Attorney Ellen Brotman

Attorney Ellen Brotman is the founder of BrotmanLaw with offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.  Her practice includes attorney and law firm representation, attorney discipline defense, reinstatement, professional responsibility and ethics counseling.  Ellen has represented lawyers before the Disciplinary Board of Pennsylvania for over 20 years. Prior to starting BrotmanLaw, Ellen Brotman was a partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP where she defended criminal cases in federal courts, oversaw investigations, and represented professionals in state disciplinary proceedings. From 1995 to 1998, as an assistant federal defender with the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Ellen provided criminal defense for indigent clients in federal court at trial and appellate levels. Before coming to Philadelphia, she served as a law clerk to The Honorable Lee P. Gagliardi, United States District Court Judge, Southern District of New York.

Ellen is admitted in Pennsylvania, District of Columbia and New York State.

See Attorney Ellen Brotman’s LinkedIn Profile here

Ellen Brotman, Esq.
Ellen Brotman, Esq.
2023 US News Report Best Law Firms Standard Badge
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SuperLawyers Top 50 Women
SuperLawyers 15 Year Milestone
Ellen Brotman SuperLawyers Rated
Ellen Brotman Rated By Super Lawyers Selected in 2023 Thompson Reuters
BrotmanLaw is certified as a Womens Business Enterprise WBE through the Womens Business Enterprise National Council WBENC the nations largest third party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the US
Women Owner with URL

Practices

Attorney Disciplinary Defense

We represent lawyers and firms who have received allegations of professional misconduct from clients, opposing counsel or the Disciplinary Board. We have decades of experience handling the following:

  • Investigations by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel into potential violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct
  • Responding to Complaints and Petitions for Discipline
  • Conducting Hearings before the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
  • Negotiating Discipline on Consent
  • Reinstatement of suspended and disbarred lawyers from disciplinary or administrative suspension
  • IOLTA audits and Pennsylvania Lawyers’ Client Security Fund issues
  • CLE and Registration issues

Attorney and Law Firm Representation

We provide counseling to lawyers and law firms dealing with professional life cycle events:

  • Law firm formation
  • Law firm dissolution and merger
  • Conflicts and client management in lateral transitions and departures
  • Representation of bar admission candidates before Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners

Ethics and Professional Responsibility Counseling

We offer ethics advice to attorneys in the private and public sphere, in-house counsel, and law firms of any size. We provide ethics opinions on all aspects of the Rules of Professional Conduct, for use as internal guidance or expert testimony. 

Who We Are

Attorney Ellen Brotman is admitted in Pennsylvania, District of Columbia and New York State.

Based in Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Washington, DC, BrotmanLaw was founded by owner, attorney Ellen Brotman in March 2017. Our firm practices include Professional Responsibility & Ethics, Criminal Defense and Appellate Advocacy. We are licensed to practice in Pennsylvania District of Columbia and New York and have over thirty years of experience, including handling representations before the Disciplinary Board of Pennsylvania, providing ethics advice and representing individuals in a wide-variety of high-profile white-collar cases.

BrotmanLaw is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s largest third-party certifier of the businesses owned and operated by women in the U.S. We recognize the commitment to supplier diversity that is embraced by corporations and government agencies today and we can add diversity to your supply chain.

Contact Us

Attorney Ellen Brotman

Ellen is a frequent writer and speaker about attorney discipline, ethics and professional responsibility related matters. She has a quarterly “Professional Conduct” Column in the Legal Intelligencer and authors an “Ethics Corner” for the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ online Journal “For the Defense.” Ellen is a past board member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and currently sits on the board of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, where she serves on the Publications Committee and the Lawyers’ Assistance Task Force. Ellen also serves on the Professional Guidance Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Professional Responsibility Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Ms Brotman has been recognized by Best Lawyers® / The Best Lawyers in America© and SuperLawyers® since 2007 in the area of criminal defense and in 2014, she was one of the Legal Intelligencer’s Women of the Year. Ellen Brotman is Chair of the Board of the People’s Emergency Center Foundation in Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless families.

