McNees adds first construction team member based in greater Philadelphia area
June 1, 2023
Press Releases
DEVON, Pa. — (June 1, 2023) McNees Wallace & Nurick’s Real Estate and Construction & Procurement teams added their first team member to be based in the greater Philadelphia area. Now, the teams have a physical presence spanning Pennsylvania – from Pittsburgh in the west to Devon in the east – and Maryland.
Construction attorney and litigator Benjamin Wright works with a variety of public and private clients, including owners, general contractors, subcontractors, municipal authorities and individuals. He has a depth of experience with project types ranging from natural gas refineries, wastewater treatment plants and commercial buildings to schools, churches and residential homes. Prior to joining McNees, Wright was a construction attorney at the Pittsburgh offices of a corporate and transportation law firm and an Am Law 200 civil defense litigation firm.
“Having an attorney of Ben’s caliber supporting McNees’ established client base from our Devon office expands the value and impact of our team in southeastern Pennsylvania,” Construction & Procurement Group Co-Chair James W. Kutz said. “Over the past 18 months, we have purposefully added a number of attorneys and paralegals to grow our geographic footprint, diversify the services we offer clients and strengthen our ability to meet their increasingly complex needs.”
To provide additional support to this real estate and construction team, McNees also welcomed back Brandi Jones-Zellers as a paralegal in its Harrisburg office. She leverages over a decade of experience to support attorneys with real estate transactions and construction matters. She rejoins McNees after working for a Harrisburg-area law firm.
McNees’ combined team of 47 real estate and construction attorneys, paralegals and specialists serve clients nationally from offices throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland. They provide sophisticated legal advice in virtually all areas relating to commercial real estate and construction projects. The team’s client base includes contractors and sub-contractors, residential and commercial real estate developers, investors, lenders, commercial property owners, home builders, real estate investment trusts, condominiums, homeowner associations, other businesses and nonprofits and managers of residential rental units, office buildings, shopping centers, warehouses.
In addition to its legal practice, McNees expanded its title company, Pine Street Land Company, which includes a team of Pennsylvania- and Maryland-licensed title agents that conduct commercial and residential real estate settlements.
Since January 2021, McNees experienced significant growth strategically enhancing the firm’s range and reach of client services. It expanded its geographic footprint across Pennsylvania, first in Devon, Chester County, in February 2021, followed by Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, in December 2021 with a team of eight construction, real estate and corporate attorneys. McNees doubled its bench of legal talent in Frederick, Md., to include attorneys who practice in real estate, construction, corporate and tax law, among others, then relocated the team to a larger office. And in late April of this year, the firm added a team of 14 attorneys and support professionals who have a niche practice in property management law as well as real estate, construction, commercial business and related litigation experience, to its new office in Baltimore County, Md.
Beyond serving clients’ legal needs, McNees launched four new ancillary businesses to meet client needs for public relations and strategic communications, municipal consulting, auto dealership transaction services and human resource management and strategy.
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McNees is a multidisciplinary law firm founded in 1935 with more than 150 attorneys representing businesses, associations, institutions, municipalities and individuals. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Devon, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, Scranton, State College and York, Pa.; Columbus, Ohio; Frederick and Towson, Md.; and Washington, D.C. McNees is a member of the ALFA International Global Legal Network.
