Carl D. Buchholz III

Carl D. Buchholz, III is a partner specializing in several areas of practice. He is an active trial and appellate attorney.

Mr. Buchholz is head of the Firm’s Appellate Section. His state appellate practice includes 10 arguments before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, as well as over 40 oral arguments before the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.

His recent state court appellate cases include acting as co-counsel with partner Peter J. Neeson in obtaining a unanimous opinion from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejecting the “every breath” theory of causation/liability in asbestos cases in Simikian v. Allied Signal, Inc., 44 A.3d 27 (2012); Nelson v. LA Fitness (2016), in which a three-judge panel of the Superior Court affirmed summary judgment in favor of LA Fitness in a defamation lawsuit on the ground that the alleged defamatory communications by employees of LA Fitness were made more than one year prior to the filing of suit so that plaintiffs’ suit was time-barred; Gatto v. Hajoca Corp. (2016), in which a three-judge panel of the Superior Court affirmed summary judgment in favor of the defendants on the ground that a diagnosis of asbestosis given to the decedent more than two years prior to the filing of suit barred the cause of action even if the diagnosis was in error; Kirwin v. Sussman Automotive (2016), in which a three-judge panel of the Superior Court affirmed summary judgment in favor of Sussman Automotive on the ground that the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law still required proof of justifiable reliance on the alleged deceptive advertising of the defendants; and Toro v. LA Fitness (2016), in which a three-judge panel of the Superior Court affirmed summary judgment in favor of LA Fitness on the ground that the Release of Liability Clause in plaintiff’s Membership Agreement barred plaintiff’s claim for damages resulting from a slip and fall accident in the locker room.

His federal appellate practice includes an appearance before the United States Supreme Court in 1994, where he successfully limited longshoremen’s claims against ship owners, as well as numerous arguments before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

In addition, Mr. Buchholz is the head of the Firm’s Maritime Section, practicing maritime law since 1970. He has defended ship owners and terminal operators in a variety of matters, including personal injury and cargo damage claims, hull and pier damage, and Immigration and Coast Guard proceedings. He also regularly represents and advises banks on issues related to restraints of wire transfers and funds pursuant to writs of maritime attachment.

Mr. Buchholz graduated from Muhlenberg College in 1967 and Villanova Law School in 1970 where he was a member of the Villanova Law Review and graduated with honors. He is a Proctor in Admiralty, and a member of the bars of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for Third Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.

From 2006–2012, Mr. Buchholz served as a member of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, including a term as Board Chair. Prior to his appointment to the Disciplinary Board, Mr. Buchholz served a six-year term as Chair and Board Member of the Pennsylvania Lawyers Fund for Client Security.

Mr. Buchholz has been rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. He was listed in the 2012 edition of Philadelphia’s Top Rated Lawyers. He has been named a 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers, a service of Thomson Reuters.