Abes Baumann A Professional Corporation

Ed Abes is the founding shareholder of Abes Baumann. He has over 45 years of experience in practicing law in Western Pennsylvania and, today, is solely focused on representing injured workers.

From 1972 to 1978, Ed worked for the State Workers™ Insurance Fund as a Special Assistant Attorney General. In 1978, he decided to use his knowledge and experience of Workers™ Compensation to establish a law firm dedicated to fighting for injured workers.

Not long after opening the doors at Abes Baumann, Ed began representing injured professional athletes as a member of the Workers Compensation Panels of the National Football League Players Association, the National Hockey League Players Association, and the Professional Hockey Players Association. The Major League Baseball Players Association also recommends Abes Baumann to their injured players.

In addition to practicing law full-time, Ed has volunteered his time on a number of boards and committees including chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Workers™ Compensation Section Liaison Committee, which facilitates communication among the judges, administrators, and attorneys of the Workers™ Compensation judicial system. Ed is past president of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and past treasurer of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee.

Ed has won numerous industry awards and accolades during his career. In 2011, Ed was elected to the National Academy of Social Insurance. Super Lawyers Magazine has listed him as one of the top 5% of lawyers in Pennsylvania since 2004 and also as one of the Top 50 Lawyers in Pittsburgh. He has been recognized continuously since 2004 by Best Lawyers in America as one of Pittsburgh's Best Workers'™ Compensation Lawyers.

A graduate of Pennsylvania State University and Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, Ed currently resides in the City of Pittsburgh. Ed has a son, Eric, who, following five years in the United States Army and law school, joined Abes Baumann.

Honors & Awards
Best Lawyers of America, 2004-Present
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, Workers Compensation, 2004-2018
Top 50 Lawyers in Pittsburgh by Super Lawyer Magazine
Pittsburgh's Best Lawyer, Workers Compensation, 2010-Present
Professional Hockey Players Association Workers Compensation Panel Attorney of the Year
National Football League Players Association Workers™ Compensation Panel Attorney of the Year
Pennsylvania Bar Association Workers' Compensation Section 2016 Irvin Stander Award for Professionalism
Professional Associations and Memberships
National Football League Players Association, Workers™ Compensation Panel, 1981-Present
National Hockey League Players Association, Workers' Compensation Panel, 2000-Present
Professional Hockey League Players Association, Workers'€™ Compensation Panel, 1999-Present
Pennsylvania Bar Association, Workers Compensation Section, Chair, 1993-1994
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Workers™ Compensation Section, Past Co-Chair
Pennsylvania Bar Association, Workers Compensation Liaison Committee, Chair
Allegheny County Bar Association, Workers™ Compensation Section
Allegheny County Bar Association, Sports Lawyers' Committee
Allegheny County Bar Association, Member, Fee Dispute Committee
Allegheny County Bar Association, Trustee and Chair, Allegheny County Bar Foundation Loans and Scholarship Fund, 1980-Present
Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group, Sustaining Member
National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI)
Allegheny County Democratic Committee, Treasurer, 2006-2011
American Civil Liberties Union, President, Pittsburgh Chapter, 2000-2005
The College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers, Fellow

Seminars and Presentations
Ed has been a presenter at numerous seminars for various Bar Associations and Trial Lawyer Associations.

Tom Baumann is a partner at Abes Baumann concentrating his practice in the area of Workers’ Compensation. He began his career as a law clerk to the Honorable H. Clifton McWilliam, President Judge of the Cambria County Court of Common Pleas, then transitioned into private practice.

In 1987, Tom became an associate at Abes Baumann and, four years later, became a named partner. He has been instrumental in growing Abes Baumann into a strong presence in the Workers’ Compensation, Personal Injury, and Veterans' Benefits legal arenas.

Tom spends a considerable amount of his personal time volunteering on regional and national boards and committees. Currently, he sits on the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice and is co-chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section. Tom also has the fortunate experience of combining his legal expertise with a lifelong passion for sports. Tom is on the Workers’ Compensation Panel of the National Football League Players Association and the Professional Hockey Players Association.

Since 2005, Tom has been listed as one of the top 5% of lawyers in Pennsylvania by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers; since 2009, he has been listed in the Top 50 lawyers in Pittsburgh. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2005. In 2014, Tom was awarded the George F. Douglas Jr. Amicus Curiae Award by the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, formerly the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, for his work in representing the interests of injured workers. The award is given to a member who has written numerous friend of the court legal briefs on behalf of the organization.

