Alesia is a member of the Professional Liability Department where she focuses her practice on the defense of claims made and suits brought against a variety of professionals. She regularly defends attorneys in legal malpractice claims, wrongful use of civil proceedings claims, abuse of process claims and disciplinary matters. Alesia handles a wide variety of real estate matters, including defending real estate agents, appraisers and title agents in litigation and disciplinary matters, and advising corporate clients on real estate and property matters. Additionally, she defends other professionals, including accountants, non-profit organizations and directors and officers, and provides representation in commercial litigation matters.
Alesia regularly presents on risk management and legal malpractice avoidance topics for attorneys throughout Pennsylvania. She publishes extensively in this area as well, including co-authoring a recurring column in The Legal Intelligencer on professional liability themes. She is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Professional Liability Committee and Ethics Committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Professional Liability Defense Federation.
In 2012, Alesia earned her juris doctor from the Villanova University School of Law where she graduated cum laude. While in law school, she was on the executive board of the Villanova Law Moot Court Board and ran the annual Theodore L. Reimel Moot Court Competition. Prior to attending law school, Alesia worked as a corporate underwriter for a mortgage company in Philadelphia, PA.
Alesia attended St. Joseph's University as an undergraduate, and she graduated magna cum laude in 2006. She received several academic honors including the Presidential Scholarship and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
Results
Unanimous Appellate Decision Preserves Defense Win in Legal Malpractice Suit
We successfully defended an appeal from a jury verdict previously secured by members of our Lawyers’ Professional Liability Department in favor of the firm’s client in a legal malpractice case. The plaintiffs initially asserted multiple tort claims and a claim under the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, which were dismissed by the trial court upon partial grant of the defense’s motion for judgment on the pleadings. The case proceeded to trial on a remaining breach of contract claim, resulting in a defense verdict. On appeal, the plaintiffs challenged the trial court’s rulings on both the motion for judgment on the pleadings and a motion in limine related to evidentiary exclusions. The Pennsylvania Superior Court unanimously affirmed the trial court’s rulings, holding that the tort claims were time-barred and that the plaintiffs had waived their evidentiary argument by failing to properly develop it in their appellate brief.
Defense Verdict Secured in Legal Malpractice Case
We won a defense verdict in a legal malpractice case arising from an underlying civil rights claim. The plaintiff was arrested in August 2015 following a physical altercation with her daughter and her daughter’s friends. The plaintiff alleged that, while she was being searched at the Philadelphia Police Detention Unit, a City employee struck her, causing her to fall into a “split” and suffer a hamstring avulsion. The defendant attorneys represented the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the City. The plaintiff was never able, during the underlying case, to identify the employee who allegedly assaulted her. She did not respond to communications from the defendant attorneys regarding the arbitration award and the appellate deadline; thus, no appeal was filed. During the legal malpractice trial, we presented evidence that the plaintiff could not have won the underlying case-within-the-case because she lacked corroborating evidence of the alleged assault. We also presented evidence that the plaintiff could not prove damages arising from the alleged injury. The court agreed and entered a defense verdict following a bench trial.
Thought Leadership
The Legal Intelligencer
What’s the Gist of the Gist of the Action in Pennsylvania?
May 14, 2026
The question of when and how the gist of the action doctrine applies to professional liability claims in Pennsylvania, and whether a breach of contract claim may be asserted in any legal malpractice action where there is a contract, remains open.
The Legal Intelligencer
The Distinction Between Abuse of Process and Wrongful Use of Civil Proceedings
March 16, 2026
Attorneys and Pennsylvania courts have often conflated actions for abuse of process and wrongful use of civil proceedings (the Dragonetti Act). The two torts are very different claims, with different requirements, and should be considered separately. Some recent opinions have highlighted one of the key differences between the two types of claims, the distinction between a “proceeding” and “process.”
