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area of practice

MUNICIPAL LAW

Tried & Trusted Counsel for Pennsylvania Municipaliites

More than 25 municipal entities across Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester Counties have relied on our attorneys for experienced solicitor’s counsel. Guiding municipalities in legislative, transactional, compliance and litigation matters is not a side business for us: it is the core of what we do.


Clients rely on us for our in-depth understanding of prevailing law and best practices in municipal management. With a service approach centered on responsiveness and practical guidance, we help elected officials and administrators grapple with the major opportunities and challenges before them as well as the smaller operational matters municipalities must successfully – and efficiently – navigate daily.

municipal law

CLIENT LIST

We currently serve as solicitor or special counsel to numerous municipalities and related entities in the Philadelphia suburbs, including the following:​

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  • Municipality of Norristown

  • Borough of Collegeville

  • Borough of Folcroft

  • Borough of Hatboro

  • Borough of Jenkintown

  • Borough of Lansdale

  • Borough of Millbourne

  • Borough of Narberth

  • Borough of Sharon Hill

  • Township of East Norriton

  • Township of Haverford

  • Township of Kennett

  • Township of Montgomery

  • Township of Newtown

  • Township of Upper Darby

  • Township of Upper Merion

  • Township of Upper Moreland

  • Township of West Norriton

  • Township of West Whiteland

  • Township of Whitemarsh

  • Cheltenham Township ZHB

  • Chester City ZHB

  • Chester Township ZHB

  • Middletown Township ZHB

  • Plymouth Township ZHB

  • Upper Gwynedd Township ZHB

  • Warminster Township ZHB

  • Collegeville/Trappe Municipal Authority

  • Upper Darby Industrial Development Authority

  • Borough of North Wales Special  Counsel - Group Home

  • Borough of Trumbauersville – Special Counsel - Group Home

  • Harrisburg Tax Counsel

  • Township of Upper Merion Special Tax Counsel

  • Bristol Twp. School Dist. - Special Counsel - Expulsion Hearings

  • Wissahickon School Dist. - Special Counsel -Assessment Appeals

  • ​Berks County – Special Counsel, Children and Youth Services

municipal law

AREAS OF SERVICE

Townships, boroughs, and related entities – including zoning hearing boards, police commissions, and utility authorities – typically engage us in our capacity as solicitor, or as adjunct or special counsel on discrete projects. Core areas of service include the following:

Contracts

We counsel clients on municipal bidding requirements and procedures to ensure compliance with prevailing law. Our team also routinely drafts, reviews and negotiates a wide range of agreements for our municipal clients.

Employment

Our services to municipal clients include guidance on employment policies, resolution of disputes with individual employees, and handling of collective bargaining matters.

Financing & Taxation

We help clients evaluate financing options for a variety of municipal improvement projects. Our attorneys collaborate with bond counsel and issue opinions as borrower’s counsel. Clients also turn to us on a variety of taxation matters, including levying and collecting taxes.

Litigation

Our attorneys regularly advise municipalities on approaches and techniques to avoid litigation. When disputes cannot be resolved through private negotiation, our team is equipped to represent clients – as plaintiff, defendant, and in appeals matters – in a range of state and federal courts, including the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Municipal Management

Our team assists clients in core aspects of municipal management, including governing body and staff administration, open meeting procedures, review and amendment of ordinances, drafting of public notices and resolutions, code enforcement, and inter-governmental agreements.

Real Estate

Services related to real estate include guidance on the acquisition, disposition, development and improvement of property. We negotiate, document and close transactions on behalf of municipalities and handle associated zoning and land use matters. Our firm has particular experience with utility easements, conservation easements, open space acquisition, eminent domain procedures, and deed restrictions and covenants.

Zoning & Land Use

Our team has extensive experience advising municipalities on subdivision, land development, zoning and related land use matters in Pennsylvania. We regularly counsel on zoning enforcement, and we draft and amend land use ordinances. Our attorneys draft and negotiate development, financial security, and stormwater management agreements between our clients and developers. In addition, we routinely represent municipalities in zoning and land use disputes in front of local zoning hearing boards, Courts of Common Pleas, and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.

municipal law

NOTABLE MATTERS

Clients turn to our firm for counsel on a broad array of municipal matters, many of which relate to daily management and operations. We also have ample experience with high stakes, high complexity, precedent-setting matters. Representative examples of our attorneys’ experience are as follows:

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  • Facilitated one of the most significant conservation transactions in the history of Montgomery County by guiding collaboration between developers and municipalities on the 400+ acre Erdenheim Farms property, ensuring protection of 140 acres through use of sophisticated land preservation and financing techniques

  • Provided pivotal guidance as first and sole solicitor to newly-merged Doylestown and New Britain police departments

  • Negotiated Act 537 Plan and inter-municipal sewer agreement between Jenkintown Borough, Cheltenham Township and the City of Philadelphia, as mandated by the Department of Environmental Protection

  • Represented Kennett Township in purchase of 45 acres of farmland, working with property owner, conservation organization and other entities to preserve land and create Barkingfield Park, the township’s first park under its sole authority

  • Successfully represented a Bucks County township in a Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania case; outcome contributed to the elimination of the controversial “resort area” exception to the state’s liquor license quota system

  • Collected over $1.2 million in delinquent taxes in special counsel capacity to Upper Merion Township

  • Prevailed on behalf of Hatfield Township in recovering substantial funds from a bankrupt developer to help complete a residential subdivision

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