 

In 2017, Ellen Brotman launched her blog here: PA Legal Ethics.

See Ellen Brotman’s LinkedIn Profile here.

See Ellen Brotman’s Publications here.

See Ellen Brotman’s Presentations here.

Recognition, Awards & Certifications

  • Named a “Best Law Firm” for four consecutive years (2019-2023) by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers. The firm was recognized in the Regional Rankings for Metro Philadelphia, Tier 2 in Criminal Defense: General Practice and Tier 3 in Criminal Defense: White-Collar.
  • The Charles P. Gelso President’s Award (Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers), 2019
  • Best Lawyers®, The Best Lawyers in America©, 2007-2023
    • Criminal Defense: General Practice
  • Super Lawyers®, 2008-2023
    • Selected by survey of Pennsylvania lawyers as a “Top Rated” lawyer
    • Top 50 Women Lawyers in Pennsylvania
  • Certified by Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s largest third-party certifier of the businesses owned and operated by women in the U.S.
    • We recognize the commitment to supplier diversity that is embraced by corporations and government agencies today and we can add diversity to your supply chain.
    • Women Owned Small Business Certified (WOSB)
  • The Legal Intelligencer’s Women of the Year, 2014
    • Included in the annual listing honor Pennsylvania’s top women lawyers

Memberships & Community Involvement

  • Philadelphia Bar Association
    • Professional Guidance Committee, 2017-Current
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
    • Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, 2017-Current
  • Federal Criminal Law Committee for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    • Secretary, 2016-2018
    • Executive Committee, 2010-Current
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
    • Board of Directors, 2012-2015
    • Member, White Collar Crime Committee, 2012-Current
    • Editorial Advisory Board, The Champion, 2012-Current
  • Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
    • Board of Directors, 2017-Current
    • Publications Committee, 2016-Current
    • Lawyers Assistance Committee, 2014-Current
    • Amicus Committee, 2014-Current
  • American Bar Association
    • Criminal Justice Section, Defense Function Subcommittee Co-Chair, 2014-2016
    • Criminal Justice Section, Long Range Planning Committee, 2015-2016
    • Center for Professional Responsibility, Member, 2017-Current
  • People’s Emergency Center
    • Board of Directors, 2005-2017
  • People’s Emergency Center Foundation
    • Chair, 2017-Current

Daniel Austin, Chief Operating Officer

Daniel Austin is a Certified Fraud Examiner and Associate Member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Information Technology and Management Information Systems. He retired from General Electric after 25 years in executive management with roles in Information Technology (Chief Information Officer with GE Plastics and GE Capital), Compliance (Audit/Sarbanes-Oxley Leader at GE Corporate), Quality (Certified Quality Leader and Master Blackbelt with GE Corporate), Operations and Sales (Vice President, National Sales and Operations with GE Capital). Mr. Austin now brings his extensive executive management experience to his role as Chief Operations Officer at BrotmanLaw.

See Daniel Austin’s  LinkedIn Profile here

  • Association of Certified Fraud Examiners – Certified Fraud Examiner
  • Association of Certified Fraud Examiners – Associate Member
  • Certified Six Sigma Quality Leader
  • Certified Six Sigma Master Blackbelt
  • Certified Six Sigma Greenbelt

Daniel Austin
Daniel Austin

Let's Connect

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Ellen Brotman Esq
Phone:
+1 (484) 614-8522
Fax:
+1 (484) 930-0595
Email:
ebrotman@ellenbrotmanlaw.com

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Our Locations

Phildadelphia, PA

Address:
BrotmanLaw
One South Broad Street, Suite 1500
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone:
+1 (484) 614-8522
Fax:
+1 (484) 930-0595
Email:
ebrotman@ellenbrotmanlaw.com

Washington, DC

Address:
BrotmanLaw
300 New Jersey Ave NW #900
Washington, DC 20001
Phone:
+1 (484) 614-8522
Fax:
+1 (484) 930-0595
Email:
ebrotman@ellenbrotmanlaw.com