Biography

Ira L. Podheiser is a Member focusing on litigation and appellate practice. He also coordinates legal writing training for the firm’s Associates and is a member of the firm’s Diversity Committee.

Mr. Podheiser’s practice focuses on appeals for a variety of cases, with an emphasis on transportation and business matters. He determines strategies and assesses cases for potential appeals, and also provides consultation to attorneys on appellate matters in Pennsylvania as well as other state and federal courts.

Mr. Podheiser is admitted to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Third, Sixth, and District of Columbia circuits. He also is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining Burns White, Mr. Podheiser served as an independent immigration and litigation counsel for Education Management Corp., where he consulted on a variety of matters involving student and employee immigration. Additionally, Mr. Podheiser has participated in complex commercial and product liability matters with large national law firms.

Mr. Podheiser served as law clerk to the Hon. Richard L. Nygaard of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Mr. Podheiser also served as a staff attorney for the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and a law clerk to the Hon. Samuel J. Roberts, retired Chief Justice of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Podheiser earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from Boston University. He earned the Blackburn Memorial Award for his contributions to the moot court program, of which he was a member during the 1985-1986 school year. He received honors in the First-Year Legal Writing Program. Mr. Podheiser co-authored “A Summary of the Change in Immigration Policies and Practices After Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001: The USA Patriot Act and Other Measures,” which appeared in the University of Pittsburgh Law Review in 2003.