Thomas J. Doerr is the Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group at The Lynch Law Group. He focuses his practice on mediation, concentrating specifically in personal injury, family law, and commercial litigation and practicing in the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practice Group.
Doerr draws on his decades of experience on the bench, having served as judge for the Butler County Court of Common Pleas from 1992 to 2022. He brings an extensive legal knowledge, as well as a strong capacity for leadership, to his practice at The Lynch Law Group.
Doerr was elected as District Judge in 1987, serving until elected to the Court of Common Pleas in 1991. He was retained in 2001 and again in 2011, and he served as President Judge of the Butler County Court of Common Pleas from 2000 to 2022. During his term, Doerr presided over all matters of Common Pleas jurisdiction.
In addition to his judicial service to the Butler County Court, Doerr was instrumental throughout his tenure in creating and contributing to valuable programs within the court system. While serving as President Judge, he created the Department of Community Corrections for the first time in Butler County, combining the offices of juvenile and adult probation and nearly doubling the number of probation officers in both divisions. Following the implementation of the program, the number of juveniles charged by petition annually was reduced from approximately 600 to approximately 225.
Under Doerr’s leadership, the Pretrial Supervision Program was implemented, allowing the release of qualified defendants prior to the completion of processing of their cases in order to alleviate prison overcrowding. Also during his term as President Judge, a streamlined process for DUI cases (called DUI Court) was created, in addition to Drug Court, Veterans Court, and Behavioral Health Court: all implemented to address the underlying issues affecting individuals in the justice system. In civil court, the Credit Conciliation Program was implemented as a collaborative effort between creditors and debtors to prevent mortgage foreclosures and facilitate fair and reasonable outcomes for both parties.
In conjunction with child psychologist Dr. Robert Andolina and former Director of Community Corrections Dr. Michael Noyes, Doerr created the New Hope Program: a nonresidential heroin treatment program for juvenile offenders. Providing coordinated services with community-based probation supervision and in-home counseling services, this program had a long-term success rate of over 85%.
Doerr further contributed to the Commonwealth through his service on the Butler County Prison Board, Butler County Drug Treatment Court, and Criminal Justice Advisory Board.
In his free time, he enjoys sailing, skiing, biking, and spending time with family and friends.
Articles By Thomas J. Doerr
