Rob is counsel at the firm and serves as Chief Legal Officer of PAM Heath, a central Pennsylvania-based health care system that owns and operates more than 80 hospitals throughout the United States. He is responsible for all legal operations associated with PAM Health including compliance and regulatory, litigation, business development and contracting, and employment issues.
Rob has served as lead counsel in business litigation of all types, from small corporate claims to “bet-the-company” litigation. He regularly represented clients in complex litigation, including employment, intellectual property and corporate governance disputes. In addition, he has represented business and governmental entities in all aspects of employment law, from day-to-day human resource issues to drafting handbooks and employment agreements to litigating all aspects of employment discrimination, wage and hour, and FMLA claims.
- Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in Harrisburg, 2020, Litigation – Intellectual Property
- Federal Bar Association, Middle District of Pennsylvania, president (2017-2018)
- The Best Lawyers in America©, Litigation – Intellectual Property (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, Rising Star
- Central Penn Business Journal, “40 Under 40” (2008)
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Dauphin County Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association, Middle District Chapter, board of directors
- American Health Lawyers Association
- “The Impact of Cyberculture on Administrative Litigation,” 6th Annual Administrative Law Symposium for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (2001)
- “The Practitioner’s Guide to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,” co-author, Recent Developments in Federal Practice (1995, 1998)
- “Rule 68: Awakening a Sleeping Giant,” co-author, 65 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. 379 (1997)
- “Practice Tips for Litigating in Federal Court,” co-author, 68 Pennsylvania Bar Association Q.1 (January 1997)
- “Rule 11: Focus on Sanctions,” co-author, Vol. 2, No. 3, The Middle District Reporter 6 (Fall 1996)
- “The Nuances of Rule 26,” co-author, Vol. 2, No.3, The Middle District Reporter 5 (Summer 1996)
- “Cracking the Doctrinal Wall of Chapman v. Barney: A New Diversity Test for Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies,” 5 Widener J. Pub. L. 89 (1995)
- “Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools: Bursting the Bubble of Sexual Discrimination in Education,” 19 Ohio No. U.L. Rev. 817 (1993)
Bob Frankhouser is a member of the firm’s Education, Employment and Labor law practice groups. He provides advice and representation to educational entities both as a general solicitor and as special counsel. In addition, Bob counsels employers on employment issues with special emphasis on labor union matters.
Bob’s legal practice has spanned nearly 40 years. During that time he has represented school districts in many employment and construction matters. He serves as the solicitor of record for a variety of educational entities, providing guidance on governance, general business issues and labor relations matters.
He also has years of experience in labor/management relations, negotiating for and providing counsel to the firm’s public school district clients on collective bargaining agreements. He also has litigated a wide variety of labor disputes for both the public and private employers he has represented.
- Lancaster Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Construction Law (2024)
Government tax regulations are constantly changing, and Lori McElroy’s experience as a member of Barley Snyder’s Tax Practice Group has given her an intimate understanding of the financial restrictions that can slow a business down, and how to rectify them. She works to solve complex governmental regulations and restrictions for qualified retirement plans from both an implementation and operation standpoint, and has experience with corporate and individual tax issues surrounding business formations and reorganizations. Lori also has experience in working with the Internal Revenue Service in defense of qualified plans as well as for individual clients and entities in tax controversies.
Lori has helped the firm carve out the niche of working with companies in converting to the very popular but also very complex employee stock ownership plans (ESOP). She also works in the areas of employees benefits when it comes to nonqualified deferred compensation, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), executive compensation, qualified plan audits from the U.S. Department of Labor as well as charitable giving.
Lori is also fundamentally involved in various aspects of estate planning and wealth management, as well as the implementation and operation of a variety of charitable trusts, as well as helping individuals in other areas of charitable giving. She also regularly advises public charities and private foundations on corporate and tax matters.
- Estate Planning Council of Central Pennsylvania
- Dauphin County Bar Association
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) (2024)
When most people think of estate planning, they immediately think about a will. But Sarah, a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Practice Group, understands the complexity of a complete estate plan to ensure that a person’s wishes are carried out goes much further than a will.
While she has helped many clients draft their wills, she is also qualified at developing comprehensive estate plans and has a broad array of experience with estate and trust administration. This area of her practice includes:
- Drafting of wills
- Drafting of power of attorney documents
- Drafting health care power of attorney documents and living wills
- Trust creation
- Trust administration
- Special needs trust establishment
Her work often takes her to Orphans’ Court, where she assists clients regarding the intricacies of special needs trust administration and guardianships of the person and of the estate. Those are legal tools that allow a person or entity to make decisions for another person of any age who is incapacitated or has certain special needs.
In her business practice, Sarah deals almost exclusively with the needs of nonprofit corporations, including religious entities and youth sports organizations. Her work advising nonprofit corporations includes:
- Entity formation
- Compliance
- Bylaw review
- Real estate transactions
- Asset acquisitions
- Dissolutions
Sarah and her husband Brian live in Birdsboro with their daughters Maggie and Gracie. Her family can often be found enjoying the outdoors while camping in central Pennsylvania or spending time at the Jersey shore.
