Albert Keyack is a member of Barley Snyder’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, bringing expansive experience in IP law to the firm. In addition to practicing with law firms and as in-house counsel, Albert represented the European Patent Office (EPO) as the first Attaché to the United States, a role of both advocating for European patents and acting in a liaison role with U.S. based applicants to the EPO. He also represented the U.S. as the Intellectual Property Attaché to Latin America, advocating both for stronger intellectual property laws, judicial reforms and better trade practices, as well as representing the interests of U.S. industry with regard to intellectual property and related issues, such as pharmaceutical regulation. He has spoken extensively on a wide range of intellectual property topics in the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Germany and the Netherlands.
He began his career in Philadelphia, at a prominent law firm where he represented clients in matters involving patent and trademark prosecution, numerous types of intellectual property litigation and was also involved in a variety of transactional matters such as licensing, financing and acquisitions. He has also held positions as Chief Patent Counsel and as General Counsel at medical device companies and other technology companies both public and privately held, and was the in-house advisor on IP to a venture capital fund and their portfolio companies.
After earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University, Albert worked designing radar systems while simultaneously obtaining a law degree from the Rutgers University School of Law.
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Intellectual Property Owners Association
- Additional Languages: Portuguese, Spanish, German
John is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, practicing in commercial and personal injury litigation. He is one of the few Berks County attorneys certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. John also maintains an AV Preeminent Rating with Martindale-Hubbell, an attorney rating service, and was selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2011 through 2021 by Super Lawyers Magazine.
From 1995 to 1997, the Berks County native chaired the board of the YMCA of Reading and Berks County. He later served for four years on the executive committee of the Berks County Bar Association, including one year as president in 2002. He was also a delegate from Berks County to the Pennsylvania Bar Association and volunteers with the United Way of Berks County.
John graduated from Denison University with honors in history in 1973 and from Temple University School of Law in 1976. He has spoken at numerous seminars on various trial topics for the Berks County Bar Association and is trained as a mediator and arbitrator through the Berks County Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program.
He coached community youth teams in basketball, baseball and soccer, and led a youth basketball exchange with Germany in 1996. John is married to Patricia C. Giles, also a Berks County native and former senior vice president for Community Impact for the United Way of Berks County. She is also vice president of the Wyomissing Foundation and is on the board of trustees at Alvernia University. They have two sons, a daughter and seven grandchildren.
- AV Preeminent Rating with Martindale-Hubbell
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyer (2011 – 2022)
- Berks County Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program graduate
- Civil Trial Specialist, National Board of Trial Advocacy
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
Allen is a member of the firm’s Trust & Estate and Real Estate practice groups. He maintains a general practice of law with emphasis in the following areas: municipal representation, zoning, land development, real estate, corporate law, estate planning and estate administration. Allen’s more than 30 years of legal experience allow him to provide a unique perspective on a wide variety of legal matters.
A member of the Berks County Bar and Pennsylvania Bar Associations, Allen has been admitted to practice before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and U.S. District Court for the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania.
He graduated from East Stroudsburg College and received his Juris Doctor degree from Delaware Law School of Widener University. A Hamburg native, Allen is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys running, biking, whitewater rafting adventures and golf.
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Berks County Bar Association
- Recorder of Deeds of Berks County, former solicitor
Matt is a member of the Creditors’ Rights Practice Group, where his practice includes residential and commercial mortgage foreclosure as well as complex consumer and commercial litigation. His practice also involves representation of secured and unsecured creditors, lenders and landlords in various areas including:
- Bankruptcy
- Eviction and Tenant Disputes
- Mechanic’s Liens
- Tax Sales
- Title Curative
- Repossessions and Garnishments
- Receiverships
- General Collection
- Bankruptcy Preference Defense
- Commercial Lease Restructuring
- Consumer and Banking Regulatory Compliance
- Breach of Contract
- Appeals
- Federal and State Consumer Protection Defense Including Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Fair Debt Collection (FDCPA)
With his extensive experience and practical approach, Matt has developed an understanding of how to identify risks, limit exposure and obtain effective and prompt resolution through cost-effective litigation and settlement. He routinely partners with his clients enhancing operational efficiency and compliance, crisis management, and devising both a litigation case strategy and a national litigation approach. Matt has successfully handled all aspects of complex litigation in state and federal courts, and he has also provided valuable on and off-site training for national mortgage servicers addressing emerging trends in foreclosure litigation in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.
Marty is a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Environment & Energy practice groups. Prior to moving to private practice, he has spent more than two decades as a litigator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. In his time at the DEP, he handled more than 250 appeals in state and federal courts and in front of the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board. Marty handled numerous matters involving solid waste, clean water, HSCA/CERCLA, environmental remediation, storage tanks, and sewage planning. His cases resulted in tens of millions of dollars of environmental remediation and civil penalties throughout Pennsylvania.
In the private sector, Marty has worked with businesses on both environmental and energy issues. He’s helped companies in real estate transactions navigate environmental issues, worked with municipalities on stormwater and sewage issues and has assisted companies and other entities in addressing DEP and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enforcement actions and in obtaining permits. He’s also worked with out-of-state gas pipeline owners and contractors to help them comply with Pennsylvania environmental requirements and defended them in DEP enforcement actions. Marty is also a trained mediator.
