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Special Editorial Focus: Introduction
The law and lawyers matter to everyone throughout Chester County
AN AN essential essential part part
OF OF life life
and and business business
The law and lawyers have been a vital element of Chester County since it was chartered as one of Pennsylvania’s three original counties in 1682, and they remain a critical part of county life and business today. That’s why this issue of Connections includes a special editorial section titled Legal and Law Profiles.
The Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce has invited member law firms to participate in this section, profiling the firm, a line of business or an attorney. Now more than ever, the business community could benefit from knowing who to turn to for legal advice, said Cheryl B. Kuhn, president and CEO of the chamber.
Carosella & Associates has helped clients navigate the complexities of successfully running a business for more than 25 years. The legal team has the expertise and experience to find solutions to the concerns that keep business owners awake at night. There is a clear message behind the expertise and experience that the West Chester-based law firm provides to its clients: Your business is their business.
D’Amico Law PC a general-practice firm with offices in Kennett Square and Oxford, recently has joined forces with two additional entities to best serve clients’ needs in growing areas. To cover the expanding need for comprehensive estate planning, Chester County Estate Planning Practice has been curated to provide a customer-driven experience. D’Amico Law also works in collaboration with North Star Tax Appeals to cover real estate assessments needing appeal.
Eichman Law PLLC, mainly focuses on estate planning, guardianships, probate, employment law and contracts. “We keep our areas of practice to just a few areas of law, so that we are able to be really, really good at what we do,” owner Karen Eichman says of the firm, which has offices in Jennersville and Kennett Square.
Ira Binder, an attorney in Oxford, focuses on solving problems for clients. He has 35 years of experience in the legal profession and brings a wealth of expertise in real estate issues, probate, estate planning, corporate law, and general practice matters. During those 35 years, Binder has built a reputation as a lawyer who treats his clients as if they were all family members.
Lamb McErlane PC a regional law firm based in West Chester, and McMichael, Heiney & Sebastian, LLC, a law firm in Oxford, have merged. “The addition of our new Oxford office gives us an immediate presence in the essential southern part of Chester County and affords us the opportunity to provide our wide array of services to companies and individuals located there,” said Joel L. Frank, chairman and managing partner of Lamb McErlane. The firm also has offices in Philadelphia and Newtown Square.
The M. Lyons Law Group may have a new name, but its lawyers have a long and distinguished history in Chester
County. When Michael J. Lyons passed away in 2021, he left behind a life that was spent in service of others. It clearly showed in everything he did, and in the ways that Lyons Dougherty, LLC – the law firm he founded three decades ago – reflected his commitment to his clients. In honor of their friend and colleague, partners Michael J. Hawley, Michael V. Naseef and Scudder Stevens recently gave their Chadds Ford firm a new name: the M. Lyons Law Group.
MacElree Harvey’s personal injury practice leader is local lawyer Tim Rayne. He has been helping Chester County accident victims receive fair treatment from insurance companies for over 25 years. It is why he became lawyer and what drives him every single day to tirelessly strive to get justice for his clients.
Perna & Abracht traces its roots to 1947 and is dedicated to providing a broad spectrum of legal expertise to a diverse community. The firm’s lawyers and staff also spend countless hours in selfless dedication to the community they belong to. In addition to serving as board members and officers on local nonprofits, the entire Perna & Abracht team is involved in numerous activities through support and sponsorships.
Chester County’s legal system goes back to the beliefs of William Penn, who in 1683 asked for “peacemakers ... to hear and end differences betwixt man and man.”
“Thus, Chester County had one of the first alternative dispute resolution procedures in America,” the Chester County Bar Association writes in a history of law in the county on its website.
Many practices of English law were imported, including two courts that still exist today: “the Court of Common Pleas, for general cases in law and equity, and the Orphans’ Court with jurisdiction over widows, orphans and decedents’ estates.”
James Wilson, of the Chester County bar, was one of the first six justices of the U.S. Supreme Court appointed in 1789 by George Washington.
Perhaps the most prominent member of the bar in the county was New London Township native Thomas McKean. He was a judge in Chester County, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a framer of the U.S. Constitution, chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for 22 years and governor of the commonwealth.
