Farrow, Benjamin Henry

Robert J. Coleman has been associated with Risk Management and Insurance Claims on a full-time basis since he was 18 years of age. While working his way through both undergraduate and law school, he served in various positions in both Underwriting and Claims. He received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University in 1959 and was graduated from Temple University School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree in 1964. While in law school, he served as an Associate Editor of Temple Law Review and as Chief Justice of the Moot Court Board in the evening division and placed first in the moot court competition in his last year.

Following graduation, Mr. Coleman took a position with Allstate Insurance Company as House Counsel where he tried dozens of jury trials to successful conclusions.

After honing his trial skills, he was offered a position with the firm in 1967 as a trial lawyer and was made a shareholder in 1970. In early 1972, he was elected Managing Partner of what was then a small firm and continued to try numerous cases on behalf of the many clients he had developed over his years in the insurance business. Over the years, he has tried many complex and diverse matters in the field of Products Liability and Professional Liability.

Following the retirement of Francis E. Marshall, he was elected as Chairman and CEO. During his tenure, the firm developed an expansion plan which moved the firm from a small Philadelphia-based general practice firm to a large regional defense litigation firm with almost 1,000 clients and 17 offices in five states.

Mr. Coleman has lectured for various organizations such as the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Pennsylvania Claims Association and the Insurance Society of Philadelphia.

He is a member of the American Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Philadelphia Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Pennsylvania Defense Institute, and Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel where he served on the Executive Committee.

Mr. Coleman served as a member of the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners (1997-2003), and is a former Trustee of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation.  He currently serves as a Director of the Insurance Society of Philadelphia, as well as the Hero Scholarship Fund of Delaware County, Inc.  He also serves as a member of the Board of Visitors of Temple University Beasley School of Law.  He is also a former Director of JeffBanks, Inc.  Currently, he serves as a Director of Republic First Bancorp.

He previously served as Associate Editor of the Philadelphia County Reporter .

Mr. Coleman currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin after leading the firm for 32 years, first as managing partner and, later, as Chairman and CEO.  He has been named as one of the Top 100 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers for 2006 as well as a Super Lawyer in the area of Civil Defense Litigation.