Peter F. Vaira - Philadelphia, PA
Attorney at Weir LLP
Litigation Dispute Resolution Lawyers in Philadelphia, PA
1339 Chestnut Street Suite 500 Philadelphia, PA 19107
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
63
Years
Experience
Philadelphia / New Jersey Litigation Dispute Resolution Lawyer
Updated: 03/02/2026
Areas of Practice
- Litigation Dispute Resolution
- White Collar Criminal Defense & Corporate Investitgations
- Federal Criminal Defense
Attorney Information
Overview
Peter F. Vaira, one of our country's preeminent white collar criminal defense lawyers serves as Special Counsel to Weir Greenblatt Pierce LLP. During Mr. Vaira's over 50 years of practice he has handled the most complex criminal and civil matters in state and federal court, having earned him a well-known reputation as one of the most respected attorneys in the region. Mr. Vaira is also a widely sought after arbitrator, mediator, special master, and independent hearing officer with numerous years of experience in the field of alternative dispute resolution. Mr. Vaira directs Weir Greenblatt Pierce LLP's alternative dispute resolution practice while also working directly with Michael J. Engle who leads our white collar practice group.
Mr. Vaira is a member of the Pennsylvania, Illinois, and District of Columbia Bars and he is a certified national and international arbitrator who serves as a Special Master in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Commerce Court program and who previously acted as the Independent Hearing Officer for the Laborers' International Union of North America. Throughout his career Mr. Vaira has also handled every kind of white collar criminal defense matter imaginable as well as antitrust cases, internal and parallel investigations, corporate crisis management matters, and complex civil litigation cases. Recently, Mr. Vaira was appointed by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter to serve as the Executive Director of a Commission formed to investigate the Department of Licenses and Inspections subsequent to a tragic building collapse in Center City Philadelphia.
A graduate of Duquesne University and the Duquesne University School of Law, Mr. Vaira served in the United States Navy from 1963 to 1968 in the Judge Advocate General Corps. Mr. Vaira is also a fifteen year veteran of the United States Department of Justice where he served as the Attorney in Charge of the Philadelphia and Chicago Organized Crime Strike Forces. In 1978, the President of the United States appointed Mr. Vaira to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania where he acted as the chief federal law enforcement official for five years. Upon leaving the Justice Department, Mr. Vaira was later appointed as the Executive Director of the President's Commission on Organized Crime. After entering into private practice, Mr. Vaira worked in various prominent law firms in both Chicago and Philadelphia.
Mr. Vaira is a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Law Institute, and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Mr. Vaira is a frequent lecturer on a variety of legal topics both nationally and internationally, while he also serves on the editorial boards of The Legal Intelligencer and The Philadelphia Lawyer. Mr. Vaira is the author of Eastern District of Pennsylvania Federal Practice Rules Annotated from Gann Publishing and Corporate Responses to Federal Grand Jury Investigations published by Matthew Bender.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- Who’s Who in America
- Who’s Who in American Law
- Distinguished Law Alumni Award, Duquesne University Law School, 2005
Other Sources of Feedback About Peter F. Vaira
Included on the 2024 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2023 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2011 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2010 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2009 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2008 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2007 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2006 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2005 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
Education
-
Legal Education
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Duquesne University School of Law,
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, 1962
J.D.
-
Duquesne University School of Law,
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, 1962
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Non Legal Education
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Duquesne University, 1959
B.A.
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Duquesne University, 1959
Current Employment Position(s)
-
Special Counsel
Past Positions
- United States Navy, Lieutenant, 1963 - 1968
- Laborers' International Union of North America, Independent Hearing Officer
- President's Commission on Organized Crime in Washington, D.C., Executive Director
- Eastern District of Pennsylvania, United States Attorney
- Office of Judge Advocate General, Washington, D.C.