- Berks Estate Planning Council, board member
- Dauphin County Bar Association
- Schuylkill County Bar Association
- Berks County Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- “Attorneys’ Duties to Protect Client Data”, Lancaster Bar Association Webinar (June 2020)
- “COVID-19 Estate Planning Opportunities”, Herbein + Company Webinar (May 2020)
- “Board Governance” Leadership Berks County (November 2012-18)
- Transactional Law; Berks County Bar Association Law Explorer Post (January 2012)
- “Entity Selection” Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce Small Business Summit (April 2011)
- The Struggle of Punitive Damages in Arbitration: How to Get What you Want Out of an Arbitration; The Journal of American Arbitration
- Legal intern for the Honorable John E. Jones III of the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2004.
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) (2024)
Jeff Sidebottom is the former chair the Workers’ Compensation Law Group and focuses his practice on advising clients regarding workers’ compensation issues and representing clients in related litigation. When providing counsel on workers’ compensation matters, he works closely with other members of the firm’s Employment Law Group to provide coordinated full-service risk management advice for the benefit of the firm’s clients.
Jeff has handled workers’ compensation cases throughout Pennsylvania for clients, including self-insured employers, insurance carriers and third-party administrators, as well as businesses such as hospitals, food processing companies, manufacturers and printing companies. Jeff has aggressively defended cases for businesses he represents to its final conclusion. When defending employers or businesses in workers’ compensation matters, Jeff believes it is absolutely essential to take a team approach in working and communicating on a regular basis with the insurer, third party administrator and representatives of the employer.
On many occasions, a workers’ compensation claimant has other employment-related issues with the client so Jeff takes a team-oriented approach with other members of the Employment Law Group to provide a coordinated approach while dealing with problem employees which can include FLMA, ADA, or termination issues. This coordinated advice approach is very helpful to clients when dealing with difficult or problem employees.
During his 45 years representing employers in the workers’ compensation field, Jeff has become very aware of the interests of businesses to reduce workers’ compensation costs, including litigation expenses. He has become an advocate for the interests of businesses dealing with the workers’ compensation system, both at the state and local levels. To this end, Jeff serves as a member of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce’s Workers’ Compensation Executive Committee, which provides advice to the Chamber on possible legislative initiatives affecting the workers’ compensation system. Jeff has also been involved with the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Workers’ Compensation Work Group which meets on a regular basis to address common issues of employers in Lancaster County dealing with workers’ compensation matters.
In addition, Jeff has served on the editing committee for the Pennsylvania Chamber’s Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Guide, a useful and informative book for businesses on how to deal with the workers’ compensation system in the state. Jeff authored an article that has been very useful for employers by providing a guide for understanding and dealing with the workers’ compensation litigation process and providing tips on how to increase the likelihood of a successful litigation outcome.
- American Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Lancaster Bar Association, co-chair of the Workers’ Compensation Practice Section
- “Workers’ Compensation: The Role of Medical Evidence in Litigated Cases”, Barley Snyder Employment Law Seminar (April 2015)
- “Workers’ Compensation: The Role of the Occupational Medicine Physician”, Barley Snyder Employment Seminar, (May 2014)
- “Workers’ Compensation: Aggravations of Degenerative Conditions”, Barley Snyder Employment Seminar (May 2013)
- “Workers’ Compensation: Repetitive Injuries”, Barley Snyder Employment Seminar (May 2012)
- Faculty, Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s advanced workers’ compensation course, “Tough Problems in Workers’ Compensation Cases”
- Member of editing committee for the Workers’ Compensation Guide, published by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry
- Seminar Speaker for programs dealing with workers’ compensation issues, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Workers’ Compensation Work Group
Larry brings decades of experience in helping businesses in the hospitality industry with one of their most valuable assets – their liquor license. He has represented clients on issues before the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board with appeals to the Court of Common Pleas and Commonwealth Court, defended liquor liability (“dram shop”) cases in state courts, and defended violations brought by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Liquor Code Enforcement, a division of the Pennsylvania State Police. He was the first attorney in Pennsylvania to obtain a limited winery license for a winery located in Europe with a satellite location in Pennsylvania coupled with a Restaurant License. He has also completed projects in South America to obtain PA manufacturing liquor licenses with satellite locations in Pennsylvania.
Larry is also a seasoned litigator in both state and federal courts with more than four decades of courtroom experience. While his practice deals mainly with cases in York County and in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, he also has experience in courts outside of Pennsylvania, having been admitted pro hac vice in the federal courts of Maryland, New Jersey and Florida as well as the state courts of Montana, Texas and West Virginia. In addition, he has represented clients before many Pennsylvania administrative agencies such as:
- Liquor Control Board
- Real Estate Commission
- Board of Finance & Review
- Human Relations Commission
- Consumer Protection Bureau
- Environmental Hearing Board
On the federal level, Larry has had cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHA). With OSHA, he successfully defended a charge that resulted in a decision of industry-wide significance to the benefit of security agencies.
