HARRISBURG (Nov. 25, 2019) — President Judge Emeritus Susan Peikes Gantman, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, will be presented with the 2020 Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Family Law Section Eric Turner Memorial Award on Jan. 18 during the section’s Winter Meeting at The Hotel Hershey in Hershey.
The Eric Turner Memorial Award honors a lawyer who is dedicated to the practice of family law and who serves as a mentor and teacher to fellow lawyers.
As part of the award, a $1,000 donation will be made to an organization of Gantman’s choosing. She selected the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project, an organization that aims to end and prevent child abuse and neglect in Montgomery County through legal services, advocacy and education.
Gantman has served on the Superior Court since 2004, winning retention in 2013. She was elected by her peers as president judge for a five-year term that began in 2014. Gantman previously was co-chair of the Family Law Section at Cozen O’Connor in West Conshohocken and partner and chair of the Domestic Relations Section at Sherr, Joffe & Zukerman in West Conshohocken. From 1981 to 1991, Gantman was in private practice in Norristown. She formerly served as solicitor for the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth and for Montgomery County Housing and Community Development. She also was a Montgomery County assistant district attorney, working in the major crimes unit.
A long-time advocate on behalf of children and other victims of abuse, Gantman frequently served as a lecturer and instructor for the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Pennsylvania Bar Institute and Montgomery Bar Association. She is a frequent lecturer on issues of appellate practice and procedure for the PBA, Montgomery Bar Association and Lawyers Club of Philadelphia.
She formerly served on the Board of Directors for Women of Vision, the Federation of Allied Jewish Appeal and Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. She was a member of the Domestic Violence Legal Network and was coordinator of the Montgomery County parenting seminar, Children First.
Gantman is a member of the American, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Montgomery County and Philadelphia bar associations. She is a fellow of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation and a master of the Villanova University School of Law Inns of Court.
Gantman has been recognized by the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth for her achievements and outstanding service. In 2008, she was presented with the Margaret Richardson Award by the Montgomery Bar Association and the PBA Anne X. Alpern Award in 2012 for advancing the role of women in the legal field and furthering women’s legal rights. Other honors include being named one of the Women of the Year by The Legal Intelligencer, receiving the Bond of Faith Federation Award and the Juvenile Advisory Association Award, and recognition for outstanding service by the Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth.
Gantman earned undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and a juris doctor from Villanova University School of Law.
For more information about the PBA Family Law Section Winter Meeting, Jan. 17-19, in Hershey, visit https://www.pabar.org/site/Events-and-Education/Event-Info/sessionaltcd/FAM120.
Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access of legal services; and serve the lawyer members of the state's largest organized bar association.