Robert Daley

About Partner Robert F. Daley (Bob) takes a simple approach to the practice of law— always put each clients interest first. He believes in treating every client with respect and dignity and in working hard to see that justice is done. Bobs 20 years of experience have given him a unique ability to see the big picture in any case and to anticipate outcomes before they occur. Fighting for the rights of others was a natural path for Bob. He was born in Duquesne, a small steel town in Western Pennsylvania. His father, both of his grandfathers, and countless uncles and cousins made their livings, at least for a time, working in the steel mills. Through them, Bob learned the value of hard work. Later, he and his family witnessed the towns devastation after the mills closed. The devastation continued when two of his uncles passed from asbestos-caused cancers. These experiences shaped Bob and gave him the drive to pursue a career in law. Bob graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in chemical engineering. After eight years in the field, Bob decided to switch gears and head to Duquesne University Kline School of Law. He was ready for a career where he could work with real people experiencing real problems, one on one. Bob served as a senior staff member on the Duquesne University Law Review and graduated cum laude in 1998. He then joined Robert Peirce & Associates and has been there ever since. During his time as a lawyer, Bob has produced groundbreaking changes to national health care law and asbestos law through more than 20 appellate arguments before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court of West Virginia, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. In daily practice, Bob manages and litigates nursing home cases, asbestos cases, complex litigation, and class actions. He has recovered more than $100 million dollars for his clients through negotiating settlements and winning verdicts. Bob contributes to educating future lawyers as an adjunct professor at Duquesne University teaching trial advocacy. He is also a Trial Moot Court Coach. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Allegheny County Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (WPTLA), and Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. He is an elected member of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ) and the American Association of Justice (AAJ), was formerly the Chair of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Nursing Home Litigation Group, where he also previously served as its parliamentarian and treasurer. Bob has been a Regional and National Coordinator of the AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Competition, coordinating regional competition for seven years and the National Competition once. Well respected in his field, Bob is an invited member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and has been named a Rising Star and Top Pennsylvania Lawyer by Super Lawyers. He received the National Appellate Advocacy Award from The Pound Civil Justice Institute in 2016 for his work in Tooey v. AK Steel and has received an AAJ Appreciation Award for his work with the Law Student Moot Court Competition. Over the past two decades, Bob has been working at the forefront of Nursing Home Litigation in the United States. Under his guidance, the firm opened the first full time nursing home practice group in Western Pennsylvania, which has expanded from just 1 attorney and 2 staff members to the current 12 lawyers, 2 nurses and 30 support staff - all of whom that work hard every day on important medical malpractice, personal injury and nursing home cases. Throughout his career, Bob has been dedicated to preserving and expanding the Constitutional Right to Trial by Jury, a bedrock principle of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Through his appellate advocacy, Bob has opened the Courthouse doors to people who previously were denied the right to Trial by Jury. In doing so, he has ensured that a fundamental right of our society is both preserved and respected. Bob spends most of his free time with his wife and three kids, including many hours at sporting events—hes been to at least 500 youth baseball games, and has coached both youth baseball and basketball. On occasion, Bob manages to spend some time on the golf course. Finally, Bob spends considerable time at home dodging the seven dogs his wife somehow convinced him to adopt (there are three cats, too, but they are generally smart enough to stay out of the way). Education Duquesne University Kline School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania J. D., cum laude, 1998 Honors: Trial Advocacy, Adjunt Professor, 2016 - Present Honors: Trial Moot Court Coach, Adjunct Professor, 2015 - Present Law Review: Senior Staff, Duquesne University Law Review, 1996 - 1998 University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio BSc Chemical Engineering, 1987 Bar Admissions Pennsylvania, 1998 West Virginia, 1999 Ohio, 2005 U. S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2020 U. S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2001 U. S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 1999 U. S. District Court Southern District of West Virginia, 1999 U. S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1999 U. S. Supreme Court, 2006 U. S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2009 Representative Cases Herold v. University of Pittsburgh, 291 A.3d 489 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2023)Health and Hospital Corporation v. Talevski, 143 S. Ct. 1444 (2023)Hommrich v. PUC 231 A3d 1027 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2020)Sunrise Energy v. First Energy Corp and West Penn Power, LLC. 148 A.3d 894 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2016)Pisano v. Extendicare Homes, 77 A.3d 651 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2013)Landis/Tooey v. AK Steel Corp, 81 A.3d 851 (Pa. 2013)Thrower v. Pennsylvania, 873 F. Supplement 2d 651 (Western District PA 2012)Grammer v. John J. Kane Regional Centers, 570 F. 3d 520 (3rd Circuit 2009)In Re: FELA Asbestos, 665 S. E. 2d 687 (W. Va. 2008)Jenkins v. CSXT, 649 S. E. 2d 294 (W. Va. 2007)Black v. CSXT, 648 S. E. 2d 610 (W. Va. 2007)Slivo v. City of Pittsburgh Mun. Pension Fund, 882 A.2d 24 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2005)Sexton v. Grieco, 613 S. E.2d 81 (W. Va. 2005)Virden v. Altria Group, 304 F. Supp.2d 832 (N. D. W. Va. 2004)In re: FELA Asbestos, 592 S. E. 2d 818 (W. Va 2003)Mistick, Inc. v. Northwestern