Our ProvenLitigators Thrive
In All Types Of Challenging Cases
Nationally recognized attorneys who currently serve as court appointed lead counsel in courts across the country and have been selected by the National Trial Lawyers Association as some of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania. Our attorneys have recovered over $500 billion on behalf of their clients and class members. Sauder Schelkopf also has a Law and College Fellowship program that serves students, who are seeking a career in the law or public service, with significant litigation experience in complex, high impact national litigation.
Joseph G. Sauder handles complex cases on behalf of individuals, victims of sexual misconduct, consumers, small businesses, and employees. Mr. Sauder currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in state and federal courts across the country. He has successfully litigated cases against some of the largest companies in the world.
Mr. Sauder started his legal career as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office where, from 1998 to 2003, he successfully tried hundreds of criminal cases to verdict, including sexual abuse cases.
The National Law Journal named Mr. Sauder to the 2023 Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazers. The honor recognizes plaintiffs’ lawyers who “prove to be born leaders, and true agents of change.” The National Law Journal noted that all this year’s honorees, “continue to make their mark in various aspects of legal work on the plaintiffs’ side.” He is one of only 51 plaintiff attorneys nationwide and the only Pennsylvania attorney selected to the elite list. LawDragon recognized Mr. Sauder in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022.
The Lawdragon consumer law guide offers the publication’s take on the best of the U.S. plaintiff bar specializing in representing consumers. The publication notes “these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice. They relish their role of underdog, taking on the toughest cases . . . .”
The American Lawyer named Joe Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Northeast includes Maine, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlights Joe’s innovative work on advocacy as class counsel in large institutional sex abuse cover-ups, women’s, and children’s rights. Mr. Sauder has been repeatedly recognized by his peers.
Since 2012, Mr. Sauder has been selected by the National Trial Lawyers Association as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania. Since 2011, Mr. Sauder has been selected as a Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania, as chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics. In 2020, Mr. Sauder was selected to America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® in Pennsylvania, comprised of the nation’s most exceptional trial lawyers for high-stakes legal matters. The American Lawyer Media, publisher of The Legal Intelligencer and the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, named Mr. Sauder as one of the “Lawyers on the Fast Track” a distinction that recognized thirty-five Pennsylvania attorneys under the age of 40 who show outstanding promise in the legal profession and make a significant commitment to their community.
Mr. Sauder received his Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude in Finance from Temple University in 1995. He graduated from Temple University School of Law in 1998, where he was a member of the Temple Law Review. His publications include: How a Criminal Defendant’s Death Pending Direct Appeal Affects the Victim’s Right to Restitution Under the Abatement Ab Initio Doctrine, 71 TEMP. L. REV. 347 (1998); Enacting and Enforcing Felony Animal Cruelty Laws to Prevent Violence Against Humans Animal Law 6 (2000)
Mr. Sauder is admitted to practice before the Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Michigan, Northern District of Illinois and the District of Colorado.
Mr. Sauder’s public service activities have included teaching trial advocacy to a local Philadelphia high school team that competed in the State Mock Trial Competition. He is vice president of the Philadelphia District Attorneys’ Alumni Association and served on the Executive Committee of the Temple Law Alumni Association. His pro bono activities have included serving as a volunteer attorney with the Support Center for Child Advocates. This nonprofit organization provides legal and social services to abused and neglected children. He represented a survivor of clergy sex abuse in a diocese-established compensation fund and assisted local businesses impacted by COVID-19. Mr. Sauder and his wife fund a scholarship endowment at a local community college for first-generation college students.
Mr. Sauder enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. He continues to play ice hockey, a sport that he started when he was 4 years old and has taken him around the world. He has also coached several teams over the years.
Matthew D. Schelkopf has extensive litigation experience throughout the United States and has successfully handled large complex class actions on behalf of millions of consumers against major auto manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota, Volvo, Hyundai, Kia, BMW, GM, Subaru, Ford, Volkswagen, Audi, Mazda, Chrysler and Nissan. He is a devoted litigator with an emphasis on catastrophic personal injury matters and complex class actions involving automotive defects, consumer protection, defective products and false advertising. Mr. Schelkopf currently serves as lead or co-lead counsel in numerous class actions related to product and automotive defect cases pending throughout the United States.
Mr. Schelkopf was selected to serve for two terms as President of the Class Action Trial Lawyers Association Top 25 (2022-2023 and 2023-2024 terms), an invitation-only elite group limited to the Top 25 lawyers in each state. He has also been honored as a Best Lawyer® in America (Mass Tort/Class Action) in 2022, 2023 and 2024. In 2022 and 2024, LawDragon recognized Mr. Schelkopf in its list of the“500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers”. The LawDragon consumer law guide offers the publication’s take on the best of the U.S. plaintiff bar specializing in representing consumers. The publication notes “these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice. They relish their role of underdog, taking on the toughest cases . . . .” In 2021, 2022 and 2023, he was selected as a Top 25 Products Liability Trial Lawyer, an invitation-only professional organization composed of and limited to the Top 25 attorneys from each state or region who serve individuals and families who need attorneys to represent them in the American legal system regarding Product Liability claims.
