Allentown attorney Rodriguez joins Lehigh County judge race
An Allentown attorney who said his family’s bad experience with a lawyer whenhewasateen shaped the way he treats his own clients is joining the crowded race for Lehigh County judge.
Carlos G. Rodriguez, 45, is vying for one of three seats that will be open in next year’s election. The Democrat say he’ll cross-file to appear on both parties’ ballots.
A graduate of Penn State University and Duquesne University School of Law, Rodriguez served as an assistant Allegheny County district attorney and Lehigh County public defender. He’s a court-appointed civil arbitrator in both Lehigh and Northampton county courts, and for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Rodriguez has also been an arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau for 14 years, and has more than 20 years of experience litigating criminal, family, personal injury, workers’ compensation and medical malpractice cases in state and federal courts.
Rodriguez said he was a junior in high school when his family sought help from an attorney after his father was fired. They were unable to pay the $200 consultation fee, Rodriguez recalled, and asked for a reduction.
“The attorney refused to see us and told the secretary not to make appointments with indigent people. This is the main reason I never charged anybody for an office consultation,” he said.
Outside of work, Rodriguez is active on the first Diocesan Pastoral Council for the Diocese of Allentown and administers a Spanish-speaking interdenominational telephone conference praying line. Heholds a black belt in kung fu.
In a statement announcing his candidacy, Rodriguez vowed he “will not accept political donations or contributions for his campaign” in an “effort to be transparent, gain the voters’ trust and serve all people equally.”
The openings on the county bench in Allentown are due to the retirements this year of judges Maria L. Dantos and Kelly L. Banach, and the departure of President Judge Edward D. Reibman, who recently announced that he won’t seek another 10-year term when his ends next year.
Rodriguez is the sixth person to enter the race, joining Allentown District Judge Rashid Santiago, defense attorney David Ritter and civil attorneys Zachary Cohen, Tom Capehart and Maraleen D. Shields.