Nat. Cas. Co., 806 A.2d 39 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2002)Swierkowski v. Consolidated Rail Corp., 168 F. Supp.2d 389 (E. D. Pa. 2001) Published Works Nursing Home Predispute Arbitration Agreements, The Legal Intelligencer, November 25, (2014)The Grammer Decision; Andrews Nursing Home Litigation Reporter, September (2009)Commentary: The Grammer Decision: The Federal Nursing Home Reform Amendments Give Enforceable Rights to Residents of County Run Nursing Homes, Andrews Litigation Reporters, (2009)Court Recognizes Rights of County Run Nursing Home Residents, The Legal Intelligencer, (2009)Negligence in Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facilities, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), (2008)A Suggested Proposal to Apportion Liability in Lead Pigment Cases, Duq. U. L. Rev., Vol. 36, No. 1, (1997)Honors and Awards Top Pennsylvania Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2014 - Present Elected Member Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, 2014 - Present Appellate Advocacy Award, The Pound Civil Justice Institute, 2016 Regional Coordinator, AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Competition, 2007, 2009 - 2012, 2014 Appreciation Award, American Association for Justice, Trial Moot Court, 2005, 2009, 2010 Invited Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 2000 - Present Top Pennsylvania Lawyer, Rising Star, Philadelphia Magazine, 2005 - 2006 Professional Associations and Memberships Duquesne University School of Law, Trial Advocacy, Adjunct Professor, 2016 - Present Duquesne University School of Law, Trial Moot Court Coach, 2014 - Present Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ), Member, 1998 - Present Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ), Board of Governors, 2010 - Present American Association for Justice (AAJ), Member, 1997 - Present American Association for Justice (AAJ), Board of Governers, 2024 American Association for Justice (AAJ) Nursing Home Litigation Group, Chair, 2016 American Association for Justice (AAJ) Nursing Home Litigation Group, Chair Elect, 2015 American Association for Justice (AAJ) Nursing Home Litigation Group, Parliamentarian, 2013 - 2014 American Association for Justice (AAJ) Nursing Home Litigation Group, Treasurer, 2012 Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, Elected Member, 2014 - Present American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition, National Coordinator, 2015 - Present American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition, Regional Coordinator, 2005, 2009 - 2012, 2014 American Bar Association, Member, 1998 - Present Allegheny County Bar Association, Member, 1998 - Present Pennsylvania Bar Association, Member, 1998 - 2013 Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (WPTLA), Member, 1998 - Present Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, Member, 1997 - Present Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Member, 2000 Classes/Seminars Talevski- Case Update, Pennsylvania Assocation for Justice, 2024 Penn State Solar Symposium, 2024How to arbitrate when you have to!, PAJ Nursing Home Seminar, 2024Liens and why you have to care!, PAJ Nursing Home Seminar, 2024 The Impact of Talevski in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Assocation for Justice, 2023 Litigating Nursing Home Civil Rights Cases, Indiana Assocation for Justice, 2023 Update on Nursing Home Cases Important to You, Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ), 2022 Joint and Several Liability in Medical Cases, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2022, 2023 Moderator, Nursing Home Practice in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ), 2021 Arbitration Case Law and Regulatory Review, Duquesne University, 2016 Medicare and Medicaid Liens: Overview, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2015 Arbitration: Case Law and Practical Considerations, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2015 Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2013 Post Settlement Lien Resolution Issues and 3rd Party Vendors, Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers, 2013 Lien Resolution Issues, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Nursing Home Litigation, 2013 Post Settlement Lien Resolution Issues and Third-Party Vendors, Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers, 2013 Conduct of Arbitrations and the Pisano Decision, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2013 We Are Family, Family Members Rights and Damages in Nursing Home Litigation, Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ), 2012 Distinction Between Fraud and Neglect in NH Cases, United States Department of Justice - Health Care Fraud, 2011 Negligence Per Se and the Use of Grammer v. Kane in Nursing Home Cases, Pennsylvania Association for Justice, 2011 Impact of Grammer v. Kane Beyond Civil Rights, AAJ Annual Convention, 2011 Civil Rights Claims in Nursing Home Litigation, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2011 Grammer v. Kane, New Jersey Association for Justice Boardwalk Seminar, 2010 The Art of Persuasion: Overcoming Age Bias and Lack of Special Damages in Nursing Home Cases, Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ), 2010 Arbitration Agreements/Post Settlement Issues, Nursing Home and Assisted Living Litigation, 2008 Negligence in Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facilities, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2008 Section 8 Compliance and Other Lead Poisoning Litigation Issues, New York State Department of Health Conference on Lead Poisoning, 2000 Legally Defensible Inspection Reports, Ohio State Health Department Conference, 1999 Legal Issues in Lead Poisoning Litigation, National Lead Safe Housing, 1999 Community Involvement Pro Bono Activities Sponsor, Make A Wish, 2008 - Ongoing Coach and Sponsor, Steel Valley Youth Baseball Association, 2008- Ongoing Sponsor and Participant, St. Barnabas Presents for Patients, 2008- Present Member, Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership Pittsburgh Hearing, Speech and Deaf Services (PHSDS), Law Day Program, 1998- 1999, continued pro-bono representation of the hearing impaired through 2002 Pro Se Committee for Indigent Plaintiffs in Prisoner Civil Rights Cases 1999- Present USDC Western District of Pennsylvania, Pro-Bono Prisoners Civil Rights Committee, 2000 - 2004 Representation of Lead Poisoned Children Reaching the Age of Majority, 2005- Present Election Petition Challenges, 2008- Present