Vincent J. Quatrini, Jr. is a founding partner at the firm and serves as managing partner. He concentrates his practice in the area of workers’ compensation and the representation of injured workers exclusively.
Mr. Quatrini has more than 38 years of experience in state and federal courts and has served as counsel in prominent cases.
In 1986, Mr. Quatrini successfully argued to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, in the case of Gilliland v. Heckler, that the administrative law judge in a Social Security disability claim must give considerable weight to the opinions of a treating physician.
In 1987, in the case of Pawlosky v. WCAB (Latrobe Brewing Co.), one of the most widely cited workers’ compensation cases in Pennsylvania, Mr. Quatrini convinced the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to dramatically redefine the term "injury" under the Workers’ Compensation Act; namely, any disease which constitutes an insult to the body as well as any work-related aggravation of a non-occupational disease are considered injuries.
In 1988, in the case of Camaione v. Boro of Latrobe, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court adopted Mr. Quatrini’s argument and spelled out the rule that all injured workers being paid under the Heart and Lung Act are entitled to a hearing in order to determine eligibility, and furthermore, that a injured worker’s disability status cannot be changed from temporary to permanent unless a due process hearing is conducted.
In 2002, in the case of McIlvaine v. WCAB (States), Mr. Quatrini persuaded the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that an over-the-road truck driver who was injured while passing through Pennsylvania was covered by the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act for that injury. The company had argued that the trucking company was headquartered in another state and that the injured worker had to use the workers’ compensation policy from the other state. As a result of this decision, any individual who is hurt while working in Pennsylvania - no matter what state that person lives in or in what state that person was hired - has the protection of the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act.
In 2004, in the case of Coleman v. WCAB (Indiana Hospital), another workers’ compensation case handled by Mr. Quatrini, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that an independent medical examination could include a diagnostic test only if the test did not involve more than a minimal risk and was not unreasonably intrusive.
Mr. Quatrini has contributed to the professional advancement of Workers’ Compensation law in many ways:
- He serves on the Workers’ Compensation Rules Committee, a position appointed by the Secretary of Labor and Industry.
- When the Workers’ Compensation Act was amended in 1996, Mr. Quatrini was selected by the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association to lecture to its members on the effects of the new legislation.
- He has been a member of the executive committee of the Workers’ Compensation Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association since 1984, and served as chair of the Section from 1989 - 1990.
- Mr. Quatrini is one of a statewide team of attorneys who co-authors (1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012) the publication Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Practice & Procedure. The teaching group, which lectures to over 1,000 workers’ compensation attorneys in Pennsylvania, won the prestigious Award of Outstanding Achievement from the International Association for Continuing Legal Education in 2000 and 2002.
- Mr. Quatrini launched a series of lectures entitled, "Medicine for Lawyers." Mr. Quatrini moderates a panel of physicians and attorneys who lecture to attorneys all over Pennsylvania on medical topics related to work injuries. The presentations have included: Chronic Pain Syndrome; Orthopedics for Lawyers: Knees, Shoulders, and Elbows; Lawyers’ Guide to Mild to Moderate Brain Injury; Analyzing and Using Medical Records; Anatomy and Medical Jargon for Lawyers; Litigating the Upper Extremity Injury Case - Do’s and Don’ts; Anatomy, Injuries, and Surgeries.
- He is a member of, and has lectured around the country for, the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group.
- He is a frequent speaker at the PBA Workers’ Compensation Law Fall Section Meeting.
- Mr. Quatrini is a regular presenter at the Annual Governor’s Workers’ Compensation Conference sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
- He moderates Current Trends in Workers’ Compensation Management, sponsored by Allegheny General Hospital and Allegheny Orthopedic Associates.
- He contributes to the Pennsylvania Bar Institute publication Fee Agreements in Pennsylvania.
- He moderated the 8th Annual Administrative Law Symposium for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.
Mr. Quatrini has volunteered his time to numerous endeavors for the legal profession and has been recognized for his accomplishments:
- He is a former chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Conference of County Bar Leaders, which provides training and programming for bar association presidents of the 67 Pennsylvania counties.
- He is a member of the Westmoreland County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.
- He is a member of the Westmoreland County Academy of Trial Lawyers, a select group of trial attorneys.
- He is past president of the Westmoreland Bar Association (1988-1989). While on the Westmoreland County Bar Association’s Board of Directors, Mr. Quatrini played an active part in securing and financing the first permanent headquarters in the Association’s one hundred twenty-five year history.
- Mr. Quatrini has been listed in the The Best Lawyers in America each year since 1997.
- He is listed as a Top 100 Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Attorney.
- He is listed as a Top 50 Pittsburgh Workers’ Compensation Attorney.
- He has been listed as a Super Lawyer for the past 10 years.
Mr. Quatrini has devoted considerable energy and time to the philanthropic community:
- He is a founder and founding Chair of the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, a philanthropic vehicle designed to provide all individuals, despite their economic status, with the opportunity to be a philanthropist and to positively impact the lives of members of the community.
- He sits on the Board of Directors of the following organizations: The Pittsburgh Foundation, the Westmoreland Land Trust, the Latrobe Community Revitalization Program, and the Duquesne Law Alumni Association.
- He is a former Board member of the WESTCO credit union, the Westmoreland Bar Foundation, the Blackburn Center, Adelphoi, Inc., Adelphoi Village, and Adelphoi USA, and the former Board Chair for the Westmoreland County March of Dimes.
- He has been recognized with the prestigious Fred Funari Mental Health America Award of Distinction by the Mental Health Association of Westmoreland County.
- He has been recognized with the Westmoreland Historical Society Arthur Sinclair Award for the renovation of the 7th Ward School in Greensburg and the Citizens Bank Building in Latrobe.
- He has been conferred with the Italian of the Year award by the Sons of Italy.
Mr. Quatrini received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from St. Vincent College in 1971, and his Doctorate of Law from Duquesne University in 1974. He is a lifelong resident of the Latrobe-Greensburg area and is married to Patricia Cecchini, a nursing instructor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He and Patricia have two sons, Michael, an associate at QuatriniRafferty, and Adam, a law student at Duquesne Law School.
