Practice Areas: Professional Liability, Appellate, White Collar Crimes
Licensed in Pennsylvania since: 1994
Education: Albany Law School
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2008 - 2025 
Free Consultation BrotmanLaw
834 Chestnut StSuite 206
Philadelphia, PA 19107 Phone: 484-614-8522 Email: Ellen Brotman Visit website
Details
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 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.
Ellen Brotman’s recognitions include:
- Best Lawyers® since 2007
- 2025 Edition:
- Tier 1, Philadelphia, Criminal Defense
- Tier 2, Philadelphia, General Practice
- 2025 Edition:
- Best Law Firm (2019-2023) by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®
- Super Lawyers® (2008-2025)
- Top 50 Women Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® (2023, 2025)
- The Charles P. Gelso President’s Award – Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Lawyers (2019)
- The Legal Intelligencer’s Women of the Year (2014)
Ellen is admitted in Pennsylvania, District of Columbia and New York State.
Read Ellen Brotman’s blog here: PA Legal Ethics.
See Ellen Brotman’s LinkedIn Profile here.
First Admitted: 1988, New York
Professional Webpage: https://ellenbrotmanlaw.com/about-me/
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Pennsylvania Bar Association Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, 2017-Current Federal Criminal Law Committee for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Executive Committee Secretary, 2017-2018 National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Member, Advisory Board, The ChampionBoard of Directors, 2012-2015 Member, White Collar Crime Committee, 2012-2016 Member, Social Media Committee, 2012-2016 Editorial Advisory Board, The Champion, 2012-2016 Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Board of Directors, 2017-Current Publications Committee, 2016-Current Lawyers Assistance Committee, 2014-Current Amicus Committee, 2014-Current Federal Bar Association Executive Committee, Criminal Law Committee, 2010-2016 American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, Defense Function Subcommittee Co-Chair, 2014-2016 Criminal Justice Section, Long Range Planning Committee, 2015-2016
- Admitted in New York State
- Admitted in Pennsylvania
- Admitted in District of Columbia
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Philadelphia Bar Association (Professional Guidance Committee), 2024
- People’s Emergency Center Foundation (Chair, 2017-2024), 2024
- People’s Emergency Center (Board of Directors, 2005-2017), 2017
- American Bar Association (Criminal Justice Section; Center for Professional Responsibility), 2024
- Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Board of Directors; Publications Committee; Lawyers Assistance Committee), 2024
- Editorial Advisory Board, The Champion, 2012-Current), 2024
- Member, White Collar Crime Committee, 2012-Current, 2024
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers(Board of Directors, 2012-2015, 2015
- Pennsylvania Bar Association (Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee), 2024
Honors/Awards:
- Top 50 Women Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® (2023, 2025), Top 50 Women Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® (2023, 2025), Super Lawyers®, 2025
- Best Lawyers® 2025 Edition: Tier 1, Philadelphia, Criminal Defense Tier 2, Philadelphia, General Practice, Best Lawyers®, The Best Lawyers in America©, 2007-2025, Best Lawyers®, 2025
- Super Lawyers® (2008-2025), Super Lawyers®, 2025
- Best Law Firm (2019-2023) by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®, Best Law Firm (2019-2023) by U.S. News and World Report and Best Lawyers®, U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®, 2023
- The President’s Award is presented to a PACDL member in appreciation of contributions to the association. Brotman is a board member of PACDL and serves on the publications, amicus and lawyers’ assistance committee. She is also co-chair of PACDL’s CLE Committee., Charles P. Gelso President’s Award, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2019
- The Legal Intelligencer’s Women of the Year (2014), The Legal Intelligencer’s Women of the Year (2014), Legal Intelligencer, 2014
