John F. McKenna
Partner – Trust and Estate Administration and Litigation and Mediation
John practices in the areas of Estate Planning and Administration and also co-chairs the firm’s Pennsylvania Mediation and Arbitration Group, along with past Chester County Court of Common Pleas Judge Louis Mincarelli. John has mediated and arbitrated over one hundred matters in his thirty-seven-year career. These matters include estate and trust matters, complex guardianships, real estate disputes, consumer protection, will contests, trust termination and modifications, corporate disputes, contract interpretation and broker liability litigation.
John has also been appointed a Special Master by the Court to hear discovery issues and partition matters. John has also been appointed by the Court to be a receiver for some corporations, as well as an Administrator of Estates involved in litigation. John has a AV Preeminent Rating in Martindale – Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, the highest legal ability, and ethical standards rating. John has been constantly selected to the Main Line Today Top Lawyers lists. John was also selected by his peers for inclusion of The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Trusts and Estate Litigation.
Notable Representations
- Successfully mediated a dispute between the litigants in an estate matter involving several million dollars in property and assets.
- Successful in obtaining a guardian for a retired gentleman who had over $4,000,000 in assets.
- Successfully replaced a corporate trustee for a church whose Elders were seeking substation due to questionable financial dealings by the initial corporate trustee.
- Obtained a judgement for reimbursement of attorneys’ fees and treble damages for a victim of broker fraud, unfair trade practices and unsuitable investments.
Memberships
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Probate Section
- Chester County Bar Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, Civil Litigation Section, Business Law Section, Probate and Estates Section, Elder Law Section
- Chester County Estate Planning Council, Past President
- John E. Stively American Inn of Court, Charter Member and Master Level Member
Notable Business Community Service
- Chester County Bar Foundation – Past President 2000
- Chester County Bar Association – Past President 2004
- Legal Aid of Southeastern PA, Past Board President 2009 – 2010
- Chester County Community Foundation, Board Member, 2018 – 2024
- Chester County Art Association, Past President 2007 – 2009
- DNB First Bank Wealth Management, Advisory Board
- West Goshen Lions Club, Past President, 1997 – 1998
- American Cancer Society, Chester County Chapter
OFFICES
ADMISSIONS
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
EDUCATION
- Temple University School of Law
- Farleigh Dickinson University
Psychology
AWARDS
- Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, Louis J. Goffman Award, 2018