- United States Navy (Judge Advocate), Active Duty, Officer, 1963 - 1968
Classes and Seminars
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"International Arbitrations", Saltzburg, Austria, 2004
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"Electronic Filing in the Eastern District of PA", Philadelphia Bar Institute, 2004
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"Dealing with IRS Agents", Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, 2003
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"The Trial of the September 11 War Criminals", Philadelphia Bar Institute, 2002
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"The 2000 Amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure", Philadelphia Bar Institute, 2000
- "Civil Practice and Procedure in the Eastern District", Philadelphia Bar Institute, 1999
Published Works
Articles
-
Author of Eastern District of Pennsylvania Federal Practice Rules Annotated, Gann Law Books Company, published annually since 1998
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Author of Corporate Responses to Grand Jury Investigations, Matthew Bender, 1984, revised annually
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10 Questions for Magistrate Judge Jacob Hart, The Philadelphia Lawyer, Fall, 2003
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10 Questions for Judge John P. Fullam, The Philadelphia Lawyer, Spring, 2003
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The Police Arbitration Procedure, A Realistic Appraisal, The Philadelphia Lawyer, Spring, 2002
- Preventive Management Guide Agents on Your Doorstep: Managing the Government Investigation, Corporation Criminal Liability Reporter, Winter, Vol. 2, No.1, 1998
- Review the State Supreme Court, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August, 1996
- Interview of Chairman of South African Free Election Committee, The Legal Intelligencer, January, 1995
- Memo to the New Police Commissioner, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August, 1992
- To Streamline Federal Criminal Cases, The New York Times, November, 1991
- 10 Questions for Judge Bruce W. Kauffman, The Philadelphia Lawyer, Summer, 2006
- 10 Questions for Judge Joseph A. Hudock, The Philadelphia Lawyer, Summer, 2002
- Regular columnist, “Eastern District Practice” and the Legal lntelligencer, a daily commercial legal newspaper
- Blogger, Professional Blog – Peter Vaira, Eastern District Practice
- Member, Editorial Board, The Philadelphia Lawyer magazine (Editor 2008-2009) and The Philadelphia Legal Intelligencer
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania, 1962
- Illinois, 1984
- District of Columbia, 1968
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1962
- U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 1962
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1962
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 1972
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois
Specialties and Certifications
- Certified Mediator, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Other Affiliations
- Philadelphia Police Commissioner, 1992 (Member, Mayor's Selection Committee)
- Seminar panelist Controlling International Organized Crime, Rome, Sorrento, Italy, 1994
- Independent Commission to Review Palatine Illinois Murders, Chicago Crime Commission, 1996 (Member)
- Panelist at the International Conference on Trial by Jury in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1996
- Police Corruption Task Force, 1997 (Member)
- American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow)
- American Law Institute (Fellow)
- USGA 2003 Women's Amateur Championship (Press Officer)
- The Legal Intelligencer and The Philadelphia Lawyer (Editorial Board)
- Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Fellow)
- Criminal Procedure Committee, 1991 - 1994 (Chairman)
- Communications Committee, 1996 - Present (Member)
- International Committee, 2009 - Present (Member)
- Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (PACDL)
- Executive Director, Mayor’s Independent Commission Regarding the Licenses & Inspections Department, 2013
- Special Hearing Master, Commerce Court Program, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, 2012 to present
- Member, Philadelphia Mayor’s Police Department Transition Team, 2008 Independent Hearing Officer, Laborers’ International Union of North America, 1995 to present
- Mayor’s Selection Committee for Philadelphia Police Commissioner, 1992 - Present (Member)
- Philadelphia Commission on Police Corruption, 1997 - 1998 (Member)
- President’s Commission on Organized Crime, 1984 - 1985 (Executive Director)
- Court Appointed Arbitrator, Fen Phen Diet Drug Class Action Suit settlement, Philadelphia
Contact
1339 Chestnut Street
Suite 500
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-309-8660
Fax: (215) 665-8464
Email: Send a message
Website: https://www.weirlawllp.com/
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