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Publications:“Using Generative AI: As the ABA Says, There’s a Rule (or Two!) for That!”, Author, Legal Intelligencer, August 2024“What Must Lawyers Do to Protect the Rule of Law?”, Author, Legal Intelligencer, March 2024“Disciplinary Docket: Trends for 2024”, Author, Legal Intelligencer, January 2024“For Love or Money: Disciplinary Board Proposes Expansion of ‘Sexual Relations’ Definition”, Author, Legal Intelligencer, October 2023“Yikes! ABA’s Latest Ethics Opinion Prohibits Nonrefundable Fees: Does It Change Things in Pa.?”, Author, Legal Intelligencer, July 2023“Jump Into the Pool: Representing Multiple Witnesses in an Investigation”, Author, For The Defense, Vol. 8, Issue 1, March 2023“An Unscientific Analysis: Who Gets Disciplined and Why?” Author, Legal Intelligencer, March 2023“New Year’s Resolutions for an Ethical and Happy 2023”, Author, Legal Intelligencer, December 2022“The Importance of Private Discipline and Confidentiality in the Regulation of Attorneys”, Author, Legal Intelligencer, Dec 2022“Counseling Clients After ‘Dobbs’: Is It Legal Advice or Aiding and Abetting?, Co-Author with Ellen Yaroshefsky, Legal Intelligencer, July 2022“The Disciplinary Board as Regulator, Not Sanctioner: Advocating Wellness Practices to Avoid Misconduct”, Author, Blog Post, June 2022“Pennsylvania Judges and Ethics: There’s A Board For That!”, Author, Blog Post, April 2022“Reciprocal Discipline: In Pennsylvania, It’s A Sure Thing”, Author, Blog Post, March 2022“ODC v Lynch: Why We Need a Rule of Professional Conduct that Prohibits Discrimination”, Co-Author, Legal Intelligencer, March 2022“Leadership Changes at the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board”, Author, Blog Post, February 2022“Symposium: The Challenges of Constructing ABA Model Reun8.4(g) Pennsylvania Lawyers Behaving Badly: Is 8.4(g) A Solution?”, Co-Author, 50 Hofstra L. Rev. 521, 522 (2022)“Risky Business: A Refresher”; Author; For The Defense, Volume 6, Issue 4, December 2021“2021 In Review: The Year In Ethics Opinions”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, Nov 2021“Preventive Medicine Is the Best Kind: Preparing for 2022 Now”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, Nov 2021“The Ethical Obligation to Protect Your Client’s Information From Cyber-Attack: Not Just a Big Firm Problem”; Author, For The Defense, Volume 6, Issue 3, September 2021“Laterals on the Move: There’s A Rule For That!”; Co-Author, The Legal Intelligencer, August 2021“Are You Committing the Unauthorized Practice of Law in Your Kitchen?”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, March 2021“Flat Fees, Operating Accounts and Trouble at the Disciplinary Board”, Author, Blog Post, Feb 2021“When the Client Doesn’t Hire You: Is There a Conflict?”; Author, For The Defense, Volume 5 Issue 4, December 2020“When Morality Transcends the Law: Is the Death Penalty the Ultimate Test”; Co-Author, The Legal Intelligencer, December 2020“Calm is Overrated – We Need to Take a Stand Now”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, October 2020“ODC v. Sexual Harassing Attorney/ No. 74 DB 2019”, Author, Blog Post. Sept 2020“The Use of Stayed Suspensions in Disciplinary Proceedings is a Definite Thing”, Author, Blog Post, Aug 2020“Pennsylvania Issues Protocols for Hearings in a Covid-19 World”, Author, Blog Post, July 2020“Pennsylvania Supreme Court Adopts New Disciplinary Rule Including Discrimination as Misconduct”, Author, Blog Post, June 2020“Ethical Succession Planning for Solo Firms: Exit Stage Right”; Author, For The Defense, Volume 5, Issue 2, May 2020“Limited License For 2020 Law Grads”, Author, Blog Post, May 2020“Keep Calm and Carry On: Ethics in a Time of Stress”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, March 2020“Risky Business: Fee Agreements, Bank Accounts and Record Keeping Requirements Under the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct or… What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You”; Author, For The Defense, Volume 4, Issue 4, December 2019“Tis The Season To Extend A Hand to Your Fellow Professional”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, November 2019“Pa. Supreme Court Gets Serious About Attorney Work Product Privilege”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, July 2019 “Haters Gonna Hate: Ethically Responding to Negative On-Line Reviews”; Author, For The Defense, Volume 4, Issue 2, May 2019“Process, Procedure and Prosecutorial Misconduct in Stacy Parks Miller Case”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, March 2019“Ethics Corner Cyber-Ethics: Recent Guidance on the Possible Pitfalls and Pratfalls of Technology”; Author, For The Defense, Volume 3, Issue 4, December 2018“The Trump-Manafort Joint Defense Agreement – Urban Legend or Reality”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, December, 2018“Perils of Joint Representation: Takeaways From the Cynthia Baldwin Matter”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, November, 2018“Advice For The President’s New Lawyer: There’s A Rule For That”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, June, 2018“John Rogers Carroll, 1929 – 2018”; Co-Authors Ellen Brotman and Peter Goldberger, For The Defense, Volume 3, Issue 2, May 2018“A Spring Crop of Ethics Issues in Trump’s World”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, March 2018“Did the President’s Lawyer Cover Up His Client’s Cover-up?”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, December 2017“Attorney Discipline”; Author, For The Defense, Volume 2, Issue 4, December 2017“The President Has Your Back: Is That a Conflict?”