Interview: Joel Frank, Chairman

benefited businesses, organizations and individuals across Chester County. As early as June, grants of up to $25,000 were awarded to 248 Chester County small businesses through the Main Street Preservation Grant Program, with a total of $5 million awarded. During the second funding round in February 2021, a further $10 million was awarded to 333 small businesses in grants ranging between $20,000 and $49,500. The Commissioners also provided $3.5 million in pandemic relief to nonprofits through the Restore Chester County Nonprofit Innovation & Resiliency Fund, and $15 million was provided to alleviate the burden of childcare during the pandemic. In September, $1.8 million was provided in CARES Act funding to prevent evictions and provide rental assistance, with payment made within 48 hours of documentation being submitted.

The $10 million Public School Grant Program, which went to all the public-school districts in Chester County, allowed the schools within the 12 districts to comply with COVID-19 public health measures. Ninety-eight businesses received zero-interest loans through the PA COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program (CWCA) with over $7 million allocated to small businesses in the county. Seedcopa also assisted six partner banks in processing 557 applications to the Paycheck Protection Program and Seedcopa also approved loan deferrals for all borrowers.

Throughout the pandemic, Chester County has continued to focus on community revitalization. In September five Chester County urban centers received more than $2.3 million in grants from Chester County’s Community Revitalization Program (CRP) and a further $5.6 million was invested in October, primarily on three new affordable housing developments. Since 2002, the Chester County Commissioners have awarded more than $70 million in funding for urban center improvements and upgrades, which include Chester County’s 15 boroughs and the City of Coatesville. By leveraging these investments, including water and sewer system upgrades, stormwater management, roadway improvements and streetscaping, the urban centers are able to accommodate future growth and see a rise in home values.

The county is not only supporting the community monetarily but also through public policy measures. In July, the county expanded virtual services for jobseekers and businesses. Given the disruption of the pandemic on the job market, the PA CareerLink Chester County Site opened for limited on-site services, including use of the Computer Resource ( ) Joel Frank

Chairman & Managing Partner Lamb McErlane, PC Attorneys at Law

What lessons did you take away from 2020?

2020 was actually our best year ever despite all of the impediments and roadblocks. Understandably, there were certain departments that were down, such as personal injury and criminal. However, other departments, such as litigation and employment, were off the charts. We were fortunate to continue to grow and it was a very productive year overall. We were even able to successfully consummate a merger with a fiveattorney Newtown Square firm. We think that there will be an uptick in work in 2021 with the pent-up demand when clients and the business community get up and running at full speed again.

How do you continue to differentiate your firm in a crowded marketplace?

We clearly are a unique suburban practice with a diverse client base, ranging from mom and pop shops and startups to Fortune 100 companies. We’re the largest firm headquartered in Chester County, with 42 lawyers. We can legitimately hold ourselves out as a full-service firm. The only primary practice areas that we do not delve into are intellectual property and immigration law. We’re also deeply integrated into the community, participating on numerous charitable, philanthropic, business and governmental boards across the county and in the region overall. Giving back to the community is an important part of being a lawyer, both financially and perhaps more importantly with one’s time.

What is your near-term outlook?

We remain highly optimistic and upbeat. Our pipeline is strong, especially in the litigation and M&A practices. We try to be conservative in our projections because we’re still uncertain about what is going to ultimately happen with the virus and the vaccine. I’m happy to say that despite the mandated COVID-19 protocols, we were able to pay everyone their full salary on the normal schedule and even provide significant bonuses at the end of the year as well.