In 2021, lawyer Shawn K. Page received a sporadic public reprimand from Pennsylvania of the Supreme Court for the wrong case of the client.
This year, Philadelphia Bar Association assessed the party that is a judge of the City Court in Philadelphia, as “not recommended” when assessing court candidates.
For at least the last two years, the Page has been subject to pledge series for around USD 200,000 in unpaid federal income taxes and penalties. He says that he is now in the payment plan with an internal income service and has reduced what is to blame.
These types of problems may be problematic for a candidate applying for a thunderous office, which attracts significant control of voters. But the page is well prepared to get a place on a city bench, after obtaining the support of a smaller group of voters, whose preferences almost always prevail in the election to the Philadelphia judiciary: leaders of the city’s democratic units.
“I am a everyday guy. I have everyday problems, everyday problems,” said Page, a partner and a senior test Lawyer at Minkyy Fitzpatrick Ross. “I do not present to people … as a saint. But who I am is a good lawyer.”
Primary’s democratic winners are almost guaranteed next month that they will win in November, thanks to the deep Philadelphia electorate. And candidates who win the nod of the local party almost always triumph in the basic, mainly due to thousands of democratic committees who distribute “sample voting cards”, mentioning approved candidates for voters entering the polls.
The leaders of the Municipal Party openly talk about how to get support: perform free legal work for leaders of branches and other people related to democratic policy. And wait your turn without running on the bench sitting until the party is a place for you.
“Basically, when you get involved in politics, there is always someone who needs something, something pro bono when it comes to legal assistance,” said Sharon Vaughn, a former member of the city council and a democratic leader of the 42nd department, who said that she supported the Page candidacy among party leaders. “He was not afraid to jump and meet some politicians and make a contribution to their troops.”
Page, 52, is one of the five democrats applying in May 20, the basic one for three open seats in the Municipal Court, which will hear matters at a low level, including crimes with a potential five -year sentence or less, disputes about the landlord, civil lawsuit up to USD 12,000 claims and some cases regarding the belief in tax. The work contains an annual salary of USD 222,000. The judges serve a six -year term, but almost always win re -election because they run in the “retention” election in which they have no opponents.
The other candidates are Cortez Patton, Amanda Davidson, Sherrie Cohen and Qawi Abdul-Rahman. Patton and Davidson supported the party next to the side. Bar, a professional organization of lawyers, assessed Davidson as “recommended” and all other candidates as “no recommendations.”
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“Not only a favor”
Page, which grew up in southwestern Philadelphia, attended the Cabrini College and the University of Education Widener of Law, and was a lawyer for the renowned lawyer in defense of Philadelphia Nino V. Tinari, in accordance with the professional biography of Page.
Former US representative Bob Brady, who from 1986 chaired the Democratic City Committee, said that the party checked the page, including a look at the case that caused a disciplinary page and his tax crime.
“This kid is a good child. He really is,” said Brady on Monday. “We talked to his office. IRS gave him $ 60,000, and he did it and he has an agreement with them.”
Brady added: “Very articulated, very handsome, very well dressed.”
The city committee consists of all 69 leaders of democratic troops and decides whose names go to the desired sample party to vote. Vaughn, whose branch is based in northern Philadelphia, said that she had guaranteed Page because of “his involvement in helping people in the community and giving away.”
Vaughn said that the assessment of court candidates based on the legal work, which they do for the party, and people associated with it do not apply to “not only a favor.” She also said that, she said, she gave party leaders a window in the way candidates act as lawyers, she said.
“One of my committees had a problem with employee compensation. Another person had a problem in which it was a home situation,” said Vaughn, which was worked on a page with a list of affairs. “And I’m not the only one. Basically, I heard other stories from other leaders of the branches and politicians who used his services in which he landed victorious. He is a great lawyer.”
Over the past year, Page has transferred $ 500 to the Democratic City Committee. His The practice of the personal law, which is separate from Minkyy Fitzpatrick, transferred $ 1,000 to $ 38. Branch in East Falls, where he lives. He also donated at least USD 1200 in petite payments of nine different selected officials, including the chairman of the Kenyatta City Council Johnson and Sheriff Rochelle Bilal.
He received support from the main relationships and significant democratic selected officials, including Johnson, Senator State Sharif Street, Afl-Cio and many building associations.
But Page said he was not a politician.
“I am the least political person you will ever find for office,” said Page. “I’m not a politician. I’m just a guy raised in south -western Philadelphia.”
“It was not possible to provide competent representation”
In 2014, taxi driver Anthony Whalyy was arrested for alleged drugs at the back of the taxi, when he parked in Darby, Pennsylvania in 2018, he was sentenced and sentenced to spend six to 15 years in prison.
While imprisoning, Whalyy was looking for an appeal, paying $ 2,500 on Page to press the case that he was illegally searched.
But Whalyy’s dismissal was thrown out in 2019, because Page did not submit a brief case of Whalyy, in accordance with the court files. Later, she tried to withdraw from the case and was replaced by another lawyer.
The publication of the contract publication 2021 stated that “he did not provide a competent representation” Whalyy. The order also explains that Page maintained Whalyy’s money despite the rehearsal, returning his $ 2,500 setting at the Disciplinary Office of the Supreme Court’s disciplinary court began the investigation, which led to the quote in 2021, noting four cases in which the party violated the principles of professional behavior.
Attempts to reach Whalyy failed.
Page refused to discuss the case in detail and said that she did not want to “speak badly” about the disciplinary council or “excuse”.
“I respected their decision,” he said. “It happened.”
Despite this incident, Page said he had qualifications for a bench.
“I’m doing a very good job,” he said. “I dealt with thousands of cases and yes, it was a misfortune of one case.”
But Whaley’s case does not seem to be the only one in which the fulfillment of the deadlines for submitting applications affected Page clients.
The data show that six cases of the Supreme Court, in which the party was listed as a lawyer, was thrown out of missing panties. The next six were thrown due to the missing docet statements, a routine piece of bureaucratic documents.
The site did not respond to the request for a comment on additional matters that he asked after the first interview with him.
In an interview, Page refused to comment on his “undenuable” assessment from the Bar Association. The group claims that they base their assessments “legal abilities, experience, temperament, administrative abilities, integrity and devotion to improving the quality of justice.”
As for his tax problems, Page said that they result from “certain tax criminals.”
“We are in the middle of a solution. There is a payment plan,” he said. “I do a good job and I would be a good judge if people decide to choose me.”
