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HARRISBURG — Attorney General Bruce R. Beemer today announced the return of James P. Barker to the Office of Attorney General.
Barker has been named the Chief Deputy Attorney General of the Appeals and Legal Services Section within the office’s Criminal Law Division, according to a news release. He held the same position for more than three years during an earlier five-year stint with the OAG.
“We are extremely pleased to restore a valued employee to a position in which he has ably served in the past,” Beemer said in a news release. “Jim is a man of principle and a gifted attorney who provided guidance to many of his colleagues. We are confident he will continue to be an asset as he returns to the OAG.”
Barker is scheduled to return to the OAG on Nov. 2. His return follows a settlement that was entered to resolve a lawsuit Barker filed last year in federal court. Barker thanked his attorneys, James J. Kutz and Jason G. Benion of Post & Schell, PC for their representation in the case in the news release.
“I look forward to returning to the office and putting my knowledge and experience to work for the people of the Commonwealth again,” Barker said. “I am happy that the matter has been resolved, and I appreciate the efforts of Attorney General Beemer and the members of the OAG who worked to reach this agreement.”
As part of the settlement, Barker’s annual gross salary will be $113,617. He will also receive a payment of $18,000, minus required withholdings and deductions, for compensation for lost wages, and a payment of $52,000 for non-wage losses. An additional payment of $90,000 will be made to Post and Schell, PC.
Barker in 2009 started work for the Office of Attorney General. He first worked as a Deputy Attorney General in the Appeals and Legal Services Section. In 2011, he was promoted to Chief Deputy Attorney General of the ALSS, supervising the section’s role of representing the Commonwealth in appeals and other post-sentence matters, supervising grand juries, litigating capital cases and providing advice and support to trial prosecutors in the OAG.
Since May 2015, Barker has worked in the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. In this role, he has investigated and prosecuted complaints of misconduct by attorneys practicing in the Commonwealth.