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, October 2017“Unpacking Unbundled Legal Services: Why Does the DOJ Care?”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, June 2017“Ethics Corner A New Niche Practice: Medical Marijuana in Pennsylvania”, Author, For The Defense, Volume 2, Issue 1, February 2017“Professional Conduct: Close the Curtain on 2016”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, December 2016“The Prosecutor’s Duty to Disclose Favorable Evidence: Giving RPC 3.8 Muscle”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, November 2016“Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Launch is a Marathon Not a Sprint”; Co-Author, Elevated Nation, November 2016“Ethics Corner: A ‘House of Cards’ in Beaver County”; Author, For the Defense, Volume 1, Issue 3, September 2016“NY In-State Office Requirement for Nonresident Lawyers”; Co-Author, The Legal Intelligencer, June 2016“Ethics Corner: An Introduction to our Disciplinary System”; Author, For The Defense, Volume 1, Issue 2, April 2016“Making it Rain—Practical Tips From Those Who Do: Ellen C. Brotman”; Interviewee, Law Practice Today, April 2016“New Year’s Resolutions for a Happy Practice in 2016”; Author, The Legal Intelligencer, December 2015“Review of Recent Changes Relating to Handling of Client Funds”; Co-Author, The Legal Intelligencer, September 2015“Consciously Criminal: Cyberstalking and Internet Threats in the Third Circuit”; Author, Global Lawyer News, August 2015“Dealing with the Press in High-Profile Cases: How to Neutralize the 13th Juror”; Author, American Bar Association, Litigation, Volume 41, Number 4, Summer 2015“When the Disciplinary Board Comes Calling: It Can Happen to You!”; Author, Upon Further Review, Philadelphia Bar Association, June 2015“Strict Vicarious Criminal Liability for Corporations and Corporate Executives: Stretching the Boundaries of Criminalization”; Co-Author, Georgetown University Law Center, American Criminal Law Review, Vol. 51, 2014“Make Probation a Real Option at Sentencing”, Author, 23 Fed. Sent’g Rep. 257, 258 (2011), Author, Presenter, Panelist, Planner, Moderator, Various, The Legal Intelligencer, For The Defense, Law Review, Blog: https://palegalethics.com/, Legal, 2024
- Latest American Bar Association Ethics Opinions, Recent Pennsylvania The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Important Ways Attorneys Can Avoid Client Complaints. Co-Panelist, PBI Live Webinar, September 2024Ethics Compliance Crusher, Co-Panelist, PBI Live Webinar, April 2024Recent Challenges to the Rule of Law: Obligations to the Legal Community, Co-Panelist, American Bar Association, White Collar Crime Conference, March 2, 2023Smith Act Prosecutions During the Red Scare, Co-Panelist, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers White Collar Seminar, Philadelphia, PA, November 2023Attorney Discipline in Pennsylvania Updates and Hot Takes, Co-Panelist, Monthly PBI Live Webinar, April 2023Ethical Considerations of Multi-party Representations, Co-panelist, American Bar Association, White Collar Crime Conference, March 2023Post-Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: Counseling and Lawyer Liability, Co-panelist, February 2023, APRL Mid-Year MeetingThere’s a Rule for That: Ethical Issues in Criminal Defense, Presenter, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers – Winning Strategies for the Defense – Advanced Criminal Law Seminar, Aspen, CO, Jan 2023Professional Liability Program, Co-Panelist, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Women in the Profession Commission, November 2022Attorney Discipline in Pennsylvania Updates and Hot Takes, Co-Panelist, Monthly PBI Live Webinar, June – Dec 2022Ethics of Internal Investigation, Stetson Law School Business Law White Collar Crime Symposium, Course Planner and Moderator, February 2022Legal Ethics in the National Spotlight ABA, Center for Professional Responsibility”, Presenter, October 2021Attorney Discipline: Mitigation and Aggravation, Hearing Committee Training, Disciplinary Board of Pennsylvania, Co-Panelist, October 2016 – 2023Lawyering in the DC Spotlight”, American Bar Association, Center for Professional Responsibility, Presenter, June 2021Discipline, Sanctions and Public Perception: Attorney Regulation of High-Profile Cases, PBI March 2021, Moderator and Course Planner, March 2021From Rudy Giuliani to Josh Hawley: What is the Role of Lawyer Discipline?; Presenter, Hofstra Law School, January 2021Ethical Internal Investigations: Protecting the Company, the Individual and Yourself; Moderator, Lawline CLE Event, December 2020Fee Agreements, Bank Accounts, Record-Keeping, and Succession Planning: What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You, Presenter, PACDL Webinar, June 20202020 Virtual Institute on White Collar Crime: Fundamentals of Trial Practice; Moderator, ABA Webinar, June 2020There’s A Rule For That: Ethical Issues In Criminal Defense, Presenter, PACDL Webinar, June 2020PBA Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee Update 2020; Presenter, PBI Webinar, April 2020From Rudy Giuliani to Josh Hawley: What is the Role of Lawyer Discipline?, Co-panelist, Hofstra Law’s Monroe H. Freedman Institute for the Study of Legal Ethics, Jan 2020The Knowledge Group Presents Legal Ethics: A Comprehensive Guide for Lawyers LIVE Webcast Event; Presenter, January 2020 PBI, Criminal Law Update: Ethics Round-up; Panelist, December 2019 PBI, Business Law Institute, “Ethical Challenges in Commercial Practices: Fifty Shades of Gray”; Moderator, November 2019Let’s Be Careful Out There: Changing Ethics for Criminal Defense Lawyers; Panelist, NACDL Annual White Collar Crime Conference in Washington, D.C., October 25, 2019You’re in Business: When Business People are Lawyers and Lawyers are Business People; Course Presenter and Planner, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 2019Stay in Your Lane: Ethics Hypos for the Criminal Defense Lawyer; Co-Presenter, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, February, 2019Criminal Defense and Ethics – There’s A Rule for That; Co-Presenter, Pennsylvania Bar Institute – Philadelphia, PA, December 2018Lies, Damned Lies and Alternative Facts; Co-Panelist, American Bar Association, Center for Professional Responsibility, May 2018Criminal Law Update: Ethics Update; Co-Panelist, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, December 14, 2017What to Do When the Disciplinary Board Comes Calling, Co-panelist, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Annual Bankruptcy Institute, October, 2017The Life of an Internal Investigation, Co-Planner, Moderator, Co-panelist, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, July 12, 2017Ethics Issues in Federal Court; Co-Panelist, Third Circuit Bench & Bar Conference, April 2017The Ethics of Internal Investigations: Interviewing the Witness, Instructor, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ First Annual White Collar Criminal Defense College, Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL, March 2017Maximizing Professional Relationships: Effective Mentoring Relationships, Supervising Relationships, and Diversity Development; Panelist, Philadelphia Bar Association – 2016 Public Interest Law Day, December 2016The Top 10 Reasons the Disciplinary Board Comes Knocking; Presenter, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, November 2016White Collar Appellate Update; Panelist, PACDL’s White Collar Practice Seminar, November 2016The Top 10 Reasons the Disciplinary Board Comes Knocking; Presenter, Delaware County Bar Association, October 2016There’s a Rule For That: The RPC and the Duty to Preserve Issues on Appeal; Co-Presenter, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers – Harrisburg, April 2016Embezzlement 101; Presenter, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Philadelphia, PA – April 2016Ethical Limits of Trial Advocacy; Presenter, Lancaster County Paralegal Association’s 7th Annual Criminal Law & Forensics Conference, Lancaster, PA – April 2016“New and Evolving Strategies in Obtaining, Managing, and Challenging the Use of Electronic Data”; Co-Presenter, American Bar Association’s 30th Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime – San Diego, March 2016Subpoenas To Lawyers: An Ethical Duty To Resist?; Co-Presenter, Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers’ Mid-Year Meeting – San Diego, February 2016The Jail Cell That Comes With Illegal Recordings: PA Wiretap Act; Presenter, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Philadelphia, December 2015Ethical Limits to Trial Advocacy; Presenter, Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Criminal Law Update, Philadelphia, December 2015Is Climate Change Real? The Current Atmosphere and Future Forecast for White Collar Sentencing Guidelines; Moderator, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ 2015 White Collar Practice, Philadelphia, November 2015Breaking (from) Bad: Voluntary Corporate Disclosure of Individual Employee Misconduct; Co-Presenter, National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms 2015 Annual Meeting & Law Firm Expo, Los Angeles, September 2015The Ethical Limits of Trial Advocacy: How High Can You Go?; Presenter, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting – Denver, CO, July 2015Retention of Counsel, the Search, and Investigating the Case; Instructor, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ First Annual White Collar Criminal Defense College, Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL, March 2015Ethics in the Digital Age; Presenter, American Bar Association’s 29th Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime, New Orleans, March 2015, Presenter, Various, Various, Legal, 2024
Industry Groups:
- Legal
Office location for Ellen Brotman
834 Chestnut St
Suite 206
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Selections
18 Years Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers: 2008 - 2025