In addition to his time at the DEP, Marty has worked in federal government positions at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in Atlanta, and with the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory in Washington state.
Marty is a prolific speaker at professional gatherings throughout Pennsylvania on environmental topics, including Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment, Pennsylvania’s voluntary cleanup program, PFAS contamination issues, Chesapeake Bay and clean water issues, and municipal stormwater requirements. He also co-authored the chapter on Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act (Act 2) in the Pennsylvania Environmental Law & Practice, 10th Edition.
His professional environmental experience has led him to leadership positions with a multitude of nonprofit organizations both in central Pennsylvania and throughout the Mid-Atlantic. He’s also a former member of the Board of School Directors for the Lower Dauphin School District.
- The Best Lawyers in America©, Environmental Law (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- York County Bar Association
- Environmental and Energy Law Section, Pennsylvania Bar Association
- “Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act” co-author, “Pennsylvania Environmental Law and Practice, 10th Edition (May 2021)
- “Liability Costs Loom as DEP Seeks Greater Regulation of PFAS Chemicals”, “The Authority,” the magazine of the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association (August 2019)
- “Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act”, Pennsylvania Environmental Law and Practice, 9th edition
- “What is the Risk of Personal Liability for Environmental Violations?”, York Legal Record (March 2019)
- “PA Environmental Constitutional Law: It’s a New Ballgame”, The Legal Intelligencer (July 2018)
- “Pipeline Construction, Environmental Compliance Can Co-Exist”, Pipeline & Gas Journal (May 2018)
- “Creating the Right Environment for an Environmental Mediation”, Pennsylvania Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (November 2017)
- “Mediating Environmental Disputes: A Necessity in Today’s Political Climate”, The Legal Intelligencer (January 2017)
- “It’s Time to Get DEP Off of Its Subsistence Diet”, PennLive (December 2016)
- “What’s New with PFAS? Federal and State Developments”, Pennsylvania Bar Institute webinar (December 2022)
- “COVID-19 Vaccines: The Impact on the Logistics Industry”, webinar (January 2021)
- “COVID-19 Vaccines: The Impact on Higher Education”, webinar (January 2021)
- “COVID-19 Vaccines: The Impact on the Hospitality Industry”, webinar (January 2021)
- “COVID-19 Vaccine: The Impact on the Food & Agribusiness Industry”, webinar (December 2020)
- “COVID-19 Vaccine: The Impact on Health Care and Long Term Care”, webinar (December 2020)
- “COVID-19 Vaccine: The Impact on Health Care and Long Term Care”, webinar (December 2020)
- “Getting Your Business Back to Business Webinar Part 2”, Barley Snyder Webinar Series (May 2020)
- “The Legal Implications: Re-opening Your Business In Defiance of the Governor’s Order Webinar”, Barley Snyder Webinar Series (May 2020)
- “Getting Your Business Back to Business Webinar Part 1”, Barley Snyder Webinar Series (April 2020)
- “State Constitutions and the Environment: A Watershed Comparison”, Chesapeake Bay Commission meeting (January 2020)
- “PFAS – Regulation, Liabilities and Potential Cost Recovery”, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (July 2019)
- “PA’s Right to Know Law: What You Need to Know”, Society of Women Environmental Professionals (April 2019)
- “State and Local Regulatory Obstacles to Composting: How to Manage the Regulators”, Compost2019, U.S. Composting Council (January 2019)
- “Managing Regulatory Obstacles: Getting What You Need from DEP”, Appalachian Pipelines Association (December 2018)
- “Managing Regulatory Obstacles: Getting What You Need from DEP”, Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association 76th Annual Conference and Trade Show (September 2018)
- “Environmental Ethics (According to the Lorax and the Runaway Bunny)”, Society of Women Environmental Professionals (May 2018)
- “The Impact of PA’s Rejuvenated Environmental Rights Amendment on Environmental Protection”, Keystone Coldwater Conference (February 2018)
- “The Rejuvenated Environmental Rights Amendment: What It Means for Pennsylvania Businesses and Municipalities”, York County Bar Association (January 2018)
- “How to get What You Want from DEP (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Department)”, PA Chamber of Business and Industry Fall Environmental Conferences (Fall 2017)
- “Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems”, Municipal Law Colloquium, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (June 2017)
- “The Chesapeake Bay: What Ails It and What is Being Done About It”, Lancaster County Bar Association (July 2016)
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Melanie Lehman is the general counsel of a privately held manufacturing company. Prior to this position, her practice included representation of clients in business matters, review and negotiation of contracts, representing clients in asset and stock sales and purchases and counseling business owners and managers with transactions, contracts, commercial matters and financing. She has represented lenders and borrowers in commercial loans and Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 issues. Melanie advised clients on entity selection and with governing documents, such as partnership agreements, shareholders agreements and operating agreements. She has participated in numerous seminars and panel discussions dealing with commercial and business issues.
