When a commercial dispute lands in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania venue matters. Many state-law business cases will be filed at the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in Norristown, while federal questions—or diversity cases that make strategic sense—are typically heard in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (EDPA) in Center City. (For EDPA detail and broader statewide strategy, see our Pennsylvania and Philadelphia pages.)
At Equal Justice Solutions, we help owners, investors, and mission-driven companies navigate breach of contract, fiduciary duty, shareholder disputes, trade secrets, and other complex business conflicts. We focus on careful pleadings, early venue analysis, and disciplined motion practice, guided by our Christian, faith-based values. Those values remind us that our role is to give you candid advice—about when to press forward and when a practical resolution may serve you best—rather than prolonging litigation (and expenses) unnecessarily.
Montgomery County is a large, sophisticated judicial district. The Court of Common Pleas has 24 judgeships, with a dedicated Orphans’ Court division and an active senior judge corps. As of 2025, Judge Cheryl L. Austin and Judge Thomas C. Branca serve as senior judges.
The civil docket is heavy. In 2023, the county reported 14,520 civil actions available for processing and more than 8,000 civil cases pending at year end. Contract cases comprised 2,898 filings (roughly 41%), but the majority of those were consumer, employment, or debt-collection matters—with only 457 categorized as “Other” in the contract bucket, which is where most true business-to-business disputes live.
Montgomery County moves at a reasonable clip for a high-volume suburban court. A typical business matter can resolve in 18–24 months from filing, depending on motion practice and the complexity of discovery. That said, about 20% of civil actions remain pending past 36 months, a reminder that busy generalist dockets can encounter congestion. If you need a faster federal timeline—or a corporation-law specialist—EDPA, Philadelphia’s Commerce Court, or Delaware’s Court of Chancery may be a better fit.
Montgomery County’s bench is known for professionalism and fairness. The jury pool draws from the Main Line and surrounding suburbs, yielding educated, civic-minded jurors who take their role seriously.
This is a generalist trial court, not a specialized business docket; it’s excellent for efficiently resolving straightforward contract disputes, real-estate controversies, and equitable business relief, while very involved governance or multi-forum commercial matters may benefit from a specialized venue.
Montgomery County has handled matters of national profile, underscoring the court’s capacity to manage complex, high-visibility litigation. The Bill Cosby criminal trial was tried and sentenced for sexual abuse in Norristown at the Montgomery County Courthouse. And the prosecution and sentencing of former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane occurred in Montgomery County as well.
Some disputes belong in federal court from the outset—copyright, DTSA trade secrets, antitrust, federal securities, civil RICO, or bankruptcy-adjacent litigation. Others are state-law claims that may qualify for diversity jurisdiction and benefit from federal case management, remote appearances on non-dispositive matters, and a broader jury pool. We evaluate those trade-offs with you and, when appropriate, leverage EDPA’s pace and magistrate-judge settlement tools to shorten the life cycle of the dispute. (See our Philadelphia and Pennsylvania pages for EDPA data points and jury dynamics.)
14,520 civil actions available for processing in 2023; >8,000 civil cases pending at year end.
2,898 “contract” filings, but only 457 in the “other” category where most commercial conflicts sit; many of the rest are debt or employment.
A significant minority—about 1 in 5 civil actions—remain pending beyond 36 months.
24 judgeships; active senior judges (including Judge Austin and Judge Branca); three Orphans’ Court judges handling fiduciary/estate-adjacent matters.
What this means practically: if your dispute is a pure contract or real-property matter and you want a fair, local adjudication, Norristown is a solid venue.
If your matter involves complex corporate governance, multi-party cross-claims, or fast-moving injunctive relief, we may recommend filing (or removing) to EDPA, or—in certain corporate disputes—proceeding in Delaware Chancery. The point isn’t to “court shop”; it’s to match the forum to the case so you aren’t paying for unnecessary delay.
We represent minority shareholders, founders, executives, and mission-driven companies in disputes involving contracts, trade secrets and restrictive covenants, partnership or LLC break-ups, breach of fiduciary duty, shareholder oppression, fraud and business torts, and insurance coverage for commercial claims. We litigate in Norristown, EDPA, and—when the facts call for it—Philadelphia Commerce Court or Delaware Chancery.
We do not represent companies suing non-executive employees, entities credibly accused of fraud or abuse, personal-injury or insurance-defense matters, or any engagement misaligned with our values.
We start with a three-part screen:
We’ve tried cases in state and federal courts across the region and know when Norristown offers the right blend of fairness and efficiency—and when a different forum will save you time and money.
Pennsylvania’s fact-pleading standard rewards detail. We use pre-complaint discovery and books-and-records tools where warranted to ensure the case is built correctly from day one.
We press hard when it advances the merits—and pivot to ADR when the numbers make sense.
Between our Main Line Special, the Power Pack™, and the Quick Defense option, you control scope and spend.
If you’re facing a business dispute in Norristown, Conshohocken, or along the Main Line, let’s match your case to the right forum and strategy. We’ll give you a clear plan, a realistic budget, and advocacy calibrated to the court you’re in—whether that’s the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, EDPA, Philadelphia Commerce Court, or Delaware Chancery.
The Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in Norristown hears commercial disputes involving breach of contract, shareholder and partnership conflicts, real estate controversies, trade secret litigation, fiduciary duty claims, and business torts.
Most commercial cases in Montgomery County resolve within 18–24 months of filing, although about 20% remain pending beyond 36 months due to motion practice or case complexity.
Yes. Federal business cases, or state law cases meeting diversity jurisdiction requirements, are typically filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (EDPA) in Philadelphia. We discuss EDPA timelines and jury dynamics in our Pennsylvania and Philadelphia pages.
If your case needs faster resolution, specialized business judges, or broader jury pools, EDPA or Philadelphia Commerce Court may be better forums than the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. We analyze venue strategy before filing to align with your case goals.
Yes. We offer the 15–25 Hour Legal Power Pack™ for early case assessment and strategy, as well as a 75-Hour Quick Defense Package for defendants needing immediate representation before committing to full-scale litigation.
For cases filed in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, we offer discounted rates: $595/hour for the 15–25 Hour Legal Starter Pack™ and $575/hour for the 75-Hour Quick Defense Package. These discounts apply only to cases in Montgomery County Court and do not apply to federal court, Philadelphia Commerce Court, Delaware Chancery, or the New York Commercial Division.