Bio

Joshua David Lamancusa, age 35, was born on June 4, 1973 in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He is the youngest child of Carmen and Loretta Lamancusa and has one brother, Frank, and one sister, Laurel. He is the nephew of Dr. Nancy Lamancusa. Joshua attended Neshannock High School (1986-1991) and was active in both academic activities and athletics. He was a member of the National Honor Society and a student government representative. He studied martial arts under Sensei Billy Stoner and played baseball and basketball.

Joshua attended Denison University (1991-1995) in Granville, Ohio. During his collegiate career, he became a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon National Fraternity and was active in campus government. He held several positions within the Denison Community Government Association including Vice President, Chair of the Board of Co-Governors, and Chair of the Committee on Residential Life. In 1995, Joshua was the sole recipient of the Nelson Griely Award for campus leadership. While at Denison, Joshua made the decision to try out for the football team, a sport he had not played since the sixth grade. He trained for several months and attended tryouts as a walk-on during his junior year. Joshua made the varsity team and played into his senior year until an injury ended his college career. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Economics with a minor in Communications. In 1995, Joshua attended The Ohio State University located in Columbus, Ohio to pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance. Here he earned academic distinction and was named to the Dean’s List. In 1996, Joshua applied for admission to and was accepted into Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.

Joshua earned his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in 1999 and graduated with a 3.16 GPA. During his law school tenure, he was a member of Case Western Reserve’s National Moot Court Team, a Staff Editor for Health Matrix: Journal of Law-Medicine, and an Appellate Brief Advisor. In 1999, he was awarded the Dean Dunmore Award, an award given to the best oral advocate at a national moot court competition. Most of Joshua’s law school colleagues began their legal careers working for large firms or companies; Joshua, however, chose a different path, a path of service.

In 1999, Joshua applied for and was accepted into the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG Corps) and was commissioned the rank of Ensign. He attended Officer Indoctrination School and Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island. After sixth months of training, ENS Lamancusa was promoted to the rank of Lietenant Junior Grade and was stationed at the Trial Service Office East (2000-2003) at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia. Naval Station Norfolk is the largest naval base in the world and the Trial Service Office East is the busiest prosecution office in the U.S. Navy.

Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Lamancusa was immediately placed into the courtroom as a prosecutor, and his advocacy skills soon earned him distinction. He quickly advanced up the chain of command and was designated a Trial Counsel Team Leader, responsible for the supervision and prosecution of all cases assigned to a team of 3 full time prosecutors and 2 paralegals. He excelled in this leadership position and continued an unprecedented rate of convictions and incarceration time. Shortly thereafter, LTJG Lamancusa was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and was named Assistant Chief Trial Counsel. He was responsible for all prosecution and case management as well as the supervision and assignment of cases to 11 full time prosecutors, 4 paralegals and 2 civilians. LT Lamancusa received numerous letters of commendation and military decorations (see Education, Membership, Awards and Military Performance Evaluations) and earned a reputation as a skilled and aggressive litigator. He was assigned only the most challenging and high profile cases and tried them throughout the United States, Europe, and Southwest Asia.

LT Lamancusa completed his three year tour of duty in Norfolk, Virginia and was then assigned to the Navy Legal Service Command in Naples, Italy. He was assigned the role of defense counsel and was eventually promoted to the position of Division Officer of the command’s Claims Department. LT Lamancusa took over an office plagued by backlog and inefficiency; within two months, he had eliminated the backlog, exponentially increased efficiency, and greatly improved personnel morale. LT Lamancusa managed the Naples office and four branch offices located in England, Spain, Sicily and Bahrain. Once again, he excelled in both his leadership and advocacy responsibilities and was decorated for his achievements (see Awards and Military Performance Evaluations).

In 2005, LT Lamancusa requested a release from Active Duty so that he could return to his home town and practice law with his father. Despite requesting release from Active Duty, LT Lamancusa was still promoted based on past performances to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He was eventually released from Active Duty and began his civilian legal career in March 2005 at the Law Offices of Carmen F. Lamancusa, P.C. Joshua is now a general practitioner, specializing in criminal and civil litigation. He is responsible for managing the firm’s personal injury caseload and has litigated hundreds of criminal, civil, and social security cases.

Joshua is active in numerous community organizations, including the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is both the Solicitor and a Member of the Board of Directors for the United Way; and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the New Castle Public Library. He has served both the Pennsylvania and Lawrence County Bar Associations as a Zone Delegate, and he has served as Chair and Member of the Executive Committee for the Young Lawyers Division of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. In addition to his numerous community activities, he is also a Professor at Butler County Community College.

Joshua presently lives in the City of New Castle with his wife, Amy, and their two German Shepherds, Oscar and Bear. Born in Pennsylvania, Amy spent most of her childhood in Washington and Virginia. She is a Registered Nurse and works for a group of Ophthalmologists in Sharon, Pennsylvania. She is a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy Nurse Corps, and is currently deployed to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.