JOSEPH E. LASTOWKA, JR.
Joe Lastowka is a lifelong Delaware County resident who earned his Juris Doctor degree from The Law School of the University of Pennsylvania after graduating from Yale University with a B. A. in Economics & Mathematics.
During his years of practice, Joe has prepared Wills or Trust documentation for more than 6,500 individuals and has served as legal counsel for the settlement of more than 1,300 estates or trusts. He was featured nationally for the first court decision forcing the IRS to pay a taxpayer’s legal fees.
Joe is an elected fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been identified selected into Super Lawyers™ in the fields of Estate Planning, Trusts and Estates, and also has been included in the listings of Best Lawyers in America™ in those fields of practice.
Joe has chaired the Delaware County Orphans’ Court Rules Committee and the Delaware County Orphans’ Court Education Committee. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Widener University where he developed and taught the Estate Planning and Administration introduction for the Widener University Paralegal Studies Program. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Delaware County Bar Association.
His talks have included presentations on estate planning and related topics to the International Conference of the National Association for Hospital Development, the National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations, the Delaware State Tax Institute, the Delaware and Chester County Estate Planning Councils, the Delaware and Chester County Life Underwriters Associations, many community groups, and at Bar Association seminars.
Joe currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union. His other community and professional involvement includes service as a board member for Associated Services for the Blind, Chester-Wallingford Chapter of the American Red Cross, Crozer-Chester Foundation, Delaware County Bar Association, Delco Blind/Sight Center, Delaware County Community Foundation, Delco Memorial Foundation of Delaware County Memorial Hospital, Delaware County Legal Assistance, the Del-Chester Chapter of the American Lung Association, the Delaware County Estate Planning Council, and the Hedgerow Foundation. He has served as solicitor for the Delaware County Head Start Program and the Delaware County Housing Authority.
Joe lives in Gradyville, Edgemont Township, with his wife Frankie and their son Joe. Their younger son Greg was a law professor at Rutgers School of Law-Camden until his recent death from cancer, recognized for many publications in the field of cyberlaw, including his groundbreaking book on “Virtual Justice” published by the Yale University Press.
