Perry is a seasoned attorney with nearly 35 years of experience representing employers and insurers in workers’ compensation matters across Pennsylvania. His clients span a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, retail, national restaurant chains, higher education, and health care.
Perry is an accomplished litigator who has successfully defended clients before Workers’ Compensation Judges, the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He has also delivered oral arguments before each of these judicial bodies.
A respected contributor to the workers’ compensation community, Perry has authored articles for the Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly on subjects such as mental stress, specific loss and fatal claims, and Supersedeas Fund Reimbursement. He is often invited to present to employers and insurance carriers on key issues impacting workers’ compensation law and practice.
Before joining Marshall Dennehey, Perry was a shareholder at a Harrisburg-area law firm. He has served as Secretary of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Dauphin County Bar Association and as an official for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association from 2019 to 2021.
Classes & Seminars Taught
•'Workers' Compensation Case Law Update,' yearly client update, 2014-2025
•'Avoiding Litigation,' Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Conference, 2019
Published Works
•'For All Practical Intents and Purposes, The Burden of Proof in Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Specific Loss Cases,' Pennsylvania Bar Association Workers' Compensation Section Newsletter, December 2012
•'Employers' Right to Reimbursement in Workers' Compensation Supersedeas Cases,' Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, October 2011
•'Mental Stress Claims in Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Cases: Weapons as a Factor in Determining the Compensability of Psychic Injuries,' Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, October 2010
•'Leveling the Playing Field Relative to Disfigurement Awards,' Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Newsletter, December 2009
•'A Bad Day at Work: Contrasting Occupational Disease Fatal Claims and 'Disease as Injury' Fatal Claims,' Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, April 2009
•'The Workers' Compensation Supersedeas Fund Reimbursement Game: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul,' Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, October 2007
•'Putting a Price on Scarring' Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Disfigurement Awards,' Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, October 2006
•'Recent Developments in Workers' Compensation Supersedeas Fund Reimbursement,' Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, July 2005
•'The Changing Burden of Proof in Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Mental Injury Claims, 1972-2004,' Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly, July 2004
Marshall Dennehey Bolsters Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Team With Strategic Additions of Perry D. Merlo and Andrew W. Maffett in Harrisburg
November 6, 2025
Events
Conference
25th Annual Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Conference
May 28-29, 2026
Hershey, PA
Kacey C. Wiedt, Shannon Fellin, and Perry D. Merlo
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
