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WEST PITTSTON &mdash; West Pittston-based attorney Laura Dennis Tuesday said she has practiced law for close to two and a half decades in civil, criminal, family, juvenile, and orphan&rsquo;s courts, and she knows her way around a courtroom.
				Dennis, 47, announced that she is running for Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas &ldquo;to bring fairness and equity&rdquo; to the local judicial system. She is a Democrat, but will run for nomination on both parties,.
				A lifelong Luzerne County resident and 23-year legal veteran, Dennis said she is committed to making sure the court system is a place where all people are respected and heard.
				&ldquo;And I know the judicial system inside and out,&rdquo; Dennis said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had the privilege of representing clients from all walks of life in all types of cases. I approach every case with a profound sense of responsibility and commitment to the people I represent. However, none of that matters if you end up in front of an unfair judge. I know first-hand how important it is that everyone in a court room be treated equitably and given the opportunity to be heard &mdash; and that is exactly the kind of judge I will be.&rdquo;
				If elected Luzerne County judge, Dennis said she would draw from best practices in other courtrooms across the Commonwealth in an effort to improve the local judicial system for the people it serves.
				Among those efforts, Dennis said she would seek to expand mental health courts and drug courts and require domestic violence counseling and other rehabilitative sentences for certain offenders. She said she would work to ensure that those who are placed in corrections facilities are given the tools needed to reenter communities as better, more productive citizens &mdash; ready to contribute to society.
				Dennis said she has built her campaign on the simple principle that every single person who enters a courtroom should be treated equally, and with respect and understanding &mdash; regardless of where they are from, what they look like, or if their case is worth pennies or millions of dollars.
				Dennis said she feels strongly that the courtroom experience should be the same for everyone. She is grounded by the belief that a good judge speaks to everyone with respect and allows everyone to be heard. Dennis said a good judge will skillfully guide all parties to a resolution that, at minimum, makes everyone feel respected.
				Dennis has managed her own private law practice in West Pittston since 1998, with a focus on civil litigation, municipal law, criminal law, wills and estates. She has also served as assistant solicitor for Luzerne County, solicitor for Wyoming Borough and as arbitrator on the Luzerne County Arbitration Panel, which hears cases that have less than $50,000 in value.
				Dennis is an adjunct professor in several undergraduate and graduate programs at Misericordia University. In addition to being admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Dennis is also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
				She currently resides in West Pittston with her husband, Dante Bovani, daughter Mia and stepson Dante Tyler.
				Dennis said she is running for a seat on the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas to hold true to her conviction that every court docket is not just a number &mdash; it is a person, a family, a business or a life. If elected, she said she will ensure that each person who enters her courtroom is treated fairly and with dignity.
				Learn more about Dennis at &mdash; www.lauradennisforjudge.com &mdash; and by following her campaign at &mdash; www.facebook.com/LauraDennisforJudge.
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West Pittston attorney Laura Dennis announces campaign for county judge