Philly Bar Welcomes Savoth As 85th Chancellor

It's a grand day for the Philadelphia Bar Association as America's oldest chartered metropolitan bar association welcomes its 85th chancellor, John E. Savoth. And we'll be there to give John our best wishes as he is one of the finest people we know.
Here's the thing about John Savoth: He's the same straightforward, down-to-earth person we met decades ago. Success hasn't spoiled him. He's remarkably well-grounded. He knows who he is, what he's all about and where he came from. He remains amiable, hard-working and nonetheless smart. 

Maybe it's because John is a Jersey guy -- born and bred in Monmouth County, the land of Bruce Springsteen and Jack Nicholson. You can't get much more real than that. 

And John surely is a people-person. "If you want to meet people, you have to get involved in the Philadelphia Bar Association," says Savoth. "It really gives added depth and meaning to your life, both professionally and personally."Savoth should know. He recognized the value of being active in the Association early in his career.Savoth is proud to be a Philadelphia lawyer. Philadelphia, he observes, is fortunate to have a vibrant legal community filled with people of diverse backgrounds, cultures and geographic roots -- who have chosen to make the city their professional home. "This gives an added dimension to the life and work of a Philadelphia attorney," he says. The new Chancellor wants 2012 to be a year highlighting Philadelphia lawyers' work on behalf of the community at-large. He will also continue the Association's strong commitment to public interest efforts that serve the city's disadvantaged.

A native of Neptune City, N.J., Savoth learned the importance of family, self-reliance and a strong work ethic at an early age. His grandfather immigrated from Greece and eventually founded the family business selling bananas at the New Jersey shore in 1924. The business, later run by Savoth's father Edward -- and subsequently by his older brother of four years, Bill -- employed John during his high school years, as well as his mother, Catherine, and older brother of two years, Tom.

A graduate of Dickinson College and Widener University School of Law, Savoth began his legal career as a law clerk for the late Hon. James T. McDermott of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, thereafter working for his legal mentor, Bill Keller, at Keller & Associates, which later became Keller & Savoth. In 1996, he formed the law offices of John E. Savoth, and in 2003 merged practices with William Fedullo to create Fedullo & Savoth.

In 2007, he became Of Counsel to Saltz Mongeluzzi Barrett & Bendesky PC. He focuses his practice on personal injury matters including construction, motor vehicle, and premises and products liability.

At the Bar Association, Savoth has served in numerous leadership roles including chair of the Board of Governors, secretary and assistant secretary of the Association, chair of the Young Lawyers Division and co-chair of the Bench-Bar & Annual Conference, as well as chair or member of various committees. He is a member of the Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention and a trustee of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, as well as a charter member of its Andrew Hamilton Circle.

Among his other service roles, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program (VIP) and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia.

Savoth resides in Swarthmore with his wife of nearly 30 years, Nancy, an author who serves as an instructor in Widener University's Writing Center, tutoring students from freshman to doctoral candidates. They have three sons: Alex, a graduate of Syracuse University with a BFA in film art, who is also a musician; Nate, a student in the Honors Program at Temple University who studies literature and plays jazz guitar; and Evan, an 8th grader at Strath Haven Middle School, a piano player who spends his free time on the soccer field.

As he prepares to lead his colleagues through 2012, Savoth will advance initiatives that carry forward the proud tradition and reputation of the Philadelphia lawyer in our region and beyond.