Laurel Gift Elected to the PACDL Board of Directors

Laurel Gift, chair of the Criminal Defense and Internal Investigations Practice Group for Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, was elected on April 27 to the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (PACDL). Gift founded PACDL’s Allegheny Chapter and also serves as its chairperson.

“I am honored to join the amazing statewide leadership team of PACDL,” said Gift. “I look forward to expanding my role within PACDL to further the organization’s crucial vision for ensuring that equal justice under law is the guiding principle of the criminal justice system.”

PACDL is the premier network of leading defense attorneys in the Commonwealth with a mission to educate, advocate and inspire by providing support for criminal defense lawyers, promoting effective competence, leveling the playing field, and protecting freedoms.  

“Laurel is a great addition to our board,” said Bradley A. Winnick of the Dauphin County Public Defender’s Office and PACDL’s new Board President. “Her leadership has strengthened our efforts in Western Pennsylvania and I’m thrilled to work with such an elite criminal defense lawyer to further develop the success of our organization and our profession.”

A trial lawyer and former prosecutor, Gift has represented criminal defendants, grand jury witnesses, and witnesses and targets of federal investigations, including subjects of false claims act investigations, targets of IRS and SEC investigations, and defendants in public corruption investigations. Her work includes conducting internal investigations for municipalities, school districts, universities and corporate clients. She also has created and implemented comprehensive ethics and corporate compliance programs, with a strong focus on best procurement practices.