Dan Desmond serves as Chair of Barley Snyder’s Business Practice Group, where he leads a dynamic team of attorneys advising clients on complex corporate matters. A trusted business advisor, Dan is particularly recognized for his deep experience in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and his strategic counsel to closely held and family-owned businesses.

Dan has guided clients through a wide range of M&A transactions – from early-stage entity formation, structuring and due diligence to negotiation, financing, and post-closing integration. His hands-on approach and ability to manage every aspect of a deal make him a go-to resource for business owners, executives, investors, governments and charitable institutions navigating high-stakes transactions. He regularly represents buyers, sellers, and investors in conventional, venture capital, private equity, senior living and regulated deals across diverse industries.

With a strong commitment to family enterprise, Dan advises multigenerational businesses on succession planning, governance, and long-term strategy. As a Peer Group Facilitator for The High Center for Family Businesses, he helps leaders address the unique challenges of family dynamics, ownership transitions, and legacy preservation.

Beyond M&A and family business matters, Dan’s practice spans general business and finance law, regulatory compliance, and commercial lending. He also serves as solicitor and general counsel to several municipal authorities, structuring tax-exempt bonds and notes for public and nonprofit clients.

Dan’s clients range from startups and entrepreneurs to public companies, financial institutions, and healthcare professionals. He frequently advises doctors, dentists, and medical groups on strategic transactions, including MSO and DSO acquisitions and divestitures. Dan also has significant experience advising clients in the senior living industry, including continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), assisted living providers, and skilled nursing facilities. He counsels these organizations on strategic transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, affiliations, and joint ventures, as well as on governance, financing, and operational matters. His understanding of the regulatory landscape and the unique business dynamics of senior care enables him to deliver practical, forward-thinking solutions that support long-term sustainability and growth.

A Lancaster native and J.P. McCaskey graduate, Dan brings valuable local insight to his work with regional institutions and nonprofits. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Lancaster Safety Coalition and is active in youth sports coaching.

Dan leads the firm’s antitrust practice, with a particular specialty in navigating clients through Hart-Scot Rodino filings and requests in connection with high-value deals. He is also a contributor to the firm’s Practice Excellence® initiative, promoting innovative, cost-effective legal solutions.

Dan’s approach is grounded in the firm’s Client Service Principles – responsiveness, strategic insight, efficiency, and proactive communication – ensuring consistently exceptional service across all engagements.