Clearfield, PA

Benjamin L. Costello

Benjamin L. Costello is a 1974 graduate of Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law. He joined the firm upon graduation and became a partner, practicing primarily in workers' compensation and estates until his retirement at the end of 2020. He served as managing partner for many years and was a frequent guest speaker on workers' compensation, delivering over 120 presentations. He is recognized as a Workers Compensation litigator by Best Lawyers in America and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review.

J. Scott Leckie

J. Scott Leckie is a 1976 graduate of Dickinson School of Law, focusing primarily on Workers' Compensation with an emphasis on occupational lung diseases. He is a nationally recognized authority on Federal Black Lung law and regulations, having lectured to bar associations in several states. He served as Chairman of the Workers Compensation Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association from 1993-1994. He is listed as a recognized Workers Compensation litigator by Best Lawyers in America and holds an AV Preeminent rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review.

Eric P. Betzner

Eric P. Betzner is the managing partner at Yablonski, Costello & Leckie, focusing his practice on representing clients with injuries or disabilities, primarily in workers' compensation. A 1987 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, he has been with the firm since. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Section Council, having chaired it in 2020 and 2021. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for his workers' compensation expertise every year since 2006 and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review. He also specializes in Heart and Lung Act and Act 534 cases and represents clients in Social Security and Unemployment Compensation cases.

John W. Bitonti

John W. Bitonti is a partner at the firm, having joined after graduating from Duquesne University School of Law in 1988, where he was a member of the Law Review. He primarily practices in personal injury and workers' compensation, as well as social security and general trial litigation, overseeing all personal injury cases for the firm. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the Federal District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

Kenneth J. Yablonski practiced law from 1960 until his passing in 2002. He represented individuals injured in industrial accidents, including the widows of the Robena Mine Disaster (1962) and the Farmington Mine Disaster (1969), and litigated many complex personal injury cases. He served as Labor Counsel for the UMWA, UAW Local 1311, and the Disabled Miners and Widows of Southern West Virginia, and was involved in three Labor Law cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. He was honored as Labor Man of the Year by the Pittsburgh Jaycees in 1973 and was a member of the Governors Advisory Committee on Occupational Lung Disease.

Lauren Brown

Born and raised in the Mon Valley, Lauren Brown comes from deeply rooted working-class values. She developed a strong conviction that the law should work for the people who build our communities. She advocates for injured workers and helps healthcare providers navigate the workers’ compensation system. Before becoming an attorney, she was a reporter and producer for local television stations, earning multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards and regional Emmy Awards. She also worked with consumer protection teams in the Pennsylvania and West Virginia Attorneys General offices and contributed to federal discrimination cases. She is a proud wife and mother of two.

John R. Ryan was born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania on June 19, 1957. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1983. He received his B.A. cum laude from Gannon University in 1979 and his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1983.