Media Contact: Michael Sadowski, Communications Coordinator
msadowski@barley.com or 717-208-8842
For Immediate Release
York and Hanover, Pa. – Barley Snyder managing partner Jeff Lobach announced Hanover law firm Stonesifer and Kelley will merge with Barley Snyder, effective April 1.
The merger brings the total attorney headcount at Barley Snyder to 78, an all-time high for the 61-year-old firm, Lobach said.
Through a transition period after the merger, Stonesifer and Kelley will be known as “Stonesifer and Kelley, a division of Barley Snyder.”
“This is a great day for Barley Snyder, and for Stonesifer and Kelley,” Lobach said. “We all worked very hard on this merger because we both knew this was the best thing for both firms and their clients. Everyone is going to benefit from this.”
Stonesifer and Kelley partner Scott Kelley said his firm’s work has grown dramatically over the past decade as additional governmental regulations and keen firm outreach provided additional work and a new generation of clients for the firm that formed in 1981. But the new work required new skills and knowledge.
The firm chose to merge with Barley Snyder, with Barley Snyder bringing on new clients and attorneys, and Stonesifer and Kelley gaining the tremendous strength and considerable resources of the growing firm. Kelley will take on a leadership position for the firm in the Hanover and Adams County area.
Barley Snyder has been in the Hanover area since 1999 when it merged with Daniel M. Frey and Associates. Adding Stonesifer and Kelley augments the firm’s already strong presence in the Hanover-Adams area.
“As the Hanover community has grown, and the needs of our clients have grown, there are additional areas of expertise that have become necessary for our clients,” Kelley said. “This move makes us stronger, as I believe Barley Snyder is the finest firm in central Pennsylvania. The attorneys we’ve worked with in the past at Barley, they’ve always been impressive and knowledgeable. We’ve just seen a greater and greater need as our practice has grown exponentially to hire more staff and more skilled practitioners. Merging with Barley was the best solution for us as a firm going forward.”
The merger provides Barley Snyder with a second Hanover office at Stonesifer and Kelley’s 209 Broadway location. The two locations will consolidate and Stonesifer and Kelley’s attorneys and employees will move into the current Barley Snyder office on Hanover’s Center Square in 2017.
In addition, the merger provides Barley Snyder with one of its growth goals – a Gettysburg location. Stonesifer and Kelley had been planning to open a downtown office on Baltimore Street in the historic borough, but put off the office’s opening until its negotiations with Barley Snyder had been completed. Barley Snyder plans to open that office in April. Barley Snyder currently operates six offices in Pennsylvania and northern Maryland.
“Gettysburg is a vibrant area and a county seat where we believe we can be very strong,” Barley Snyder’s Jeff Lobach said. “We already have a number of Gettysburg and Adams County clients, and have been looking at the Gettysburg area for expansion. We think our firm’s core philosophies that work so well elsewhere in central Pennsylvania will be a perfect fit for businesses in Gettysburg.”
All of Stonesifer and Kelley’s employees will be retained by Barley Snyder during and after the transition.
Harry G. Stonesifer began practice in 1951 in Hanover, and partnered with Kelley in 1981 to form Stonesifer and Kelley. It has been at the Broadway location since its initial 1951 formation.
Kelley, whose practice includes estate planning, business and agriculture law, brings with him the two well-respected lawyers at his firm, Joseph E. Erb Jr. and Jennifer McKenrick Stetter. Erb works in criminal defense, municipal law, real estate law, wills and estates and other areas. Stetter’s practice includes areas of family law and general civil law.
Pictures for print and web media purposes are available upon request.
About Barley Snyder
Barley Snyder is a law firm based in central Pennsylvania with more than 70 attorneys practicing from offices located in Lancaster, York, Reading, Malvern and Hanover, Pa., and Hunt Valley, Md. The firm serves businesses, individuals and organizations in all major areas of civil law including: business, employment, immigration, employee benefits, finance & creditors’ rights, intellectual property, litigation, estate planning and administration, real estate, tax, construction, environment and energy, health care, education, municipal authority, and food and agribusiness. www.barley.com | @BarleySnyder
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