Finance
Melanie has represented lenders and borrowers in many types of loan transactions, including secured and unsecured facilities, participated and syndicated loans, IDOTs, real estate acquisition and construction loans and tax-exempt financing.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Melanie has represented clients in business purchases and sales, both stock and assets, with deal values ranging in size from approximately $1 million to more than $100 million. She has assisted clients from the confidentiality agreement and letter of intent stage, through due diligence and negotiation of the purchase agreement to the closing.
Business Law
Melanie often served clients in an “outside general counsel” role by providing general business legal advice, risk management, contract review and drafting and coordination of legal services in other areas. She regularly advised clients in entity selection, governing documents and terms and conditions of sale.
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Corporate Law (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2024, 2025)
- Central Penn Business Journal (Forty Under 40, 2004)
- York County Bar Association, former board member
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Nancy celebrates three decades with Barley Snyder, where she focuses her practice on estate planning, administration over estates and trusts, long-term care planning and elder law issues. She appreciates the personal nature of estate planning and combines her knowledge with compassion when advising clients about wills, trusts, powers of attorney and medical directives. She remains sensitive to the sorrow and stress that people experience after the death of a loved one, as she guides clients through probate and the process of settling an estate.
Nancy also has significant experience in counseling older clients about long-term care planning and elder law issues, especially as related to eligibility for Medicare and Medical Assistance. She represents individuals and guardianship support agencies in connection with the appointment of guardians for incapacitated persons and the subsequent duties and obligations of the court-appointed guardians.
Nancy’s husband was a special education teacher for thirty-five years. As a result, Nancy has a special interest in working with persons with disabilities and their families to plan effectively for their future through the use of special needs trusts.
Because of her own background in teaching, Nancy frequently volunteers to speak to community groups on topics related to estate planning, estate administration and long-term care.
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Trusts and Estates (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- “Making a Difference in the Lives of People with Dementia”, presenter (May 2019)
- “Building a Nest Egg for Children with Special Needs”, presenter (October 2018)
- “Necessary Conversations for Women”, speaker (March 2018)
- “Making a Difference in the Lives of People with Dementia”, panelist (May 2017)
- “Financial and Estate Planning Forum for Women”, presenter (April 2017)
- “Death Taxes: How Do They Affect Your Estate?”, presenter (September 2015)
- “Making a Difference in the Lives of People with Dementia”, panelist (May 2015)
John is an attorney in the firm’s Litigation and Construction Law Groups. He is an experienced litigator who counsels clients in construction-related matters, with experience in litigation in both state and federal courts, arbitration and mediation and appellate litigation. His practice focuses on the defense of professional liability claims against design professionals, commercial litigation, construction contract review and litigation, insurance defense and products liability defense.
John represents architects, engineers, builders, contractors and subcontractors in matters involving contract interpretation and disputes as well as insurance, indemnification and arbitration contract provisions. John also assists his clients with collections, bid challenges, change orders, and the resolution of construction-related liquidated damages claims.
John also maintains an active practice in appellate litigation, successfully representing a variety of industries in the appeals process.
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Construction Litigation (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- York County Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- “Construction Risk Management: From Contract to Completion”, Wake up with Barley: A Morning on Real Estate (September 2017)
- “Financial Impact of Construction Litigation”, Construction Financial Management Association – Central PA Chapter (February 2017)
A love of motorsports and all things cars drew John into the world of mechanical and electrical engineering. His passion for the law surrounding the inventions that made cars go faster more safely brought him into intellectual property law. John is one of the many members of our Intellectual Property Practice Group whose real world experience – particularly his development of electrical and mechanical components – prepared him to make the jump into a career as a patent attorney.
In more than a decade as an attorney certified with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, John has worked in drafting and prosecuting domestic and international patent applications in mechanical and electrical arts. He’s also worked in highly technical fields such as communications systems, analog/digital circuits, radar/sonar systems, semiconductors, automotive components, digital imaging devices and optics.
In addition to patent preparation and prosecution, John’s practice includes preparing patentability, invalidity and non-infringement opinions, client counseling and trademark and copyright registration. He also has experience preparing requests for proceedings before the USPTO and prosecuting patent matters in front of boards such as the International Trade Commission.
John continues his love of motorsports on the amateur level, and he volunteers as a performance driving instructor for automobile clubs such as the National Auto Sport Association, Sports Car Club of America and Porsche Club of America. You can usually find him enjoying the outdoors, be it skiing in the winter or running and biking in the summer. Or, you may find him in the outdoors spending time with his two young children.
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
- Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
Joseph Erb is part of Barley Snyder’s Real Estate and Litigation practice groups. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the York County Bar Association. He clerked for the Honorable John T. Miller of the York County Court of Common Pleas. Attorney Erb is member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church of Hanover; a past board member of the Hanover Red Cross; a past board member of the Battlefield Preservation Society of Gettysburg, and a past board member of the York County S.P.C.A.
Prior to law school and the practice of law, Joseph worked as a mixed gas tender/diver offshore throughout the oilfields of the Gulf of Mexico. He still continues nautical pursuits enjoying recreational scuba diving and sailing with friends.
- York County Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- American Bar Association
