Victor F. Battaglia, Sr., papers

Victor F. Battaglia, Sr., is a Wilmington attorney specializing in general litigation, civil and criminal law, hospital litigation, legal and medical malpractice and discipline, and estate planning and probate law.

Victor F. Battaglia, the son of Italian immigrant parents, was born in Wilmington in 1932. A graduate of the Salesianum School in Wilmington, he attended the University of Delaware, earning a B.S. in Chemistry in 1955. He attended Georgetown University, and received his J.D. in 1958 and an L.L.M in 1959. Following his education, he returned to Delaware, being admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1960.

Battaglia has had a distinguished legal career, serving as attorney for the State Senate, City Solicitor for the City of Wilmington (1969-1973), as a member of numerous state committees and task forces, including counsel for the Governor’s Committee to Revise the Penal Code (1967-1972), Long Range Court Planning Committee (1971, 1997-1995), Delaware Supreme Court Advisory Committee on ABA Standards for Criminal Justice (1973), Advisory Committee on the Rules of the Delaware Supreme Court (1974), Delaware Criminal Code Revision Committee, and Judicial Nominating Commission of the State of Delaware (1977-1983). He founded a private practice, Biggs and Battaglia, with attorney John Biggs in 1968.

Other professional activities include membership to the Delaware State Bar Association (Vice President, 1977-1978; President, 1979-1980), American Bar Association (State Bar Representative, 1987-1991, State Representative to the ABA House of Delegates, 1991-1995), American Judicature Society, Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware (1975-1981; Chair, 1982-1984), American College of Trial Lawyers, the Supreme Court Historical Society, Co-Chair for the Delaware Combined Campaign for Justice (1999) and a member of Stand Up For What’s Right and Just (Secretary/Treasurer, 2001-2009; Board of Directors, 2003-2009).

In addition to his legal practice, Battaglia has served as a “lawyer for lawyers,” representing other attorneys and judges in need of legal or professional assistance, being active with the Board of Professional Responsibility and the Professional Guidance Committee, two groups which support the professional and personal conduct of members of the legal profession. Battaglia was also active in civil rights in Delaware. During the 1968 Wilmington riots, Battaglia was one of a number of lawyers to provide legal assistance to Wilmington citizens in need of immediate representation. Because of these contributions, he was honored in 1994 by the Delaware Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Battaglia has been outspoken on numerous legal and social issues, including education, malpractice, professional ethics and prison reform.

Battaglia has been involved in a number of public and charitable organizations, most notably the American Heart Association, the Delaware Art Museum and the United Way.

Delaware Bar Foundation. “Delaware Lawyer- The Delaware Bar Salutes A Great Generation.” Delaware Lawyer, Winter 2001. Accessed December 5, 2017. http://delawarebarfoundation.org/delawyer/Volume19_Number4_Winter2001.pdf (accessed December 5, 2017). “John Biggs III.” Chandler Funeral Homes and Crematory. http://hosting-1611.tributes.com/obituary/show/John-Biggs-85600922 (accessed December 7, 2017). Ryan, Joseph. “Compassion a goal for trial lawyer honored by St. Thomas More Society.” The Dialog. http://thedialog.org/compassion-a-goal-for-trial-lawyer-honored-by-more-society/ (accessed December 5, 2017). “Victor F. Battaglia.” Lawyers.com. https://www.lawyers.com/wilmington/delaware/victor-f-battaglia-342346-a/ (accessed December 5, 2017). Information derived from the collection.