The law firm of Laputka, Bayless, Ecker & Cohn, P.C. has moved into new downtown offices in CAN DO’s Renaissance Center at Broad and Church streets.

The firm, the oldest existing law firm in Luzerne County, previously occupied the sixth floor of the Traders Bank building. It will now occupy approximately 3,500 square feet of office space on the third floor of the Renaissance Center.

“We wanted to stay downtown and remain a part of the Hazleton community. This office building gives us a very visible presence right in the heart of downtown Hazleton. And we are pleased to locate in a CAN DO building, having worked with CAN DO for many years,” said Attorney Robert Sensky, one of the partners in the firm. Sensky was also the attorney who assisted in the organization of the CAN DO Community Foundation. He presently serves on CAN DO’s board and finance committee and is legal counsel to the Greater Hazleton Clearinghouse Association, a group of banks with local offices that funded local development in CAN DO’s parks.

The firm includes five active lawyers, three paralegals and four additional support staff, including a certified public accountant. Its current partners are Sensky, Attorney Bruce Miller and Attorney Bart Ecker, the son of one of the firm’s founding partners. The other lawyers in the firm are Attorney John Gallagher and Attorney Jeffrey Majikas.

The firm was founded as a partnership on March 1, 1953, by Theodore R. Laputka Sr., Kenneth R. Bayless, Bartel E. Ecker and Martin D. Cohn, 61 years to the day before Laputka, Bayless, Ecker & Cohn officially opened its new offices in the CAN DO building.

The general-practice law firm offers clients legal assistance in a variety of areas, including business, commercial and real estate transactions; commercial lending and workouts; criminal defense; workers’ compensation; Social Security disability; personal injury; employment law; divorce; and estate planning and administration.

CAN DO President Kevin O’Donnell said, “We welcome Laputka, Bayless, Ecker & Cohn to our Renaissance Center and wish the firm many years of success here. We have a well-established relationship with Laputka, Bayless, Ecker & Cohn and feel this is an ideal tenant for our building, which is home to a mix of professional offices. Their move here is yet another step toward downtown improvements, keeping offices filled and people downtown.”

Donna Palermo, president of the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, said, “On behalf of our Chamber, and specifically our Downtown Committee, we are extremely happy that Laputka, Bayless, Ecker & Cohn has decided to continue its longstanding business in our downtown. They have had an instrumental presence downtown for more than 60 years and we are thankful for their dedication and commitment in continuing to assist the efforts to revitalize our downtown.”