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As solicitors to municipalities and municipal authorities ranging from small boroughs to a large, rural township, our lawyers handle all legal issues arising under the enabling legislation for the various forms of government, as well as general municipal law and ordinances enacted by the local governments themselves. As such, we are engaged in drafting legislation; reviewing, negotiating and drafting contracts; providing legal oversight to subdivision and land development projects within the municipalities; interfacing with other local and state governmental agencies; handling litigation which may arise; and generally counseling public officials and their staffs regarding matters pertaining to employment and labor issues, taxation, municipal finance and pension issues, zoning issues, eminent domain and potential claims and liabilities. In addition, we have provided counsel on particular projects and initiatives of the local governments, including guiding one township in designing and implementing an open space property interests and agricultural conservation easement acquisition program with the use of earned income taxes earmarked for open space preservation.

Conrad O’Brien also serves as solicitors to two industrial development authorities, whose primary mission historically has been to facilitate economic development as issuers of tax-exempt financing for certain non-profit and manufacturing entities pursuant to the Federal Tax Code and the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Law. In recent years, we have guided our industrial development authority clients through governmental and legal issues raised as the authorities have expanded their activities through non-traditional and one-of-a-kind economic development projects. In one case, we negotiated on behalf of our authority client with a large investment corporation in Chester County to reach an economic development agreement which would facilitate a sales and use tax incentive initiative of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in order to encourage the company’s expansion within the State. In another matter, we negotiated an option agreement with an Italy-based corporation in order for the authority to gain control of an environmentally contaminated site in Chester County; in turn, Conrad O’Brien negotiated the sale of the site by the authority to a developer who has rehabilitated similar sites throughout the nation.

Representative Clients

• Borough of Atglen
• Borough of South Coatesville
• Borough of West Grove
• Central and Western Chester County Industrial Development Authority
• Chester County Industrial Development Authority
• Chester County Water Resources Authority
• East Nottingham Township
• West Sadsbury Township Zoning Hearing Board