Judge J. Brian Johnson
Judge J. Brian Johnson is Administrative Judge of the Civil and Orphans' Court Divisions of the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. He was elected Judge of that court in 2003, began his term in January 2004 and has served in the Civil, Family and Orphan's Court Divisions since that time. He has chaired the Lehigh County Children's Roundtable since 2006 and has served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Leadership and State Roundtables since 2007. He has been a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association since 1984, a member of the Bar Association of Lehigh County since 1982, a member of its Board of Directors from 1999 to 2000 and a member of the Donald E. Wieand Inn of Court since 2000 and was Team Leader from 2002 to 2003. Prior to his election to the Court of Common Pleas, Judge Johnson was Special Counsel to the Philadelphia-based national law firm of Duane Morris LLP and was a member of that firm's litigation department in its Lehigh Valley office. From 1986 to 1996, he engaged in private practice based in Lehigh County as a sole practitioner and as a partner in the firms of Johnson & Ashcraft and Johnson, Ashcraft & Giordano. From 1983 to 1986, he was an associate with the firm of Lanshe, Lanshe & Lanshe. In the course of his career as an attorney, he practiced primarily in the areas of civil, family and criminal litigation, business and real estate transactions, municipal law, and wills and estates. He served Lehigh County as an Assistant Public Defender from 1981 to 1983, as Criminal Arraignment Master from 1984 to 1986, as Assistant County Solicitor from 1987 to 1989 and as Criminal Costs and Fines Master from 1990 to 1991. He taught Business Law in the ACCESS program at Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales, now DeSales University, from 1986 to 1987 and has been a speaker at various continuing education programs. Judge Johnson is a graduate of Villanova University (B.A. English 1977) and Temple University School of Law (J.D. 1981).
