Munley Law is a personal injury law firm that services injury clients throughout Pennsylvania. For the past 65 years, Munley Law has been helping accident victims with their personal injury claims. We handle a wide range of personal injury claims – from car accidents and medical malpractice to workers compensation and product liability. We specialize in commercial vehicle and truck accidents – our founder, Robert W. Munley, was a trailblazer in truck accident law and we currently have three board certified truck accident attorneys on staff.
We work as a team to get the optimal results for our clients. When you get into an accident, you need a personal injury law firm that will stand beside you and help get you the compensation you deserve.
The History of Munley Law
Hon. William J. Munley
For more than three generations, our family has been fighting for justice. It’s more than a career choice—it’s written into our DNA.
Long before the founding of Munley Law, the Munley family dedicated themselves to improving the lives of Pennsylvanians. It began with William J. Munley, who started work in the coal mines of Lackawanna County at 8 years old. Though he didn’t know how to read or write English, he learned it with the help of his wife, who tutored him at night. He became a conductor for the Scranton Transit Authority, and his gregarious personality made him a popular figure in the community. He parlayed this renown into politics and served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly as dean of the House of Representatives from 1923 to 1938. As a union man himself, he championed worker’s rights causes and helped bring the highway system to Lackawanna County.
Hon. Robert W. Munley
William’s son, Robert W. Munley, followed in his footsteps. He was Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue for the Twelfth Pennsylvania District. After William died of a sudden stroke in 1938, Robert was elected as his father’s successor. He served five consecutive terms, upholding Willam’s ideals of workers’ rights and organized labor, and proved to be a popular legislator with admirers across the aisle. He was a man of many talents – not only was he a self-taught musician, but Robert served as the deputy boxing commissioner for the Pennsylvania Athletic Community in Scranton. When Robert died of a heart attack in 1947, his wife Marion L. Munley carried on the mission, winning a special election and becoming the first woman to represent Lackawanna County in the state house.
Hon. Marion L. Munley
Born in a time when women didn’t have the right to vote, Marion made her mark in Harrisburg: She was the co-author of House Bill 66 (1959), also known as the Equal Pay Act, which prohibited “the discrimination in rate of pay of sex conferring powers and imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry.” She was also the first woman to serve as an officer when she was named Secretary of the House in 1963. In 2021, she achieved another big “first” when she became the first woman honored with a statue in Scranton’s Courthouse Square. In 2024, August 19th was named Marion L. Munley Day in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The Origins of Munley Law
Inspired by their parents, Marion and Robert’s two children, James M. Munley and Robert W. Munley Jr., each forged their careers in the legal profession. Both brothers independently served in the Army during the Korean War before attending the University of Scranton and Temple University School of Law. After serving as Assistant District Attorney for Lackawanna County, Robert transitioned into private practice in 1959 and founded the Law Offices of Robert W. Munley—which would eventually become Munley Law.
Soon after launching the practice, Robert was joined by James, while Robert’s wife, Bernadine, oversaw operations as office manager and administrator. The brothers practiced law together until 1977, when James left the firm to become a Common Pleas Court Judge for Lackawanna County. James Munley would later become a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Focusing on Personal Injury Advocacy
Munley Law Founder Robert W. Munley with his wife, Bernadine Munley
Bernadine noticed that many injury victims lacked easy access to the court system, and she was instrumental in turning the general practice into one that focused only on personal injury.
With Robert at the helm, the firm specialized in serving “the Injured, the Forgotten, and the Damned”—victims of catastrophic accidents, particularly trucking accidents, which were numerous in the Scranton region. Robert was an active American Association for Justice member, and it wasn’t long before word spread. Munley Law soon became nationally recognized for its groundbreaking settlements and Robert’s skill in the courtroom. Robert’s work resulted in appellate decisions that transformed American law’s admissibility of trial evidence.
One such case is Mecca v. Lukasik, which is locally known as the “Mid Valley Eight.” The case involved a 1981 car accident when eight teenagers in Throop, PA, were killed after the drunk driver lost control of the car and struck the guardrail, causing the vehicle to land upside down in a gully. Representing the victims’ families, Munley filed a civil lawsuit against the parents of the teenage driver. The case went to trial, with a jury awarding the families a total verdict of $17.5 million — at that time, one of the largest verdicts ever for a single-vehicle accident. It had set the standard for evidence of children’s future earnings based on their stated career aspirations.
By the early 2000s, Munley Law was recognized as an industry leader in personal injury, receiving accolades from peers and national legal organizations for our work in personal injury and truck accident law.
Following the Family Legacy
With family history looming large, Robert and Bernadine’s six children, in turn, dedicated their careers to the law. Marion Munley and her husband, Matt Cartwright, joined Munley Law in 1988. (Matt left the firm when he was elected to U.S. Congress in 2013.) J. Christopher Munley, Daniel W. Munley, Robert W. Munley III, and Caroline Munley also joined as staff attorneys. James’ daughter, Julia K. Munley, also joined the firm as a partner but left in 2016 to become a Common Pleas Court Judge just as her father did before her. She was later nominated to serve as a judge in the Middle District of PA and was confirmed in 2023.
We have committed to lifting up the next generation of lawyers by endowing four different scholarships: at Marywood University, University of Scranton, Landmark College, and Temple Law School. There are two awards named for Robert W. Munley—The Attorney Robert W. Munley Distinguished Service Award is presented each year by Lackawanna Pro Bono, a nonprofit organization to lawyers who demonstrate exceptional service in the community. The Robert W. Munley Pursuit of Justice Award is a national award bestowed by the American Association for Justice’s Trucking Litigation Group to an attorney who represents truck accident victims. The first recipients of the award were Marion Munley and Daniel W. Munley.
Today, we continue to build on this legacy and expand our professional Family of LawyersⓇ to include top attorneys who align with our values and mission. Three of our lawyers are board-certified in trucking law—three of just four such credentialed attorneys in the Commonwealth of PA. Our personal injury lawyers have consistently been named among the Best Lawyers in America, selected to Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, and are board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Across all specialties of personal injury law, our award-winning, best-in-class team is here to serve you and deliver excellent outcomes.
With our unparalleled experience and fervor for the law, we have developed lasting relationships with our clients, who not only rely on us for legal expertise but also find comfort in our compassionate, responsive, and accessible counsel. Honoring those who came before us, Munley Law proudly continues the family tradition of innovation, caring, and integrity.
