Every Wednesday, from 11:10 a.m. to noon, listeners of Lansdale-based WNPV Radio Inc. tune in to 1440 on the AM dial to hear some of the region’s most skilled attorneys inform, entertain and answer questions about important legal issues.
The program, “Legally Speaking,” is hosted by a revolving cast of 13 attorneys from Lansdale-based law firm Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg and Gifford P.C. Special guests include judges, businesspeople, senators, legislators and members of the local police departments and fire companies, among others—tying in all aspects of community life and how it relates to the law.
“We live and work in this community, so we try to be active participants in the community’s daily life,” says Lewis Goodman, a partner in the firm since 1990 whose practice includes the various facets of business law. “We take seriously our obligation to participate in local events and activities and give something back to the community with which we live and work.
“In addition to the radio show, we all do a certain amount of pro bono work,” he adds. “Not only is that a good business model, but we do it because that’s the kind of people we’ve attracted.”
At Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg and Gifford P.C., one could argue that not much has changed since founder Irwin S. Rubin opened his doors as a sole practitioner. Yes, the firm has changed names and locations since its founding in 1952, and it has also added a number of highly capable attorneys to handle a wide array of legal needs—from criminal defense and family law to personal injury and business law. Despite its growth, the firm has retained and built upon its original mission of being a community-minded firm that provides exceptional legal representation.
The firm’s countless marks of distinction speak volumes. The firm’s attorneys are routinely named among Pennsylvania’s “Super Lawyers,” apart from many other honors and distinctions. Since 1992, the firm has earned a prestigious AV rating—the highest possible rating—for legal and ethical standards under the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating process. Lastly, U.S. News and World Report honored Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg and Gifford, which is the largest criminal defense firm in Montgomery and Bucks counties, as a “2010, 2011 and 2012 Best Law Firm.”
For nearly six decades the firm has been earning the community’s trust and respect by providing sound, ethical legal representation with a focus on client service. This foundation of excellence and ethics has enabled Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg and Gifford to grow from its modest beginnings into one of the region’s top law firms, now serving the needs of clients in Montgomery, Bucks, Lehigh, Chester and Delaware counties, as well as other surrounding areas.
“We have always prided ourselves on our ethics,” says Marc Robert Steinberg, the firm’s managing partner, who has been litigating civil and criminal cases in federal and state courts for nearly 40 years. “We will always go the distance to do the right thing for our clients. … We want to be seen as reputable and ethical at all times and all instances, and we’re really pleased that that’s the reputation the firm has had since the beginning.
“We do not want to do anything that would even be perceived as unethical,” he continues. “Reputation in the community is one thing, and reputation among your peers is just as important, if not even more so. We go into court to fight for our clients, but we’re not fighting with other lawyers. It’s been important to always maintain professionalism and civility.”
Amy Stern, a family-law attorney who has been with the firm for 15 years, considers one of the firm’s greatest strengths is its diversity of legal experience.
“Everybody works together, so whether a case involves family law, an estate matter or a real estate issue, you always have someone to go to for perspective,” she says. “We’re set up to help the client get resolution and peace of mind—that’s our goal. As for me, I try to resolve cases and, whenever possible, not go into court. Litigating can be aggravating and expensive for everybody. Sometimes, of course, we have to go into court and when we do we’re always prepared to do what’s best for our client.”
Changing Lives
What Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg and Gifford does more than anything else is, simply put, help clients through what are often life-changing events—be it a divorce, an injury, a business merger or the administration of a loved one’s estate.
Greg Gifford, whose practice includes personal injury and criminal law, has a unique benchmark for the ways his firm has improved the lives of clients. A partner in the firm since 1984, Gifford keeps an overflowing file of notes and thank-you letters from clients he has represented over the past 27 years.
“I got into the habit of asking clients to contact me 10 or 15 years down the road and let me know how their life turns out,” he says. “With a second chance many of them tell me how much better off they are now. … What makes this career so fulfilling is this large file of heartfelt letters and thank-you notes from these people who I’ve helped through something.”
One example: Gifford defended an individual in a juvenile matter over a “very serious” charge, and was able to illustrate that his client’s involvement in the matter was minimal—merely a case of wrong place, wrong time, wrong friends. The resulting thank-you note explained that the client had gone on to graduate from medical school, and that such a thing probably would not have happened if Gifford hadn’t handled the case so well. “The letters like those,” Gifford says, “are why I still love what I do.”
Another of the firm’s defining characteristics is the astounding longevity of the careers of those who work there—from the partners to the paralegals to the secretary behind the desk. Most of the firm’s attorneys, for example, have been in place for 15 years or more, and some as many as 30 or 40 years.
“It gives the client a lot of comfort and continuity when clients see and speak with the same people,” says Jay Glickman, partner and longest-serving member of the firm—since 1972—whose practice includes wills, estate planning and estate administration. “It says we’re stable, that we know what we’re doing. … We don’t have a lot of turnover, and I think that’s not only very telling but also very reassuring.”
Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg and Gifford P.C.
2605 North Broad Street
P.O. Box 1277
Lansdale, PA 19446
Phone: 215-822-7575
Toll Free: 800-358-9367
www.rgsglaw.com
Rob Hall is a photographer based in Plumsteadville.
