Experience matters

  • 38 years practicing in all areas of the law

  • Hundreds of court proceedings before judges and juries

  • 37 years as Lawrence County Bar Association Treasurer and Executive Committee member

  • 37 years as Lawrence Law Journal Opinion Editor

Elect James W. Manolis Judge

of the Court of Common Pleas of Lawrence County, PA

Meet Jim

Introduction

The court of common pleas is a county trial court where some of the most important issues in your life and the lives of your family and friends are heard and decided – civil matters such as business, property, estate, and zoning disputes; divorce and custody matters; and criminal cases.

The election of a judge is not a popularity contest.  Judges should be elected based on their credentials, and must be committed to decide cases based on the facts and the law.  When deciding who to vote for you should consider the candidate’s experience, knowledge of the law, dedication to the legal profession, and integrity. Those are the qualities that make for a good judge.

It’s important that the right candidates serve as judge. And that decision will be yours.

Background

I grew up in Neshannock Township and graduated from Neshannock High School. I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart and best friend, Rosemary, for over 40 years.  We are blessed with three children who have given us four wonderful grandchildren.

Our family lived in the City of New Castle for 32 years, before my wife and I moved to Neshannock Township 7 years ago to spend more time on our farm.

Bill is my oldest child and a lawyer with whom I have had the pleasure of practicing law for the last 11 years. Bill, and his wife, Chelsea Fazzone, have two children.

Nick is our second child and a doctoral candidate at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Macy, our youngest, is a lawyer and a law clerk for a Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She is married to Jordan Senchak, a physician, and they have two children.

As a life-long resident of Lawrence County, a husband, father and grandfather, I want to see the level of experience and integrity of our county court system we now enjoy continue.  I am confident that I have what it takes to do that, and would be honored to serve as your judge.

Education & Employment

I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from the University of Pittsburgh, and a law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law.

After passing the bar examination, I began the general practice of law with the law firm of Gamble, Verterano, Mojock, Piccione and Green, where I practiced for 5 years.

33 years ago, Frank Verterano and I established the law firm of Verterano & Manolis in Neshannock Township, where I continue to practice law. Ted Saad and my son, Bill, have since joined our firm as attorneys. Today, we have one of the oldest law firms in Lawrence County.

I am confident that my education and 38 years of legal experience has prepared me to serve as a judge.

Dedication to the Legal Profession and Community

For the last 38 years, I have dedicated and volunteered a substantial amount of my time to the legal profession and our community.

Since 1987, I’ve been a member of the Lawrence County Bar Association and served as its Treasurer and a member of its executive committee.  I am a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, and the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association.

As a young lawyer, I organized a special session of our Superior Court to be held in Lawrence County.  (The Superior Court is a court that hears legal arguments on appeals from every trial court in Pennsylvania. Its sessions are usually held in Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.)  Local high school seniors were invited to attend the special session as an educational experience. Before the special session was held, several other lawyers and I volunteered and made presentations to high school seniors who attended the argument session to prepare them for the unique experience.

For 37 years, I’ve served as the sole editor of the county’s legal journal, the Lawrence Law Journal.  My job is to review the 100s of opinions issued by our common pleas court judges and decide which are of significant legal value.  I then summarize worthy opinions and they are published in the county law journal.  Those cases then may be relied upon by lawyers when making legal arguments.  I am also our county’s reporter for the District and County Reporter, a statewide publication of case law.

Many years ago, I was one of 5 members of the committee selected by the President Judge of Lawrence County to assist with the drafting of our local rules of court that are followed to this day.

I previously served on the Board of the New Castle Christian Academy and currently serve as a member of the Board of the Lawrence County Humane Society.

I’ll bring my dedication to the legal profession and the community to the bench if I am elected judge.

Knowledge of the Law & Legal Experience

I’ve been practicing law in Lawrence County on a full-time basis for 38 years. I have had the pleasure of meeting 100s of people and helping them deal with issues in all areas of the law. I’ve tried 100s of criminal and civil cases of all kinds before judges and juries. I have extensive experience in municipal law. I served as solicitor for the City of New Castle for 8 years, the Borough of Seven Fields for 5 years and have served as solicitor for the Lawrence-Hickory Municipal Authority since 2009.

