Rydal-Meadowbrook Civic Association

153rd Legislative District of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania  map

 Tom Bogar is an experienced attorney with offices in Cheltenham. Tom
concentrates his law practice in the areas of business and corporate law,
taxation and commercial litigation.  He is also an accredited Veterans
Affairs attorney for the preparation, presentation and prosecution of claims
for veteran's benefits before the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Prior to
9/11, Tom had practiced law with a large firm in Montgomery County and as
Counsel for Wilmington Trust Company where he was lead counsel for complex, multi-million dollar transactions, some worth as much as $500,000,000. He is often sought to speak as an estate planning expert.  Cited as an estate planning expert in national magazines and appearing on local television, Tom has lectured and written articles on issues concerning estate planning, estate administration, elder law and corporations.  He authored the book "Pennsylvania Elder Law," and wrote "Delaware Offers Convenient Asset
Protection," and has co-authored "The Probate Process from Start to Finish
in Pennsylvania," "Choice of Business Entity in New Jersey," and "Choice of
Business Entity in Pennsylvania, How to do it Right."

An active member of his community, Tom has served as director and
counsel for several charities and community organizations, including: the
Abington Zoning Hearing Board, the Briar Bush Nature Center, the Helping
Hand Foundation and the Abington Presbyterian Church.

Since 9/11, Tom Bogar has served five years on active duty as an
Army Judge Advocate, most recently assigned to the Pentagon's Office of the
Secretary of Defense as Associate Deputy General Counsel for International
Affairs.  At the Pentagon, Tom's legal portfolio focused on issues
pertaining to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Prior to his service in the
Office of the Secretary of Defense, Tom served for two years in the Office
of Military Commissions.  In this capacity, he traveled extensively around
the world, with stops in Guantanamo Bay, Pakistan, and Afghanistan where he
met with Ambassadors, foreign ministers, and former Presidents and appeared on both the front pages and the opinion pages of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Tom subsequently garnered international attention where he was featured in Der Spiegel magazine. In 2007, Tom presented his lecture, "Guantanamo – Still a legal black hole?" at the Wisconsin Bar Annual Convention. His law review article, relevant to the current Guantanamo Bay debate, titled "Unlawful Combatant or Innocent Civilian?  A Call to Change the Current Means for Determining Status of Prisoners in the Global War on Terror," appears in the April 2009 edition of the Florida Journal of International Law.  Additionally, Tom's active military service includes serving as a Judge Advocate with the 10th Mountain Division, and as a trial defense attorney for the 3rd Infantry Division.  He remains an Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel and is currently detailed as an international law expert with the Army Office of the Judge Advocate General.  Prior to his legal career, Tom served on active duty during the Cold War with the U.S. Navy submarine fleet as a Lieutenant, Radiation Health Officer, first in Guam aboard the U.S.S. Proteus (AS 19) and later at the TRIDENT Refit Facility in Silverdale, Washington, with deployments to the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea.

Tom is a graduate of Dickinson College and Seattle University School
of Law.  He has earned a Master of Laws in International and Comparative
Law from the George Washington School of Law and a Master of Laws in
Taxation from Villanova University School of Law.   Tom has also graduated
from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army Judge Advocate School.

Tom is a member of the Montgomery County Bar Association, Montgomery
County Estate Planning Council, Pennsylvania Bar Association and Federalist
Society.  Tom Bogar is a highly rated attorney by Martindale Hubbell.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Tom has lived in Abington for almost
13 years with his wife, Dr. Linda Bogar, and his newborn son. A former Eagle
Scout, Tom's interests include history, baseball and spending quality time
with his family after almost 5 years on active military duty.

Read a Q&A with Mr. Bogar on the Times Chronicle web site.   
Mr. Bogar is running against incumbant Representatative Josh Shapiro. Visit the biography of the Mr. Shapiro, here.