Arthur Liebersohn, lawyer and consumer advocate

Posted 3/7/12

Arthur Liebersohn, 61, of Mt. Airy, a lawyer and a longtime consumer advocate, died Feb. 29 of complications from a stroke at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Mr. Liebersohn was the …

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Arthur Liebersohn, lawyer and consumer advocate

Posted

Arthur Liebersohn, 61, of Mt. Airy, a lawyer and a longtime consumer advocate, died Feb. 29 of complications from a stroke at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Mr. Liebersohn was the Consumer Party candidate for mayor in 1979 and 1983, for district attorney in 1977 and 1981, and for state attorney general in 1984.

Running for district attorney in 1977 after practicing law for less than a year, he told The Inquirer that he “found it incredible that there were more than 10,000 people willing to vote for me.”

Graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1976, Mr. Liebersohn joined the Consumer Education and Protective Association (CEPA) and the Consumer Party, both of which were headed by the late Max Weiner, a widely known advocate for the rights of consumers.

The ensuing partnership was a perfect match since Weiner needed a lawyer to file petitions to stop sheriff’s sales, and Mr. Liebersohn was not interested in becoming a corporate lawyer. Mr. Liebersohn began to get referrals for legal work from CEPA and ultimately became a specialist in bankruptcy law.

Since 1986 he had been a Chapter 7 trustee for bankruptcy cases in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and a Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 trustee in Delaware. He had served on the board of the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project since it was founded in 1992 and provided pro bono representation for low-income debtors filing for debt relief.

A bankruptcy court mediator and volunteer tax preparer for the Earned Income Tax Credit project, he regularly offered seminars on bankruptcy law for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.

A native of Chevy Chase, Md., he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Mr. Liebersohn and his wife, Mady Cantor, a dancer and choreographer, raised two children in Mt. Airy and were active in Project Learn, a cooperative school.

He was also an avid bicyclist and a lover of vocal music.

In addition to his wife of 28 years, Mr. Liebersohn is survived by a son, Max; a daughter, Tess; a brother, and two sisters.

A funeral service was held March 4 at Goldsteins’ Rosenberg’s RaphaelSacks Memorial Chapel in Philadelphia with interment in Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge, N.J. – WF

 

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