Jim Lavelle, an attorney from East Penn Township, is seeking election to the office of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Carbon County. He will pursue the Republican and Democratic nominations.

He is an assistant district attorney in Carbon County and has prosecuted criminal defendants since his appointment by District Attorney Gary F. Dobias in January 2006. In addition to carrying a full caseload of adult defendants, Lavelle is responsible for the prosecution of all cases of juvenile crime that arise in Carbon County.Lavelle has served clients in a wide variety of civil matters in the Lehighton Law Offices of Shutack and Lavelle since his admission to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He is currently solicitor for the Lehighton Sewerage Authority. He is also solicitor for the Normal Square Chapel Association in Mahoning Township."I've had extensive experience in both civil law and criminal law," he said. "In my private practice, I have helped hundreds of people resolve a great variety of problems and navigate through difficult times."As a member of the Carbon County District Attorney's Office, I've had the privilege of representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Through trials, hearings, briefs, and arguments, I've given the very best of my energy and spirit to securing justice for victims and safety for our communities."Born in Lehighton, he is the son of Marianne Shutack Lavelle and retired Judge John P. Lavelle. He attended Marian Catholic High School and is a 1991 graduate of Tufts University, in Medford, Mass., where he majored in English. He went on to study in English at New York University and graduated from Villanova University School of Law in 2002.During his years at Villanova, he served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Thomas G. Gavin, Judge of the Court of Common Please of Chester County. Before entering law school, Lavelle worked for the Crime and Justice Research Institute in Philadelphia.He resides in East Penn Township with his wife, Elizabeth, an emergency room nurse for Blue Mountain Health System at both the Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton campuses.He said he feels an obligation to serve the residents of Carbon County."I was born and raised here in Carbon County," he said. "I'm aware that I benefited a great deal from having a chance to live here.""I have a debt to repay and it's really very important to me that I repay that debt in service to the county."Lavelle remarked, "The judgeship is the position designated in our system to secure fairness and justice for the citizens."He noted, "My work prosecuting juvenile offenders has given me a chance to see the challenges facing our young people and our families today. We are seeing more young people involved with highly addictive drugs and more young people committing sexual offenses than we saw as recently as three years ago. As our population and caseload increases, I believe we are entering a critical moment in our county's history. The next Judge of the Court of Common Pleas must remain alert to these changes and find ways to bring our timeless principles of justice to bear on the difficult legal issues of the present. I am seasoned, I am ready, and I am committed to meeting that challenge and fulfilling the solemn obligations of this great office."For the first time since the 1920s, the population in Carbon County has increased, noted Lavelle. "Correspondingly, there's been dramatic changes in the judicial system. The caseload increases annually, both criminal and civil.""The judge is going to have to not only be aware of what the new realities are here in the county, but also anticipate the problems and the issues that tomorrow are going to bring," he added. "Again, I have sufficient experience and vigor, I feel, to complete these tasks."