The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlights Mr. Schelkopf’s work on behalf of clients who have been victimized by corporations. In 2020 and 2022, Mr. Schelkopf was selected to America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® in Pennsylvania, comprised of the nation’s most exceptional trial lawyers for high stakes legal matters. Since 2019, Mr. Schelkopf has been selected by the National Trial Lawyers Association as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania. Since 2010, Mr. Schelkopf has been selected by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (a distinction held by the top 2.5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania) and then a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, as chosen by legal peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics. In 2012, The American Lawyer Media, publisher of The Legal Intelligencer and the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, named Mr. Schelkopf as one of the “Lawyers on the Fast Track” a distinction that recognized thirty-five Pennsylvania attorneys under the age of 40 who show outstanding promise in the legal profession and make a significant commitment to their community. Mr. Schelkopf was also selected as a Top 40 under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers in 2012-2015.
Mr. Schelkopf began his legal profession as a criminal prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Office of York County, trying numerous felony and misdemeanor jury trials. He quickly progressed to Senior Deputy Prosecutor where he headed a trial team responsible for approximately 300 felony and misdemeanor cases each quarterly trial term.
In 2004, Mr. Schelkopf then associated with a Philadelphia area law firm, litigating individual civil matters throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 2006, he was co-counsel in a Philadelphia County trial resulting in a $30,000,000.00 jury verdict in favor of his clients – the largest state verdict recorded for that year.
In 2017, Mr. Schelkopf utilized his background and knowledge of automobiles to assist local police in identifying and locating the vehicle used in a pedestrian hit and run incident which left the victim with severe life-threatening injuries. The driver was subsequently apprehended by police and admitted to being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
Outside of the office, Mr. Schelkopf enjoys spending time with his son, assists in leading Scouting and keeps active with mountain and road biking, skiing, and restoring (and racing) classic automobiles. Three of his auto restorations have been featured in nationally circulated automotive publications.
Joseph B. Kenney is a Partner who devotes his practice to litigation and has experience representing consumers in class actions involving automotive and consumer product defects, false and misleading advertising, securities litigation, employee rights, student loan protection, and other consumer protection litigation. Since 2017, Joe has been selected by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (an honor reserved for 2.5% of lawyers in Pennsylvania), as chosen by his peers based on his professional achievements. In 2024, the Legal Intelligencer named Joe as a “Lawyer on the Fast Track,” an award that recognizes the next generation of legal leaders. In 2023, Joe was named a “Rising Star of the Plaintiffs Bar” by the Elite Trial Lawyers, an organization that recognizes exemplary and cutting-edge legal work performed on behalf of plaintiffs.
Joe leads the firm’s student loan protection practice area and filed a class action lawsuit related to allegations that MOHELA, a student loan servicer, failed to properly comply with the terms of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, a federal program that encourages students to enter public sector careers by forgiving their remaining student loan debt after 10 years of payments made while working in public service. In 2023, Joe was appointed as class counsel in McMahon v. Generac Power Systems, Inc., No. 2:21-cv-05560 (E.D. Pa.), a class action case involving an alleged corrosion issue in certain standby home generators. Joe also served as class counsel on behalf of owners of fire sprinklers in Jackson v. Viking Group, Inc., No. 8:18-cv-02356 (D. Md.), and on behalf of owners and lessees of Volkswagen and Audi vehicles in Zhao v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., No. 2:21-cv-11251 (D.N.J.) and on behalf of owners and lessees of Audi vehicles in Fiscina v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., No. 2:22-cv-05875 (D.N.J.).
Joe received his J.D., cum laude, from Villanova University School of Law in 2013. While at Villanova, he was elected as a Managing Editor of Student Works for the Jeffrey S. Moorad Journal of Sports Law by his peers. As a staff writer, his comment, Showing On-Field Racism the Red Card: How the Use of Tort Law and Vicarious Liability Can Save the MLS from Joining the English Premier League on Racism Row, was selected for publication in the Spring 2012 Volume of the Journal. Prior to law school, he attended Ursinus College where he majored in politics and minored in international studies. Joe was also a member of the men’s varsity soccer team at Ursinus.
Outside of the office, Joe enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, watching soccer, and reading. Joe also ran the Chicago Marathon in 2017.
Juliette Mogenson is an associate who graduated from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. At Villanova Law, Ms. Mogenson was a member of the National Trial Team as well as the Mock Trial Coordinator for Phi Alpha Delta – King Chapter’s mock trial program. Additionally, she was a Research Assistant for Professor Teri Ravenell. She has made contributions to two law review articles on qualified immunity: Unincorporating Qualified Immunity and Qualified Immunity and Unqualified Assumptions. In May 2022, Ms. Mogenson won Villanova Law Library’s Excellence in Student Research Prize.
Before attending Villanova Law, Ms. Mogenson worked as a Victim Advocate at Pueblo Rape Crisis Services. Ms. Mogenson worked with survivors of sexual violence and abuse, providing them with support, information, resources, referrals, and advocacy. She provided 24/7 confidential hospital accompaniment and crisis response. She coordinated with hospital staff, law enforcement, and victim service providers to ensure survivors’ safety and health.
Additionally, Ms. Mogenson counseled survivors with understanding and asserting their legal rights and ensured that their voices were heard and represented throughout the legal process.
Prior to joining Sauder Schelkopf, Ms. Mogenson worked at New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Division of Law, the Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Mogenson’s public service activities have included coaching adolescent girls at a young women’s conference which focused on college readiness and skill-building. She planned a women’s self-defense class on movement and empowerment to raise funds for a local domestic violence shelter. For five years, Ms. Mogenson served as a chapter leader in her local women’s empowerment group. In 2018, Ms. Mogenson received a Community Influencer Award from The Knot Worldwide.
Ms. Mogenson earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology in 2016 and a master’s degree in Leadership in 2018. In her free time, Juliette enjoys cooking, traveling, reading fiction novels, and playing board games.
