Carl Schneider

Carl W. Schneider died peacefully on December 18, 2025, at the age of 93.

He was a beloved husband, an adored father and grandfather, a dear brother and a brilliant lawyer whose thinking impacted the law. But he’ll be best remembered as a lovable, good man with a playful sense of humor, who made everyone he talked to feel good.

Carl was born in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia on April 27, 1932, to Eleanor (Milgram) and Nathan Schneider. He has a younger sister, Julie (Henry) Berkowitz.

He married Mary Ellen Baylinson just three months after they met. They were inseparable for 68 years. After a short stint in Washington D.C. where Carl worked as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Harold Burton, the couple moved to Elkins Park, PA, where they raised their four children, Eric (Jodi), Mark (the late Bridget), Adam (Debbie) and Cara (Chuck).

Like his father, Carl became a lawyer. Fortunate timing and unconventional thinking made him one of the most consequential corporate lawyers of his day.

He joined the Philadelphia law firm of Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen in 1958, eventually chairing the Firm's Corporate Law Department.

In 1964, he took a leave of absence from the Firm to become special advisor to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Department of Finance in Washington. The SEC Chairman asked Carl to review a proposal to codify disparate statues of securities law into one new federal code. A popular and appealing idea, Carl felt that a single legislative fix was unfeasible. He opted, instead, for administrative reform at the agency level. His lone voice bucked the thinking. His perspective eventually prevailed and administrative reform took hold.

As Carl told it, he was a “disruptor” before that was a term. On this and other occasions, he said he was giving advice to a client that didn’t want his advice!

In 1997, he authored the seminal book in corporate law, the thousand-page Pennsylvania Corporate Practice and Forms: The Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen Manual.

He was often described as brilliant, humble, a dry wit, and a great listener. He gave everyone he spoke to the same time, attention and respect. If you ran into him months later, he’d ask about whatever you discussed the last time.

A lifelong reader, learner and writer, he enjoyed several pastimes: birdwatching, photography, collecting old-fashioned scales, swimming, tennis, making Rube Goldberg fixes around the house, time at Long Beach Island and travel, including family road trips in a motorhome named Herman in the 1970s.

After retiring in 2000, he devoted his time to Jewish agencies working for the greater good: the Jewish Family and Children’s Service, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Abramson Center and his beloved synagogue, Rodeph Shalom. “Carl always stepped up.” “He was a leader’s leader,” said two fellow board members, Susan Klehr and Dan Seltzer.

In recent years, Carl could be seen walking around Rittenhouse Square with his distinctive saw cane and always-pleasant smile.

He will be missed, but lovingly remembered by his family, his grandchildren Zak, Margot and Scarlett and everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Contributions in Carl’s memory may be made to Congregation Rodeph Shalom (www.rodephshalom.org) or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Arrangements by Joseph Levine & Sons - www.levinefuneral.com