Believe in me because of who I am, not the generations that have gone before me. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Leah Edelstein—a fourth generation, Philadelphia-born trial attorney. For some of the readership, you may recognize the name depending on how long you have been practicing. Before I tell you more about myself, join me in looking back at the Edelstein history, rich with culture, family values, advocacy, and the type of stuff that builds firms—chutzpah.

Let me begin by saying that my great grandfather, Nathan L. Edelstein, Esquire, actively practiced law in Philadelphia for 70 years from the time he was admitted to the bar in 1928. Nathan, a graduate of Penn Law, specialized in real estate and corporate law at a time before personal injury truly emerged. In other words, Nathan never had the opportunity to practice personal injury and lived to see his 99th year on this Earth—perhaps there is a correlation. Nathan was just getting started in the very same year that May Donoghue found a decomposing snail in her ginger beer. See Donoghue v. Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (26 May 1932). Although Donoghue regretfully brings us all back to law school, it is arguably the most pivotal personal injury case in history, establishing the concept of the duty of care owed to plaintiffs and negligence as a tort with remedies under the law. In addition, Donoghue first recognized that the principle of negligence extends beyond just the immediate parties involved—an acknowledgement that not only paved the way for a much broader range of recovery but also a recovery against all responsible parties. While these concepts may not have directly affected Nathan’s practice, he was for the people, evident by a career fighting discrimination in hiring and housing while also serving as chair of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations from 1956 to 1962.