In June 2017, Tom won the most important Workers' Compensation case since the mid-1980s, when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Protz v. WCAB (Derry Area School District). Section 306(a2) of the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act capped benefits at a maximum of 500 weeks for injured workers who are found less than 50% disabled under guidelines of the American Medical Association. Tom's case resulted in this provision being declared unconstitutional.

Tom is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He currently lives in Unity Township, Westmoreland County, with his wife and two children, and is the chairman of the Unity Township Planning Commission.

Honors & Awards
America’s Top 100 Attorneys®, 2018
Pennsylvania Association for Justice George F. Douglas Jr. Amicus Curiae Award, 2014
Best Lawyers in America, 2018 Lawyer of the Year, Pittsburgh Workers' Compensation
Best Lawyers in America, 2005-Present
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, Workers’ Compensation, 2005-2017
Top 50 Lawyers in Pittsburgh by Super Lawyers Magazine, 2008 to 2017
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, Top 100 Pennsylvania Lawyers, 2015
Professional Associations and Memberships
Fellow of the American College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers
Allegheny County Bar Association, Workers' Compensation Section, Treasurer, 1991
Allegheny County Bar Association, Workers' Compensation Section, Secretary, 1992
Allegheny County Bar Association, Workers' Compensation Section, Vice-Chair, 1993
Allegheny County Bar Association, Workers' Compensation Section, Chair, 1994
Pennsylvania Bar Association, Workers' Compensation Section, Member
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Workers' Compensation Section, Co-Chair 1997-1998, 2012-2013
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Workers' Compensation Section, Member 1994-Present
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Member, Board of Governors, 1995-Present
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Past Chair, Amicus Committee, 1995-Present
National Football League Players Association, Workers' Compensation Panel
Professional Hockey Players Association, Workers' Compensation Panel
National Hockey Players Association, Workers' Compensation Panel
Unity Township Planning Commission, Chairman

Susan Paczak is an Associate at Abes Baumann who has more than 20 years of experience in Workers’ Compensation, Social Security, and Veterans’ Benefits.

Susan is a 1980 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. In 1989, she earned her J.D. from Duquesne University, graduating Cum Laude. In law school, she was an associate editor of the Duquesne Law Review. Prior to and during law school, she worked as a paralegal and a law clerk at Abes Baumann, applying what she learned in the classroom to the real world.

Professional Associations and Memberships
Pennsylvania Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Section, Member
Allegheny County Bar Association, Member, Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Allegheny County Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Section, Council Member, 2011-2014
Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania, Member
National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives, Sustaining Member
National Organization of Veterans Benefits, Sustaining Member
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Workers’ Compensation Section
Allegheny County Bar Association, Social Security Practitioners' Committee

Seminars and Presentations
Practice before the Department of Veterans Affairs, Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Elder Law: Obtaining Veterans’ Benefits and Funding Long-term Care, National Business Institute

Jim Burn, a 1985 graduate of Duquesne University, earned his J.D. from the University of Dayton in 1988. In law school, Jim served as president of the Student Bar Association and as president of the law fraternity, Phi Delta Phi, dedicated to promoting the ethical practice of law. With over 20 years of experience in the areas of Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability, Jim has dedicated his professional life to helping injured people. Martindale Hubble ranks Jim, “AV,” the highest ranking that can be given to a Practicing Attorney.

During his presidency of the Student Bar Association, his currently elected positions, and his law practice, Jim has always sought to speak up for his community. Jim was the mayor of the Borough of Millvale, PA from 1994 to 2005; past chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Party from 2006 to 2011; Allegheny County Council Member from 2006 to 2013; and he is the former chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.

Jim was recently appointed as a Hearing Committee Member for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, joining a select few whose responsibility is to review the conduct of peers in the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Jim was named Mayor of the Year in 1997 by the Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association and was honored as one of Pennsylvania’s Top 50 Political Influencers by PoliticsPA in 2010. Jim has appeared on local and national radio and television programs to comment on a variety of legal and political issues affecting his clients and constituents. While appearing on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Mr. Matthews referred to Jim as President Obama’s best surrogate during the 2012 campaign for the White House.

Married in 1997, Jim lives in Millvale with his wife, Lori, and their two sons, James Edward and Brandon Patrick.

