Big changes are happening at the Law Department as we gear up to support Mayor Parker’s vision for a safer, cleaner, greener Philadelphia with economic opportunity for all.
With their years of experience serving the City of Philadelphia, we are thrilled to announce the following appointments to our executive team under the leadership of Acting City Solicitor, Renee Garcia:
- Meghan Goddard, First Deputy City Solicitor
- Sam Scavuzzo, Chief of Staff
- Anne Taylor, Litigation Chair
Learn more about them in their bios below:
Meghan Goddard – First Deputy City Solicitor
Meghan Goddard has served as a Divisional Deputy City Solicitor in the Child Welfare Unit for over five years. In this role, she represented the Department of Human Services on Juvenile Justice issues ranging from law and policy, oversight of Philadelphia’s secure detention center Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center) and shared case (dependent and delinquent) youth. Additionally, she handled cases involving older youth in dependent care as well as youth in Philadelphia’s Juvenile Human Trafficking Court, known as WRAP (Working to Restore Adolescents’ Power) Court, which aims to help youth in court system who have been identified as victims of commercial sexual exploitation/human trafficking.
Further, Meghan served as the lead attorney for the Law Department for the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018. In this role, she worked with Philadelphia stakeholders, including the First Judicial District, District Attorney’s Office, Defenders Association, Police Department, and the Department of Prisons to collectively implement changes to the processing and holding of young people charged in the criminal system as adults, required by the new federal requirements.
Meghan has also led multiple trainings at the state and city level on trends in juvenile justice, human trafficking and older youth in care for offices/agencies that include the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC), First Judicial District, Philadelphia Bar Association, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Support Center for Child Advocates, and John J. Peters Institute.
Prior to her role as a Divisional Deputy City Solicitor, Meghan served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Trial Division for the City of Philadelphia for over ten years. During her tenure at the District Attorney’s Office, she served as a trial attorney in the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, specializing in prosecuting cases involving, sexual assault, child physical abuse and neglect, human trafficking, intimate-partner violence, and elder abuse and neglect. She led the first Investigating Grand Jury for the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit that led to criminal prosecution and ultimate conviction of two traffickers and Center City lawyer who was plead guilty statutory sexual assault, promoting prostitution of a minor, and corrupting the morals of a minor (Coverage: Metro, WHYY).
She also served as the Assistant Chief in the Juvenile Court Unit, where she trained and supervised prosecutors in all aspects of juvenile delinquency and prosecution of crimes against children, including trial strategy, investigations and dispositions and assisted in the development and implementation of policies relating to diversion programs.
Meghan graduated with Honors from York College of Pennsylvania with a degree in Political Science and received her Juris Doctor degree from Widener University Commonwealth Law School where she graduated with Honors.
Sam Scavuzzo – Chief of Staff
Sam began working with the City Law Department in 2019 in the Real Estate Division of the Tax & Revenue Unit where he was most recently a Deputy City Solicitor. In this role, his caseload mostly involved handling real estate tax assessment appeals in the Court of Common Pleas. Additionally, Sam has coordinated the consolidated complaint project with attorneys from the Regulatory Law Unit, Real Estate and Development Unit, and Code and Public Nuisance Litigation Unit to target nuisance property owners with numerous liabilities across many properties. The project has collected $3.5 million in City debt since its inception.
Outside of his litigation work, Sam frequently advised the Department of Revenue and City Council on tax legislation and collaborated with our Legislation and Legal Counsel Unit on drafting tax ordinances and regulations. Sam also recently completed his two-year terms as co-chair of the Law Department’s Professional Development, which launched a mentorship program under his leadership. One of Sam’s favorite aspects of the Law Department is collaborating with other units, and learning all the many ways our brilliant attorneys serve the City.
Sam is a graduate of Drexel Law School and La Salle University, where he majored in journalism and political science. After law school, Sam clerked for the Hon. Jack Sabatino in the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, and Associate Justice Faustino Fernandez-Vina in the New Jersey Supreme Court. Prior to becoming an attorney, Sam worked as a reporter and editor for local news website Patch.com, where he primarily reported on Roxborough and Manayunk. His work has also appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Press of Atlantic City, and (improbably) People Magazine.
Sam has previously served on boards with the Drexel Law Alumni Association, Central Roxborough Civic Association, and the Manayunk-Roxborough Food Co-op. He is a member of the Friends of Wissahickon and has participated (unsuccessfully) in the organization’s All Trails Challenge fundraiser.
Anne Taylor – Chair of Litigation
Anne rejoined the City of Philadelphia Law Department in January 2020, returning to serve as the Chief Deputy City Solicitor of the Civil Rights Unit. That team is responsible for representing the City and its employees in cases alleging violations of constitutional rights or intentional torts.
Anne began her legal career at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, and then held consecutive federal clerkships for the Honorable L. Felipe Restrepo and the Honorable Gene E.K. Pratter. She then joined the Law Department as an Assistant City Solicitor for the Civil Rights Unit. Next, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Civil Litigation Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and then as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey. Anne is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Yale University, and a NITA-certified advocate.
