MacElree Harvey, Ltd.

Initiative in Practice

Brian L. Nagle

12 MacElree Harvey Attorneys Named as Best Lawyers® 2023

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August 18, 2022 – MacElree Harvey, Ltd. is pleased to announce that twelve lawyers have been included in the 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. 

More than 40 years ago, when Best Lawyers was established in 1981, individuals couldn’t search Google reviews or social media pages to compare the awards and reputations of lawyers and law firms; they relied on word-of-mouth recommendations. Enter, The Best Lawyers in America® award.

Harvard Law graduates founded Best Lawyers on the principle that the best lawyers would know, and be able to recognize, the best lawyers in their location and practice area.

Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America® list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. Based on professional expertise, they are reviewed by their peers and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and good standing.

Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.

“Only the top 5.3% of all practicing lawyers in the U.S. were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 29th edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.”

Particularly noteworthy are the gender demographics for the 29th edition. “While gender demographics are still very slowly changing (especially at the senior partner level), we did see a 17% growth in the number of female lawyers represented in this year’s edition,” said Director of Research & Development and Managing Editor at Best Lawyers, Elizabeth Petit. “Our awards continue to highlight more female awardees each year as the legal industry catches up to other professions in terms of gender disparity.”

MacElree Harvey, Ltd. would like to congratulate the following lawyers named to the 2023 The Best Lawyers in America® list:

About MacElree Harvey, Ltd

With roots that reach back to 1880, MacElree Harvey is a full-service law firm serving clients from offices in Pennsylvania and Delaware. In addition to its broad-based litigation practices, the firm represents clients in corporate law, mergers & acquisitions, labor and employment, real estate, banking & finance, bankruptcy, family law, estate planning, tax law, personal injury, and criminal defense. For more information, visit macelree.com or @macelreeharveylaw on socials.

18 MacElree Harvey Attorneys Recognized as Super Lawyers® & Rising Stars 2022

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June 8, 2022 – We are pleased to announce that 18 of our attorneys were recognized on the Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars® list for 2022.

Each year, the research team at Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters rating service and publication, selects outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas through a rigorous, multi‐phase process that includes:

  • a statewide survey of lawyers
  • an independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff
  • a peer review of candidates by practice area
  • a good-standing and disciplinary check

Candidates are evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement, including verdicts and settlements; honors and awards; special licenses and certifications; pro bono and community service efforts; and scholarly lectures and writings.

The ultimate objective of Super Lawyers is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse list of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for other practitioners and consumers searching for legal counsel.

Approximately 5% of the Pennsylvania Bar received the distinction.

MacElree Harvey attorneys who were named to the 2022 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list are:

The 2022 Pennsylvania Rising Stars list recognizes attorneys who are 40 years old or younger or who have been practicing law for 10 years or less. Approximately 2.5% of the Pennsylvania Bar received the distinction.

MacElree Harvey attorneys who were named to the 2022 Pennsylvania Rising Stars list are:

In addition, Tim Rayne has been included by Super Lawyers as a 2022 Top 100 Attorneys in Pennsylvania. The Top 100 list is based on those attorneys who obtained the highest points totals in the 2022 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers multi-phase nomination, research, and review process.

“While ultimately we care more about providing quality representation and value to clients,” said CEO Michelle Foster, “…it’s always nice to have our attorneys recognized for excellence by their peers. The honor reflects the high level of respect our attorneys have earned in the legal community for their legal ability, professionalism and integrity.”

Learn more about our selected Super Lawyers®:

PETER E. KRATSA

Top Rated Criminal Defense Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2021 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 1993

Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Criminal Defense: White Collar

BRIAN L. NAGLE

Top Rated Land Use & Zoning Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2013 – 2022

Selected to Rising Stars: 2008, 2010 – 2012

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 2001

Practice Areas: Land Use/Zoning, Business/Corporate, Real Estate: Business

TIMOTHY F. RAYNE (Top 100)

Top Rated Personal Injury Attorney in Kennett Square, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2009 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 1995

Practice Areas: Personal Injury – General: Plaintiff

 

JOSEPH A. BELLINGHIERI

Top Rated Estate Planning & Probate Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2020 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 1991

Practice Areas: Estate Planning & Probate, Tax: Consumer, Business/Corporate

PATRICK BOYER

Top Rated Family Law Attorney in Centerville, DE

Selected to Rising Stars: 2021 – 2022

Licensed in Delaware Since: 2013

Practice Areas: Family Law

ROBERT A. BURKE

Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2015 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 1990

Practice Areas: Business Litigation, Estate & Trust Litigation, General Litigation

HARRY J. DIDONATO

Top Rated Business & Corporate Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2008, 2012 – 2022

Selected to Rising Stars: 2005

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 1990

Practice Areas: Business/Corporate, Real Estate: Business, Tax: Business

CAROLINE G. DONATO

Top Rated Criminal Defense Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Rising Stars: 2018 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 2014

Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Criminal Defense: DUI/DWI, Criminal Defense: White Collar, Administrative Law, Appellate

BRIAN J. FORGUE

Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Rising Stars: 2018 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 2016

Practice Areas: Business Litigation

WILLIAM J. GALLAGHER

Top Rated General Litigation Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2010 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 1963

Practice Areas: General Litigation

PATRICK J. GALLO, JR.

Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Rising Stars: 2015 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 2013

Practice Areas: Business Litigation, Construction Litigation: Business, Civil Litigation: Plaintiff, Construction Litigation: Consumer

J. CHARLES GERBRON, JR.

Top Rated Land Use & Zoning Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2022

Selected to Rising Stars: 2013 – 2015, 2017 – 2020

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 2008

Practice Areas: Land Use/Zoning, Business Litigation, Construction Litigation: Business, Real Estate: Business

MICHAEL G. LOUIS

Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 1980

Practice Areas: Business Litigation

MATTHEW MCKEON

Top Rated Land Use & Zoning Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Rising Stars: 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 2014

Practice Areas: Land Use/Zoning

LANCE J. NELSON

Top Rated Family Law Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2010 – 2012, 2014 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 1991

Practice Areas: Family Law

ANDREW R. SILVERMAN

Top Rated Business & Corporate Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Rising Stars: 2017 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 2010

Practice Areas: Business/Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Litigation

LOUIS N. TETI

Top Rated Estate Planning & Probate Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2005 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 1976

Practice Areas: Estate Planning & Probate, Business/Corporate, Estate & Trust Litigation

FELIX S. YELIN

Top Rated Civil Litigation Attorney in West Chester, PA

Selected to Rising Stars: 2018, 2020 – 2022

Licensed in Pennsylvania Since: 2010

Practice Areas: Civil Litigation: Defense, Civil Litigation: Plaintiff

10 MacElree Harvey Attorneys Recognized As Best Lawyers for 2022

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August 19, 2021 – MacElree Harvey, Ltd. is pleased to announce that ten lawyers have been included in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

Best Lawyers has published their list for over three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries.

“Best Lawyers was founded in 1981 with the purpose of highlighting the extraordinary accomplishments of those in the legal profession. After three decades, we are proud to continue to serve as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals worldwide,” says CEO Phillip Greer.

Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America® list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. Based on professional expertise, they are reviewed by their peers and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and good standing.

“Almost 108,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and we have received over 13 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, 9.4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 67,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition,” according to Best Lawyers.

Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.

MacElree Harvey, Ltd. would like to congratulate the following lawyers named to the 2022 The Best Lawyers in America® list:

About MacElree Harvey, Ltd

With roots that reach back to 1880, MacElree Harvey is a full-service law firm serving clients from offices in Pennsylvania and Delaware. In addition to its broad-based litigation practices, the firm represents clients in corporate law, mergers & acquisitions, labor and employment, real estate, banking & finance, bankruptcy, family law, estate planning, tax law, personal injury, and criminal defense. For more information, visit macelree.com or @macelreeharveylaw on socials.

Vision and Persistence: How Two Families Cleared the Way to Bring a New Boutique Hotel to Downtown West Chester

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It all started about 12 years ago…

When former MacElree Harvey Attorney Mary Ann Rossi took on a complex zoning matter brought to her by long-time client Stan Zukin. Stalled by various concerns from residents and Borough officials that a hotel would cause more problems than it would bring benefits, Stan’s dream to develop his family-owned pharmacy at the northwest corner of East Gay and Walnut Streets into a boutique hotel in the Borough of West Chester seemed to be just that, a dream.

As the years stretched on, and Mary Ann moved toward retirement, Attorney, Brian L. Nagle, Chair of the Land Use Department at MacElree Harvey, assumed the responsibility to win the zoning and land use approvals necessary to authorize the development of the property as Stan Zukin had envisioned. To overcome concerns about parking, traffic, architectural design, noise and height restrictions, Brian attended countless hearings before Borough zoning and land development officials to reconcile and satisfy a myriad of regulations and requirements, including conditional use and land development approvals, and historical and architectural board certificates of approval. After resolution of some sticky zoning issues in Common Pleas Court, the Zukin family’s hotel project was finally approved.

Brian brought new creativity, energy, and enthusiasm to the project, which resulted in allowing the construction of the largest hotel project in the history of West Chester Borough to move forward.

As it turns out, Stan’s decision to bring the matter to MacElree Harvey was just one of the many times that the paths of the Nagle and Zukin families have crossed.

At the heart of the project is the preservation of the historic Spence Building, which Stan Zukin acquired from the late Virginia C. Higgins, the mother of retired Judge Ronald C. Nagle, and grandmother to Brian L. Nagle. The Spence Building was first built and owned by James Spence, a prominent black entrepreneur in the late 19th century.  It became an important part of the downtown streetscape in the bygone era when Gay Street was an unpaved dirt road.

Purchased by Virginia Higgins and her husband, the late Attorney Walter I. Higgins in 1963, the historic Spence Building, which lies immediately next door to the site of the Zukin family hotel property, was home to Quaker Baking Company after it moved from its original location in the center of town on North High Street, where it began in 1940. After her purchase of the Spence Building, Mrs. Higgins operated her business there, occupying the first-floor commercial space until 1972 when she retired and sold the business to the long-time head baker, William Mercer and his wife, Gertrude, who continued to operate the business in the Spence Building until their retirement.

