Wilbur McCoy (Joe) Otto

Otto Law Group, LLC

Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602

412-229-8284

Education, Healthcare, Insurance, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Professional Malpractice, Whistleblower, Wrongful Death


Professional  Career:  Case Handlings

 Trials/Cases:

Attorney Otto personally tried to jury verdict 290 cases winning 275. The bulk of these cases were medical malpractice defense, but also included were many auto, railroad, and general  liability  cases, and some contract cases.

Atty. Otto has also represented Plaintiffs, including a case on behalf of a medical malpractice Plaintiff in 2015 resulting in what is reported to be the largest malpractice award ever made in Ventura County, California. Mr. Otto also represented Tammy Wynette  in a successful  defamation  case against  the National Enquirer.

Atty. Otto served as supervising Defense Counsel in thousands of medical malpractice lawsuits against physicians  and hospitals  between  1977 and  2015.

Atty. Otto pioneered the nation's development of captive insurance programs  for major Health Care facilities and providers, both academic  and non-academic  related, in an effort  to save substantial insurance costs as well as improve the quality of health care, and efficiency  of insurance  services for injured  patients.

ADR Experience:

Atty. Otto has directly participated as Counsel in some 600 cases submitted to Mediation or Conciliation all of which cases were successfully resolved -including handling cases  in most of the jurisdictions throughout Pennsylvania,  W. VA, Ohio, the District of Columbia  and Virginia.

Additionally, Atty. Otto has resolved hundreds of cases directly with Plaintiff s Counsel - cases in which  Mr.  Otto served as supervising Defense  Counsel.

Atty. Otto has been approved to serve as an ADR Neutral by the USDC for the Western district of Pennsylvania.

Professional   Career: Experiences/Achievements

Atty. Otto served as President of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County (1980 - 81).

Atty. Otto has been a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers and of the American  Bar Foundation  for many years.

Atty. Otto is a member of the Million Dollars Advocacy Forum.

For some 30 years Atty. Otto served as a member of the Faculty for Institutes of Trial Advocacy sponsored by:

The University of Michigan Law School;

The University of Pittsburgh Law School; and

Duquesne  University  Law School.

Atty. Otto served as Special Counsel to the Health Review Committees for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (1977 - 2005) and Allegheny Health Network (2012 - 2015), as well as for a number of other Hospitals and Physician Groups.

Attorney Otto was commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Regular Army, JAGC, and served on the Faculty of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. (1961 - 65)\ before joining the firm of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C., helping to build the firm into Pittsburgh's 4th largest, serving as Chairman of the firm's Professional Development and as Chairman, CEO and President (1965 - 2015), before forming the Otto Law Group.

Atty. Otto was recognized  as the first Trial Lawyer  in the U.S. to utilize video testimony  in both the State Courts as well  as the Federal  Courts (1969 and   1970).

Atty. Otto has been recognized for many years as one of the Best Lawyers in America, and as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer.

Atty.  Otto holds Martindale-Hubbell  AV  and AVVO  10.0 ratings.

Atty. Otto holds Bar Admissions in D.C. (1961) and PA (1962), and is admitted to practice  before  the U.S.  Supreme Court.

Atty. Otto graduated from Dickinson College (A.B. Degree with Honors in Economics, 1958) and the University  of Michigan  Law  School (J.D. Degree,  1961).

Personal

Atty. and Mrs. Otto are most proud of their 4 children - all lawyers - and 9 Grandchildren, 2 of whom are aiming for law schools in 2017.

Atty. Otto is a member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Sewickley, PA and Somerset Anglican Fellowship  and has taught  adult  Sunday  School for many years.

Atty. Otto has authored and published many professional articles and in 2015 his book "Resurrection: Fact or Fiction - A Trial Lawyer looks at all of the Evidence" was published.

1While at West Point, Capt. Otto was appointed to revise the Academy's Regulations, and in doing so, having had 2 daughters born at West Point, Capt. Otto proposed that women be qualified as candidates.  The proposal was approved by the Dept. of Army and implemented  in the year 1973.

Professional   Career: Experiences/Achievements

 Atty. Otto served as President of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County in 1980 - 81.

 Atty. Otto has been a fellow of the International Society of Barristers and of the American  Bar Foundation  for many years.

 Atty.  Otto is a member  of the Million Dollars Advocacy  Forum.

Atty. Otto has been recognized for many years as one of the Best Lawyers in America and as a Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania.

Atty. Otto holds Martindale-Hubbell AV and AVVO 10.0 ratings.

For some 30 years Atty. Otto served as a member of the Faculty for Institutes of Trial Advocacy sponsored by:


The University  of Michigan  Law School;
The University  of Pittsburgh  Law  School; and
Duquesne University Law School.
Atty. Otto served as Special Counsel to the Health Review Committees for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (1977 - 2005) and Allegheny Health Network (2012 - 2015), as well as for a number of other Hospitals and Physician Groups.

Before establishing his own firm in 2014, Attorney Otto served on the Faculty of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. for 4 Yz years (1960 - 65) before joining the firm of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C. (1965 - 2014) serving as Chairman of the firm's Professional Development Committee and as Chairman, CEO and President.

Atty. Otto was recognized as the first Trial Lawyers  in the U.S. to utilize video testimony  in both the State Courts as well  as the Federal  Courts in  1969 and  1970.

Atty. Otto graduated from Dickinson College (A.B. Degree with Honors in Economics, 1958) and the University  of Michigan  Law School (J.D. Degree,   1961).

Atty. Otto holds Bar Admissions in D.C. (1961) and PA (1962), and is admitted to practice  before the U.S.  Supreme Court.

 Atty. Otto has been recognized  for many  years as one of the Best  Lawyers  in America, and as a Super Lawyer  in Pennsylvania.

Personal

Atty. and Mrs. Otto are most proud of their 4 children - all lawyers - and 9 Grandchildren, 2 of whom are aiming for law schools in 2017.

Atty. Otto is a member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Sewickley, PA and Somerset Anglican  Fellowship  and has taught adult Sunday  School for many  years.

842 5th Avenue
Corapolis, PA 15108

P.O. Box 565
Sewickley, PA 15143

P: 412-229-8284
P: 412-779-9529
F: 412-259-8194
E: [email protected]