In his career, Larry has been a name partner at two different York County law firms. He has volunteered and held leadership positions at different organizations throughout that time, including national and local organizations that fight diabetes, help people overcome disabilities, and aid the overall community. He has also served in leadership positions for a number of professional and fraternal organizations in York County, throughout central Pennsylvania and across the state.
- Herbert B. Cohen Inns of Court
- “Reopening the Hospitality Industry: Current Guidelines, Possible Risks and Future Scenarios”, Barley Snyder Webinar Series (June 2020)
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Real Estate Litigation (2024)
Sarah concentrates her practice in Real Estate law and Business law. Her Real Estate law practice includes the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of residential and commercial real estate. A significant portion of her practice involves land use law, working on zoning, commercial land development and related land use matters. She frequently represents individual and business clients in obtaining variances and special exceptions. Sarah’s real estate clients include medical facilities, educational institutions, financial institutions, property managers, professional organizations, development companies, non-profit corporations, and individuals.
In addition, Sarah frequently handles real estate assessment appeals and tax exemption requests. She also handles various agricultural real estate matters, which include review of agricultural conservation easements and issues related to the Clean and Green Program, Act 319. She also has experience in construction law representing owners and contractors in reviewing and negotiating architect agreements and construction contracts.
Sarah counsels business clients on matters including entity formation and selection. She also has particular expertise in liquor licensing matters, including the sale and transfer of liquor licenses and the completion and submission of liquor license applications.
- Lancaster Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- “Mechanic’s Lien, Leases and Landlord Tenant Law”, Wake up with Barley: A Morning on Real Estate (September 2017)
Kevin concentrates his practice in federal tax planning and tax litigation for corporations, pass-through entities, individuals and tax-exempt organizations for the firm’s Business and Trusts & Estates practice groups.
In addition to his federal tax focus, Kevin has represented numerous multi-state and Pennsylvania entities before the state’s administrative tax boards and courts in tax controversies regarding various taxes including:
- Corporate net income tax
- Capital stock/franchise tax
- Insurance premiums tax
- Gross receipts tax
- Motor carrier and liquid fuels taxes
- Sales and use tax
- Realty transfer tax
- Public utility realty tax
- Local business privilege, amusement and real estate tax
- Escheat matters
In addition to his tax planning and controversy work, Kevin practices in the areas of estate planning and administration. He also serves as counsel to several family-held businesses and provides advice regarding transactional matters.
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Tax Section
- York Estate Planning Council, member
- Estate Planning Council of Central Pennsylvania, past president and former board member
- Governor Corbett Signs House Bill 1950 into Law
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Tax Law (2024)
Scott Kelley is a member of Barley Snyder’s Business, Real Estate and Trusts & Estates groups. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the York County Bar Association. He is a past president of Adams-Hanover Counseling Services, Inc.; a past board member of the Visiting Nurse Association; a past board member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church; a benefactor life member of the National Rifle Association; a life member of the National Skeet Shooting Association; and a past board member of the Pennsylvania State Shooting Foundation.
Scott has been an instructor for the Pennsylvania State University in economics and business entrepreneurship for twenty years.
- York County Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Keith concentrates his practice in municipal, real estate and labor and employment law. As a municipal law counselor, Keith advises and represents local municipal governments and municipal authorities in matters involving the Sunshine Law and Open Records Act, condemnations, administrative matters, labor and workforce issues, civil service issues, zoning and land planning matters, public bidding and contract negotiations. Keith has also represented municipalities before the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regarding alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law. Keith represents both municipal and development clients in matters involving requests for variances, special exceptions, conditional uses, zoning appeals and other land use issues. He has drafted amendments to zoning ordinances and guided municipalities through the amendment process mandated by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, and assists municipalities and developers in guiding real estate development projects through the subdivision and land development process.
Keith currently serves as solicitor for the Boroughs of Kutztown and Shoemakersville, West Cocalico Township, Bern Township and has served as special counsel for Spring Township involving land use issues. Keith also serves as solicitor and legal counsel for the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Reading and has assisted the Redevelopment Authority in such areas as redevelopment projects, brownsfields issues and condemnations. Recently Keith successfully represented Spring Township in a matter in which a national retailer attempted to locate a shopping center within its borders. Recent projects in which Keith has assisted the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Reading include the Goggleworks Center for the Arts, the City of Reading Sovereign Center and the R/C Theatres project, which involved the development of an eleven-screen multiplex including an IMAX theatre.
As a labor and employment counselor, Keith represents employers in grievance arbitration and in the resolution, settlement and/or adjudication of unfair labor practice complaints before the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. Keith has negotiated public sector collective bargaining agreements between municipalities and AFSCME, the FOP, the Teamsters and the IAFF. In negotiating public sector collective bargaining agreements, Keith has participated in fact finding mediation.
Prior to joining the firm, Keith served as solicitor for the City of Reading, Pennsylvania.
- Condos in the City, Wake up with Barley: A Morning on Real Estate (June 2019)
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Consumer Credit: Foreclosure and Bankruptcy Update, Barley Snyder LendiCon Seminar (May 2014)
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Residential Foreclosure Issues, Barley Snyder LendiCon Seminar (November 2012)
- Former City Solicitor, City of Reading, PA
