ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL OF PITTSBURGH

Representatives of the Orphans' Court, the Attorney General's Office and the Area Agency on Aging share their experiences and practical tips on an unfortunate, but growing trend in our aging population.

Participants on the Panel will be:

• The Honorable Lawrence J. O’Toole, President Judge of the Orphans’ Court
  Lawrence J. O'Toole graduated from LaSalle University in 1972.   He received his Juris Doctor from Duquesne University School of Law in 1975.  
   
  Judge O'Toole began his legal career as a trial attorney with the Office of the Public Defender of Allegheny County.  He remained there until 1977 when he accepted a position as an associate with Kyle & Ehrman.  After three years practicing in the area of civil defense, Judge O'Toole opened his own law office, where he specialized in complex criminal litigation, municipal law and litigation, and appellate matters. 
  
  In March 1993, Judge O'Toole was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County by Governor Robert Casey.  Judge O'Toole was elected to a full term in the fall of 1993 and retained for an additional ten years in 2003.  From the spring of 1993 until the winter of 2007, Judge O'Toole presided in the Criminal Division.  In December 2007, Judge O'Toole was assigned to the Orphans' Court Division, where he has served as the Administrative Judge since his appointment by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in December 2009.   
  
  Judge O'Toole served as the Presiding Grand Jury Judge in 2000.  From 2004 through 2008, he served on the Court of Judicial Discipline.  He has been a member of the State Conference of Trial Judges since 1993 and he regularly attends their conferences. 
  
  Judge O'Toole has been active in the Allegheny County Bar Association for many years, where he is a long-time member of the Criminal Litigation Section and a new member of the Probate and Trust Law Section. 
   
• Carol Catanzaro, a Financial Abuse Investigator for the Area Agency on Aging’s Adult Protective Services Unit
  
  Carol Catanzaro has worked as a financial exploitation consultant/investigator for the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging since 2008.  She has bar admissions in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia and has practiced general and commercial litigation since 1997.  She also operates Heritage Services, a private bill paying service.

• Jesse F. Harvey, Esquire - Mr. Harvey is a Senior Deputy Attorney General with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and currently serves as the attorney in charge of the Pittsburgh and Erie Regional Offices of the Bureau of Consumer Protection.  Prior to his current appointment, he worked in the Charitable Trusts and Organizations Section of the Attorney General’s Office and served a term as a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association's Estate and Probate Council. Mr. Harvey received his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of law and his B.S. from Colgate University.