After Mrs. Higgins decided to sell the Spence Building, Stan Zukin called Ron Nagle and asked if his mother would sell the building to him. Of course, she was delighted to see her neighbor acquire the property, and the rest is history. From that day forward, when asked, Stan Zukin would say that his purchase of the Spence Building from Mrs. Higgins was the start of what has become the Zukin family’s numerous real estate holdings in the Borough of West Chester.

The story doesn’t end there.

Judge Nagle retired from the bench and in January 2019 joined MacElree Harvey, Of Counsel. He has since been instrumental in the preparation of the Historic Façade Easement which the Zukin family will grant to the Borough, preserving the architectural heritage and appearance of the building’s historic street frontage.

In recent years, Stan Zukin turned the project over to his sons, Scott and Wayne Zukin to bring his dream to fruition. Scott and Wayne finalized the details with Kennett Square-based Onix Group, to bring a boutique hotel, which will include meeting space, a fitness center, and a restaurant to West Chester. According to a 2018 letter to Borough Council by the Greater West Chester Chamber Business Advocacy Committee, the West Chester Hotel Indigo is estimated to create up to 35 full-time and 25 part-time jobs.

“It was such an honor and pleasure to work on this project,” said Brian Nagle. 

“From working with my former partner Mary Ann to getting to know Stan’s sons and working together with them and everyone else who pitched in, including my Father on the tail end of the project, it was a great experience.”

“As a West Chester Borough resident, I am especially grateful to work on projects in the town in which I live and work. This one, working with the Zukins with the long history between our families, and thinking back to visiting my Grandmother’s bakery as a small child, it was rich with meaning and added a little extra fun to something I already love to do, which is working on land use approvals. I love our town, and I cannot wait to see the new Hotel completed.”


1. On site at Zukin Hotel, 2021.

2. Quaker Baking Company, 19 N. High St., 1940s. General Collection: Bakeries — West Chester — Quaker Baking Co. Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, PA.

3. Mueller, J. Max. Jas Spence’s Restaurant, ca. 1890. J. Max Mueller Collection PH37 Box2/F19 #91. Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, PA.

4. Gurtizen, Melvin L. Leonard’s Children’s Shop & Quaker Baking Co., High St., West Chester, PA, ca. 1960. Melvin L. Gurtizen Collection PH21/F78. Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, PA.

14 MacElree Attorneys Named to Prestigious Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars List in 2021

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We are pleased to announce that 14 of our attorneys were recognized on the Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars list in 2021.

Each year, the research team at Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters rating service and publication, selects outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas through a rigorous, multi‐phase process that includes:

  • a statewide survey of lawyers
  • an independent evaluation of candidates by the attorney-led research staff
  • a peer review of candidates by practice area
  • a good-standing and disciplinary check

Candidates are evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement, including verdicts and settlements; honors and awards; special licenses and certifications; pro bono and community service efforts; and scholarly lectures and writings.

The ultimate objective of Super Lawyers is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse list of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for other practitioners and consumers searching for legal counsel.

Approximately five percent of the Pennsylvania Bar received the distinction.

MacElree Harvey attorneys who were named to the 2021 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list are:

In addition, Tim Rayne has been included by Super Lawyers as a 2021 Top 100 Attorneys in Pennsylvania. The Top 100 list is based on those attorneys who obtained the highest points totals in the 2021 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers multi-phase nomination, research, and review process.

The 2021 Pennsylvania Rising Stars list recognizes attorneys who are 40 years old or younger or who have been practicing law for 10 years or less. Approximately two and a half percent of the Pennsylvania Bar received the distinction.

MacElree Harvey attorneys who were named to the 2021 Pennsylvania Rising Stars list are:

11 MacElree Harvey Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers in America© 2021

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MacElree Harvey, Ltd. is pleased to announce that eleven lawyers have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

Best Lawyers has published their list for over three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries.

“Best Lawyers was founded in 1981 with the purpose of highlighting the extraordinary accomplishments of those in the legal profession. After three decades, we are proud to continue to serve as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals worldwide,” says CEO Phillip Greer.

Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. Based on professional expertise, they are reviewed by their peers and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and good standing.

Lawyers who are listed for the first time in Best Lawyers include:
Jess M. Simon – Employment Law – Management
Harry J. DiDonato – Real Estate Law
William J. Gallagher – Family Law
J. Charles Gerbron, Jr. – Land Use and Zoning Law
Robert A. Burke – Litigation – Trusts and Estates

Previously awarded Best Lawyers include:
Marie I. Crossley (2020-2021) – Family Law
Timothy F. Rayne (2018-2021) – Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
John F. McKenna (2020-2021) – Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Tax Law
Brian L. Nagle (2020-2021) – Land Use and Zoning Law
Lance J. Nelson (2019-2021) – Family Law
Louis N. Teti (2020) – Trusts and Estates

Congratulations to our awarded attorneys!

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West Chester, PA 19382
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