Practicing Law and Serving Communities
After over a century and a half in business, though much has changed at Capehart Scatchard, one thing that remains the same is their dedication to serving the community.
For 150 years, Capehart Scatchard has operated as a law firm dedicated to serving clients in a professional and trustworthy manner.
In 1876, the law firm today known as Capehart Scatchard, was founded in Camden, New Jersey by Thomas French, a self-educated lawyer. Mr. French became affiliated with several other outstanding attorneys, which led in 1914 to the Firm of French, Richards & Bradley. Following Mr. French’s death in 1937, the Firm added Blaine Capehart and Grace Heritage Smith as partners, and ultimately the Firm was renamed to Richards, Capehart & Wood. In 1961, after the death of Samuel Richards and the appointment of Alexander “Sandy” Wood to a New Jersey Superior Court judgeship, Blaine Capehart and William Scatchard formed Capehart Scatchard.
Born in 1908, Blaine Capehart began his time at the practice in 1933 after graduating from Temple University’s law school. He passed away in 2012, living 104 years, most of which he dedicated to the practice of law, including assisting on cases well into his 90s.
“He worked with the firm from 1933 almost until his death. He would come into the office right up to age 100. The only reason he wasn't coming to his office after he turned 100 was that the Department of Motor Vehicles rescinded his license, and they wouldn't let him drive anymore. He would still get rides into the office from his son-in-law and relatives just to say hello to people. But he literally was in the office every day until he was 100, so he's really the glue of the modern firm,” says John H. Geaney, one of the firm’s attorneys since 1982 and a current executive committee member.
Geaney further explained that Capehart helped to connect the 20th century to the 21st century with his frequent presence in the office well into old age.
“He was a remarkable person with a great personality. He would come in even when he didn't have files anymore, and he would walk around and say hello to everyone. He would bring in articles. … I was involved in workers comp for my career, he would walk in and say, ‘John, have you seen this article in the Law Journal on workers compensation?’ He was always interested in what everybody was doing. He was a gentleman and he was the role model for all of us, practicing law, working hard, but always respecting your adversaries and always with dignity. And that's the kind of person he was,” says Geaney.
In its many years of existence, the firm has expanded from a South Jersey firm to a regional one, comprised of five locations with three in New Jersey, one in Philadelphia, and one in New York.
More than 90 attorneys are employed by the firm, which has operated with a female managing shareholder for over a decade now. The current managing shareholder and Executive Director is Laura M. Danks, and her predecessor, Mary Ellen Rose, spent her entire, nearly 40-year career with the firm, echoing the longevity of the firm through the long-term commitment of its attorneys.
While primarily known for its respected workers’ compensation defense practice, the firm also serves the region with a number of other practice areas including alternative energy, banking and finance, business and tax, education or school law, labor and employment, multiple litigation areas, real estate and land use, wills, trusts and estates.
"Workers’ compensation is the largest department by far, but all our practice areas are major contributors to our firm’s success ,” says Danks.
In addition to its broad legal practice, Capehart Scatchard also sets itself apart in its marketing efforts and ongoing training including the various departments routinely getting together for Lunch and Learns to discuss leading cases.
Philanthropic endeavors are also important to the firm's operations, with both Capehart Scatchard itself and several of its attorneys giving back to the community and different causes that are important to them.
The firm sponsors various community organization events through monetary donations, as well as volunteer work by attorneys and staff.
“One of our favored charities is Kids Chance of New Jersey, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing scholarships for children of workers who have suffered a fatal or catastrophic workplace injury. We also support various community organizations like Samaritan, who provides hospice care, grief support, and primary care services, St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society, Legacy Treatment Services, Oaks Integrated Care, Inc., Well Child, and the Indian Cultural Center of South Jersey, among others. Our attorneys and staff have worked with the Food Bank of South Jersey and we participate in various toy drives every year,” says Danks.
Further demonstrating its dedication to scholarship and the surrounding community, the firm created its own academic award for local law school graduates with outstanding legal writing abilities in the year 2000. The Blaine E. Capehart Legal Writing Award, now in its 27th year, donates a financial award to a Rutgers Law School graduate each year based on demonstration of superior legal writing ability. Capehart personally presented the award each year until he was 100 years old in 2008.
“We are a firm dedicated to serving both our clients and the community we call home, and we look forward to continuing our mission of exceeding expectations on both fronts for another 150 years,” says Danks.
Capehart Scatchard
Mount Laurel
(856) 234-6800
