Karl is a leading Pennsylvania appellate lawyer with two decades of experience arguing and briefing a wide variety of high-profile, precedent-setting cases before the appellate courts of Pennsylvania and other jurisdictions. Throughout his career, clients have entrusted Karl with numerous high-risk appeals valued, in aggregate, at a half-billion dollars. He focuses on cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme, Commonwealth and Superior Courts, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and has particular experience in the areas of:
- State and federal constitutional challenges
- State administrative agency disputes
- Original jurisdiction proceedings in Commonwealth Court
- Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law requests
- Government contracting and bid protest disputes
- Insurance insolvency and guaranty association matters
- Complex commercial actions
Karl has served as counsel of record in hundreds of cases before Pennsylvania’s appellate courts. Clients also engage him to author amicus curiae briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court and other appellate courts in cases of significance to trade, industry and other groups.
Because of the prominent nature of his appellate advocacy, Karl has frequently presented televised arguments on the Pennsylvania Cable Network and his arguments are often quoted in the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, The Legal Intelligencer, Law360 and other regional and national publications. As a thought leader in his area of law, he comments on notable issues before the appellate courts and often serves as a panelist and moderator for appellate practice presentations and seminars.
Karl also serves in prominent roles within the community of appellate practitioners. He is Co-Chair of the Appellate Advocacy Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and is a charter member of that Committee, having been a member since its formation in 2003. Karl serves on the Board of Directors and as Pennsylvania State Chair for the Council of Appellate Lawyers of the American Bar Association’s Appellate Judges Conference, the first and only national appellate bench-bar organization. Additionally, Karl is an active member of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Historical Society. Through his advocacy and professional activities, Karl has developed a strong rapport with the appellate bench.
Complementing his appellate practice, Karl also is an experienced trial court lawyer who has overseen disputes from inception through verdict, decision or resolution in hundreds of cases pending before state and federal courts. His litigation practice has touched virtually every type of civil matter, including insurance coverage and bad faith cases, commercial disputes, and contract, tort and personal injury matters.
Karl has been trained as a mediator by the American Arbitration Association and is certified as a state and a federal court arbitrator. He has assisted in the judicial selection process by serving three terms as a reviewer in the Investigative Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention.
Immediately after law school, Karl began to develop his appellate capabilities and experience while serving as a law clerk for the Hon. Russell M. Nigro of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He also served as a clerk for the Hon. John T.J. Kelly Jr. of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania while still in law school.
During his distinguished law school career, Karl was selected as a member of the Appellate Moot Court Board, Dickinson Law Review, and Woolsack Honor Society. At that time, he also served as a clerk for the Hon. Yvette Kane of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Karl began his legal career as an intern for the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.