Honors & Awards
Mayor of the Year, Pennsylvania State Mayor Association, 1997
Community Award, North Hills Community Outreach, 2002
Community Award, Mooseheart, 2002
Pennsylvania’s Top 50 Political Influencer by PoliticsPA, 2010
Professional Associations and Memberships
Borough of Millvale, Mayor, 1994-2005
Allegheny County Council, 2006-Present
Chair, Pennsylvania Democratic Committee, 2010-Present
Chair, Allegheny County Democratic Committee, 2006-2011
Pennsylvania Bar Association and its Workers’ Compensation Section
Pennsylvania Association for Justice and its Workers’ Compensation Section
Allegheny Bar Association and its Workers’ Compensation Section
Hearing Committee Officer, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2012-Present

Doug Williams is an associate at Abes Baumann with more than 15 years of experience in Workers’ Compensation. He’s an integral part of the Abes Baumann team that represents the rights of injured workers.

Doug is a 1991 graduate of Grove City College, and he earned a J.D. from Duquesne University in 1996. While at Duquesne, Doug was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for Constitutional Law. During law school, he worked as a law clerk at Abes Baumann, applying what he learned in the classroom to the problems of real people injured on the job.

Doug has clerked for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, researching and drafting decisions for Workers’ Compensation Judges. Doug currently serves on the Amicus Committee of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, writing friend of the court briefs to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth and Supreme Courts on a variety of issues.

Married for more than 20 years with two children, Doug coaches youth soccer and basketball; he also volunteers as an advisor and judge for High School Mock Trial teams.

Honors & Awards
Best Lawyers in America, 2010-2015
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2005-2007
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2013-2017

Professional Associations and Memberships
Allegheny County Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Section, Member
Pennsylvania Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Section, Member
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Workers’ Compensation Section, Member
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Amicus Curie Committee, writes Friend of Court Briefs in Pennsylvania Commonwealth and Pennsylvania Supreme Courts
Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, Member

Sandra Weigel Kokal is an associate at Abes Baumann. She has a long and successful history of fighting for the rights of injured people. Prior to joining Abes Baumann in 2000, Sandra spent nine years working as a trial attorney in Workers’ Compensation, Personal Injury and Social Security. She joined Abes Baumann to head the Appellate Department.

Sandra is a 1983 graduate of Washington & Jefferson College and earned a J.D. from Duquesne University in 1991. While at Abes Baumann, she has written briefs for Pennsylvania Supreme Court cases, including Panyko v. WCAB (U.S. Airways), 888 A.2d 724 (2005) (making new law on heart attack cases); Riddle v. WCAB (Allegheny City Electric, Inc.), 981 A.2d 1288 (2009) (what geographical location is appropriate for earning power assessments); and Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court cases, including Holler v. WCAB (Tri Wire Engineering Solutions, Inc.), 104 A.3d 68 (Pa Cmwlth 2013).

Sandra and her husband have been married for more than 20 years, and they have two children. She is also an active volunteer with the Gateway High School Marching Band in support of her children.

Professional Associations and Memberships
Allegheny County Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Section, Member
Pennsylvania Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Section, Member
Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania, Member
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Member
Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, Member

Roger Horgan is Of Counsel at Abes Baumann and has been since 1998. For more than 35 years, Roger has made it his priority to help accident victims get the compensation they deserve and the medical care they need. He has also worked as an allocator clerk for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, reviewing requests by litigants to have their cases heard by the Court.

Roger is a 1976 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and earned a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1979. With more than 35 years of experience as a trial attorney, Roger has lectured on trial practice and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Roger has sought to use his legal education and experience to help his community by participating in local government, both as an elected official and in appointed offices. He also served as an instructor for a diversionary program for first-time criminal offenders.

Roger is past-president of the Board of Commissioners; a past member of the Zoning Hearing Board in Collier Township; and former Solicitor of the Civil Service Commission in Collier Township. He is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, as well as past president of Division 32, and served as solicitor for the Allegheny County Board.

Roger and his wife have been married for over 28 years and have two children.

Honors & Awards
National Register’s Who’s Who, 2001-2002
Professional Associations and Memberships
Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Member
Allegheny County Bar Association, Member
Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Member
Collier Township, Past President, Board of Commissioners
Collier Township, Former Solicitor, Civil Service Commission
Collier Township, Past Member, Zoning Hearing Board
Ancient Order of Hibernarians, Allegheny County Board, Past President, Division 32
Ancient Order of Hibernarians, Former Solicitor, Allegheny County Board