Guide to the Lawrence W. Kaplan Papers, 1978-2008

Arrangement

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Lawrence W. Kaplan Papers
Creator
Kaplan, Lawrence W., 1928-
Collection Number
MSS#520
Extent
7.7 linear feet (9 boxes)
Date
1978-2008
Abstract
Lawrence W. Kaplan served as a judge of the Family Division of the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas from 1978 until his retirement in 2008. This collection includes materials from Kaplan's 1979 campaign for the position, as well as judicial opinions and daybooks covering his career as judge.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was written by Matthew Strauss.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1928, Lawrence W. Kaplan served as a judge of the Family Division of the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas from 1978 until his retirement in 2008. Kaplan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1950, and the University of Pittsburgh Law School, where he worked as a case editor for the University of Pittsburgh Law Review, in 1953. After graduation, he joined the Army, reaching the rank of First Lieutenant in the Office of the Judge Advocate General. In 1957, following his stint in the Army, Kaplan was hired as a trust officer of the former Western Pennsylvania National Bank. He later went into private practice with the firm Kaufman & Harris where he focused on tax, estate, and business law.

Kaplan was appointed judge to the Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County in 1978. The following year, Kaplan was elected to retain the position. Early in his career, Kaplan became an advocate for mediation, a process through which contesting parties negotiate a settlement outside of the courtroom. He founded the Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania and serves as the organization's president emeritus. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Family Mediators from 1982 to 1987 and was a member of the editorial board of The Mediation Quarterly.

Kaplan stepped down from the Court in December, 2008, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 80.

Scope and Content Notes

The Lawrence W. Kaplan Papers comprise nine boxes and are arranged into four series: Series I: Campaign Material, Series II: Professional Papers, Series III: Daybooks, and Series IV: Judicial Opinions.

Series I: Campaign Material primarily documents Kaplan's 1979 campaign to retain his seat on the Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County. This material, consisting of correspondence, notes, financial documents and promotional material, reveals the campaign's internal organization, outreach activities, and advertising strategies. The correspondence, mainly from Kaplan's family, friends and colleagues, often offers support and congratulations and sometimes includes a carbon copy of Kaplan's response.

Series II: Professional Papers holds a sampling of material covering Kaplan's career as judge. These items include transcripts of interviews Kaplan conducted for the Allegheny County Bar Association's Profiles in Professionalism series, material documenting Kaplan's appointment in 1978, and copies of speeches. A collection of news clippings, some contained within scrapbooks, chart the trajectory of Kaplan's career as well as his professional interests, such as national trends in divorce and child custody cases.

Series III: Daybooks houses Kaplan's daybooks, providing a view into Kaplan's daily schedule throughout his career as judge. Loose items that were folded into the books have been removed and placed into a separate folder.

Series IV: Judicial Opinions is comprised of Kaplan's opinions, covering divorce, custody, equitable distribution, and child support cases. Filed with the some of the opinions are correspondence and notes pertaining to the case.

Conditions Governing Access

No Restrictions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Lawrence W. Kaplan on February 10, 2009.

Preferred Citation

Lawrence W. Kaplan Papers, 1978-2008, MSS#520, Rauh Jewish Archives, Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Matt Strauss in March 2009.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Separated Materials

This collection contains the following separations:

MSC#520: Two audiocassettes of Kaplan speaking about family law at the New Judges Conference on 1-11-00.

MSMI#520: Children First/Honorable Lawrence Kaplan/ It's Still Your Choice, The Family Court of Allegheny County, VHS Tape

Introduction to Mediation, Hon. Lawrence Kaplan, VHS Tape, 12/13/1993

MSQ#520: Two folders of photographs, including one containing photographs of a 1991 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts event

MSO#520:

Contains the following oversized items:

Kaplan's certificate of appointment to the Court of Common Pleas

University of Pittsburgh diploma

1979 wall calendar with notes

"Guests and Members of S.O.A. Camp - July 30, 1916" print

"Keep Judge Kaplan" campaign posters

A campaign poster for Thomas Ross Kaplan, Lawrence Kaplan's son, created for his run for City Council

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

    Personal Names

    • Kaplan, Lawrence W., 1928-

    Other Subjects

    • Elections--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh
    • Judges--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh
    • Mediation--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh
    • Divorce--Law and legislation--Pennsylvania

Container List