 1982 and a national championship in 1981, and the marching band.

Mr. Asbel graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986 with a B.A. cum laude with distinction in international relations and was awarded membership in the Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society for Social Sciences and the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. At Penn, Mr. Asbel was a member of the Penn Band, a participant in College Bowl including as a member of the university's team at regional and national competitions. Mr. Asbel was also a research assistant on the landmark 1984 study on the economic impact of professional sports in the Philadelphia metropolitan region authored by Professor Edward Shils of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1989, he received his J.D. degree from the Villanova University School of Law. Mr. Asbel was admitted to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars in 1989 although he only practices in Pennsylvania. He is also admitted to the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey.

In his community, Mr. Asbel is an officer of Suburban Jewish Community Center Bnai Aaron synagogue in Havertown, Pennsylvania, a member of the Zionist Organization of America Greater Philadelphia District Executive Committee, and a member of the advisory board of the Middle East Education Team of Ithaca, New York. Mr. Asbel is also active in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania politics and has served as a precinct judge of elections.

Mr. Asbel and his wife, Dr. Lenore Asbel enjoy raising their two daughters, caring for their enthusiastic and friendly dog, doing community work, and traveling to visit friends and family.

For other more on his interests and involvements, please refer to the SMA weblog.