LANCASTER, Pa., January 18, 2023 — Attorney Seth Mendelsohn, the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, former executive deputy insurance commissioner of the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance and regional counsel at American Water Works, has joined Saxton & Stump as senior counsel. Mendelsohn is part of the firm’s Environmental, Workplace Safety and Utilities Group as well as the Business, Corporate and Tax Group.
“Seth brings unique experience to an important practice area that we are committed to growing,” Saxton & Stump CEO James W. Saxton said. “I am positive that our clients which depend on utilities to succeed will benefit from his deep and broad experience as an attorney in the industry and his knowledge of the PUC. It is an excellent fit and we welcome him to our team.”
Mendelsohn has held a variety of executive positions in both the public and private sectors. He recently left the PUC after serving as the executive director at the agency which regulates rates and service of the commonwealth’s utilities since 2019. Prior to his time at the PUC, where he managed a staff of more than 500 professionals and guided the organization’s day-to-day operations, he was the executive deputy insurance commissioner at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. There he managed a $40-million budget and a staff of more than 200 professionals. Prior to that, he rose to vice president of legal at American Water. He also served as the secretary of two of the company’s subsidiaries, Virginia American Water and Maryland American Water. A cum laude graduate of The Dickinson School of Law, Mendelsohn spent the early portion of his career in the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, where he was a senior deputy attorney general and attorney-in-charge at the Bureau of Consumer Protection Harrisburg District. Mendelsohn has been a member of the board of trustees at Lebanon Valley College since 2012, returning to the school where he earned his MBA in 2010. He also is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus MBA program teaching leadership and ethics and is a former president of the board of directors at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.
As a member of the Environmental, Workplace Safety and Utilities Group, Mendelsohn will join a team that serves both private and public entities. Led by co-chairs Kathy L. Pape and Stephen J. Matzura, the team is a strategic partner for clients in planning, compliance, education, training, public/private partnerships, litigation, enforcement defense and policy advocacy. Mendelsohn, like Pape, will bring his real-world experience in both public and private sector entities to offer legal counsel related to finance, operations, and regulatory and government affairs.
Saxton & Stump’s strategic growth outlook
The firm was named the fastest growing law firm in Pennsylvania by The Legal Intelligencer. Overall, Saxton & Stump has grown to a team of more than 170 professionals, including 97 attorneys. Recently, the firm has added established groups dedicated to education, public finance, franchising licensing and distribution, investigations and criminal defense and environmental, workplace safety and utilities.
The firm continues to grow based on their strategic plan for 2023 and will continue to expand its current team of lawyers and professionals, focusing on bringing additional resources to support client needs.
Saxton & Stump provides solutions for complex legal issues and partners with clients to create a roadmap for their success. The firm is committed to empowering clients by delivering five-star service and results-focused advice.