For 15 years, I served as the attorney for a nonprofit countywide economic development corporation. I have been trusted by the developer of one of the largest developments in Lawrence County and by several developers of national retail stores with their local zoning issues. I’ve been retained by an international law firm and many other larger law firms to serve as local counsel. I’ve handled 100s of divorce, custody, adoption and support matters. In one case, my client was awarded one of the largest monthly support awards in Lawrence County.

I’ve had the pleasure of helping many people buy and sell real estate, start businesses, establish their estate plans, and administer estates.

One of the many personal injury cases I handled was tried and resulted in a million dollar jury verdict for my client. I have taken seriously my role in helping others resolve some of their most difficult problems, and providing them with counsel when making important decisions in their lives.

I have argued numerous appeals before the Pennsylvania Superior, Commonwealth and Supreme Courts. Many of those decisions are published in legal resources relied upon by the legal community.

If I am fortunate to be elected as your judge, I am confident that I will be prepared to hear and decide any case that comes before me from the moment I take the bench.

Integrity

The most important quality of a judge is integrity.  Frankly, there is no objective criteria for this quality, but simply put, it's being honest, uncompromised and adhering to a set of moral and ethical principles and values.  

A judge should make decisions based on the facts and the law and not on personal relationships, political biases or outside influence. Growing up, my parents taught me the importance of working hard, treating people with respect, telling the truth and standing up for what’s right.  A good judge must be honest, fair, and trustworthy, and treat people with empathy, compassion, dignity and respect. 

I’ve done my best to live by these principles and values and will continue to do so as your judge. Along with my legal experience, I will bring these same convictions and qualities to the bench.

Life Experience

The formal education and experience of a judicial candidate is not everything. You should also consider their life experiences – those experiences build character.  My parents, Bill and Rose Manolis, were hard-working first generation Americans – and I am the oldest of their five boys. I don’t need to tell you the experiences I had as 1 of 5 brothers.

I have worked consistently in some capacity since I was 10 years old. Until I was old enough to get my working papers, I did odd jobs around the neighborhood – I cut neighbors’ lawns, worked in a neighborhood greenhouse, and got out of bed at 6:00 am on weekends to caddy at the New Castle Country Club. Of course, my work schedule didn’t excuse me from helping Dad in the garden for a few hours on Saturdays. Something I now enjoy doing with my wife.

While attending high school and during the summer, I worked as a pinboy at Colonial Lanes, detailed cars at a local car dealership, and worked as a laborer in a local cheese factory. After I graduated from high school, my friend and I started a house painting business and worked during the summer from sun up to sun down, 7 days a week, to help pay for college and law school.

For several weeks during 2 summers while in college, I served as a congressional intern in Washington D.C. – once for a Democrat and once for a Republican. In law school, I taught high school students about the legal system and volunteered to prepare tax returns for the elderly and less fortunate. 

After graduating from law school, and over the next 20 years, I paid back every penny I borrowed to get through college and law school – just in time to help my 3 children with their higher education. 

We’ve had the pleasure of raising children and enjoying grandchildren. We have also experienced the responsibility and sadness of caring for our ailing parents and my brother, Tom, who passed at age 53, after a courageous battle with cancer.

Over the last 38 years I have worked long hard hours to gain the knowledge and experience I can now dedicate to benefit our local court.

If I am elected, these experiences will give me valuable insight and a better understanding of the people who come before me in the courtroom so I can do what is best for our community. And most importantly those who will rely on me to make the right decisions.

Your Support

I have devoted most of my time to my profession and my family for the last 38 years, striving to be an exceptional lawyer, husband, father and grandfather.  Although I've had the privilege and pleasure of helping and meeting many people in my capacity as a lawyer, there are many others who don’t know anything about me.

So, I need your help.  The best thing you can do (apart from voting for me) is talk to your family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances, and anyone else that will listen and encourage them to vote for me. This is how the best candidates are elected.

Please print out this palm card and use the information when you’re talking to others about me. It will help you answer questions and to favorably distinguish my experience and qualifications from the other candidates.

There are many other ways you can help. If you’d like to know what else you can do for me, click the Volunteer button below.

I am confident that if enough people learn about my experience,  character and qualifications to serve as judge, I will be elected.

I have shared with you all I have to offer as a candidate for judge and I hope that you have concluded that I deserve your vote. I ask that you join my effort to be elected judge, and I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail.