The Honorable Thomas I. Vanaskie, former Judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, is a member of Stevens & Lee’s Litigation Department and chairs the firm’s Appellate and Mediation, Neutral Services and Alternative Dispute Resolution practice groups. Judge Vanaskie was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 2010 where he served with distinction for eight years, participating in and deciding many complex, high profile cases. Before 2010, he served as a district judge for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania for 16 years, including seven years as chief judge. He received his Juris Doctor Degree, cum laude, from the Dickinson School of Law, after which he served as a law clerk to then Chief Judge William J. Nealon of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Lycoming College.