As a pair of Pennsylvania lawyers await confirmation votes on their pending federal court nominations, newly released financial disclosures shed light on their incomes from two law firms based in the state, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney and Dilworth Paxson.

Joshua Wolson, a partner at Dilworth Paxson, appeared Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, after being nominated to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. And David Porter, a partner at Buchanan Ingersoll in Pittsburgh, is still awaiting confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit after his early June hearing before the committee.

According to his financial disclosure, Porter earned about $228,500 from Buchanan Ingersoll last year, and slightly more than that, about $254,140, in 2016. So far this year, his income from the firm has been about $66,700. His net worth is $1.69 million, his disclosure said, including just under $110,000 in firm capital.

Joshua Wolson testifies during his
confirmation hearing July 11, 2018.
Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

And Wolson, whose Philadelphia-based regional firm has just over 100 lawyers, brought in a similar amount from Dilworth Paxson, $233,300 in 2017, according to his financial disclosure. His 2016 pay was about $313,300 and so far in 2018 he has brought home about $61,900. He reported a net worth of $2.69 million.

Their incomes stand in stark contrast to those of some other recent Big Law nominees for federal judicial or federal prosecutor positions.

For example, Michael Scudder, a litigation partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Chicago, earned $3.06 million in partnership income in 2017, according to his financial disclosure. Eric Komitee, who was nominated to Brooklyn's federal district court, earned $10.5 million from 2016 to May 2018 as general counsel to the hedge fund Viking Global Investors LP.

Another Pennsylvania lawyer who filed federal financial disclosures this year was U.S. Attorney William McSwain. Before he was confirmed in March, he was a partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath, where he earned a $1.26 million partnership share last year, as well as a $53,500 bonus.

Porter has practiced at Buchanan Ingersoll for most of his career, since 1994, and became a shareholder in 2002. His practice is focused on complex commercial and constitutional litigation, and regulatory matters. His confirmation process has been controversial, as Democrats allege he should not have sat for a hearing without the approval of Sen. Bob Casey.

Wolson joined Dilworth Paxson in 2008 and became a partner there in 2010. Before that, he was an associate at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. He is a commercial litigator who represents manufacturing, communications, technology, nonprofit, and financial services companies.