Lawyer Profiles
Serving Reading, PA 
610-373-6710
Serving Reading, PA 
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Serving Berks County Since 1986

About Hracho, Landis & Favinger

Read About Attorney J. Peter Landis

Attorney J. Peter Landis graduated from Villanova School of Law in 1980. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Thomas J. Eshelman of the Berks County Court of Common Pleas till 1983. He started his private practice in Berks County in 1983. He specializes in various legal areas like personal injury, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, labor relations and domestic relations.

You can count on him as he has practiced before the courts of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the United States Tax Court. You can rest assured knowing that he has represented clients throughout eastern Pennsylvania. He is experienced in providing legal assistance in hearings before magisterial district courts, trials before the Courts of Common Pleas, proceedings before the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board, the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, the Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission, and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

He is currently a member of the Berks County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association and has been the solicitor for the Berks County Coroner’s Office from February of 2012 to the present.
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Read About Attorney J. Peter Landis

Learn About Attorney Mary C. Favinger

Mary C. Favinger graduated from Pennsylvania State University and the Western New England University School of Law. She has practiced law for over 25 years in Berks County and the surrounding counties. She was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1982 and the Pennsylvania Bar in 1983. 

Mary has also been admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the United States Supreme Court. She began her law career in Milford, Pike County, Pennsylvania as an associate with Attorney John J. Snyder, practicing in the areas of real estate and family law from 1982 to 1984. Until 1987, she was a staff attorney with Northeastern Legal Services in Lackawanna County representing juveniles in dependency and delinquency proceedings.

After her return to Pike County, she practiced as a sole practitioner until 1988. She then relocated to Berks County. Here Mary accepted a position with the Berks County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney. She was assigned to handle trials and prosecution of drug offenses.

Meanwhile, Mary also participated in the educational training of law enforcement personnel. Mary became an associate in the law firm of Hracho & Landis after leaving the Berks County District Attorney’s Office in 1992. She specializes in the areas of divorce and family law and has continued to practice criminal law defense for adults and juveniles, drug forfeiture defense work and driver licensing matters. Mary is also a court appointed attorney representing parents of adjudicated dependent children.

Mary has represented clients in both civil and criminal matters before magisterial district courts, hearings and trials before the Courts of Common Pleas, masters hearings in divorce, custody and support proceedings, hearings before administrative law judges and masters for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Welfare and the Department of Insurance. Mary has also represented clients before the Pennsylvania Superior Court and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. 

Like J. Peter Landis, Mary is currently a member of the Berks County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Since 2009, she has been a partner with the firm.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Legal Services

  • Should I Try to Represent Myself in a Legal Matter?
Being able to fill out a form and file it with the court may sound simple enough, but generally, it doesn’t end there. At first glance, it may appear to be easy and inexpensive to obtain forms, pre-printed legal documents, or other paperwork from an online source, a law library or from an office supply store and submit them yourself.

The first thought always seems to be that you can save yourself the cost of hiring an attorney. Choosing to act as your own attorney in any matter involving legal rights and obligations, whether in or out of court, can take you on a path that may ultimately result in the loss of your legal rights, your money or even your personal freedoms.

Before deciding to try and handle a legal matter on your own, the first question you should ask yourself is what may be at stake. In most instances, you will find that the dispute will concern the payment of money to one side or the other or may involve ownership rights to property. The importance of making the right call becomes even more apparent in family law cases, where you may be dealing with something as important as the custody and welfare of your children. The decisions that you make in these matters could very well have far reaching and long term consequences for both you and your family.

Should you be willing to sacrifice making a sound legal judgment for the sake of saving a few dollars? Obviously not! If you had a health related concern, would you attempt to diagnose and treat your medical problem on your own, without the services and advice of a skilled doctor just for the sake of saving a few dollars? Obviously not!

The point is that you should be seeking the advice and assistance of a qualified professional who can best evaluate your legal matter and help you arrive at the right solution. Under no circumstances should you ever rely upon the advice of a person who is not a lawyer with regard to your legal matter. Although it may be well intentioned, advice given from friends, family members or others who have been involved in a similar legal matter should not be relied upon.

Simply put, every case is different and even the most minute detail may mean a huge difference in the path you choose and the outcome of your case. As mentioned above, filling out a legal form and filing it at the courthouse is, in many instances, only the beginning of a legal matter. Court proceedings that occur thereafter and the rules that govern court proceedings can be complex and will often involve schedules and inflexible deadlines that a litigant must adhere to. Often times, there is only one chance to get it right.

This is not to say that every legal proceeding will be complex, time consuming and expensive. In many cases, an attorney from our office can handle the matter quickly and at very modest cost.

In any event, you will have the peace of mind knowing that you made the not only the right choice for you and your family, but the best legal choice under the circumstances.

  • What Are the Benefits of Using a Smaller Law Firm?

Your selection of the right attorney for your case is very important.

The number of names that appear on a firm letterhead does not necessarily determine if that law office will be a good fit for your legal needs. While our firm is small, the attorney that handles your case will take the time to thoroughly review your legal matter and to understand your particular needs and objectives while treating you with courtesy and respect.

Unlike some of the larger firms, the attorney that handles your case in our office will be your lawyer from start to finish, which assures familiarity with all of the issues involved in your case and effective representation throughout. We also understand and appreciate the fact that your time is valuable and that it is not often easy to take time off from work or other daily commitments to meet with an attorney. As a small office, we're always willing to accommodate your schedule by arranging appointments at your convenience, including evening appointments after 5:00 p.m. or even weekend appointments. 

Our office takes great pride in the fact that we have built long-term relationships with our clients over the years. Many of the clients whom we have represented on a particular legal matter have later returned for further help on other legal concerns and have often referred family members and friends for representation. We prefer a first name basis with our clients and you will find our attorneys as well as our trusted office staff to be approachable, understanding and friendly.

  • How Are Fees Charged for Legal Services?

Let’s face it - cost is always a concern when hiring a lawyer.

Our goal is to get you from start to finish in your legal matter as quickly as possible and to get you the best possible outcome for an affordable fee. We offer various types of fee arrangements that will depend upon the nature of your legal matter.

These arrangements include contingent fees in personal injury cases and worker’s compensation proceedings, which means that you will not be obligated to pay a fee to our office unless and until there is a financial recovery on your behalf.

In other matters, such as criminal cases or certain types of civil or family law matters, a flat fee may be charged, which means that you will know the total fee at the outset and you will have an assurance that the fee you pay at the beginning of your case will not increase at the end of your case.

In other legal matters, we charge a fee that will be based upon an hourly rate for all services provided on your behalf.

We attempt to be cost conscious at all times and our office will make every effort to arrive at an understanding regarding affordable fees that makes the best economic sense in your particular case. We also offer the convenience of accepting credit card payments.

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