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GAWTHROP GREENWOOD WELCOMES NEW ATTORNEYS

West Chester, PA — November 6, 2009 — Ann Duke, Sandra L. Knapp and Michael F. Merlie have joined the Chester County law firm of Gawthrop Greenwood. (www.gawthrop.com)

Ann Duke, whose practice is concentrated in business transactions, corporate finance, business and strategic planning, corporate governance, banking, mergers and acquisitions, and succession and estate planning, draws on her legal and business background as well as varied entrepreneurial experience to provide clients a wide range of guidance. When dealing with individual estate planning and business succession planning, she works closely with financial planners and other advisors to achieve the wealth transfer and tax vehicles best suited to meet clients' goals.

She served as managing partner of Duke & Duke from 1993 to 2001. More recently, as a founding member of Stonebridge Bank, a community bank that grew in six years to $450 million in assets, she served as General Counsel and later as a senior executive. As an elected official in the Borough of West Chester, Duke has served as chair for the Finance and Budget Committee, as well as for the Planning, Zoning and Business Development Committee. On Nov. 3rd she was elected Chester County Treasurer. She is a graduate of Georgetown University with a B.A. in History and of the Widener University School of Law.

Sandra Knapp, whose practice is concentrated in business law, commercial transactions, maritime and real estate law, finance and banking, represents clients in a broad range of transactional and general corporate matters, including marine finance and U.S.-based joint ventures for international companies. She frequently is involved in multimillion-dollar financing and acquisition transactions for companies both nationally and internationally.

Practicing in the Philadelphia area for more than 20 years, she previously was managing partner of Knapp McConomy Merlie LLP. She is a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, formerly a member of its Board of Directors and past Chair of its Marine Finance Committee. She also is a member of the American, Pennsylvania and Chester County Bar Associations and is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States. She serves on the Advisory Board of Historic Yellow Springs, is a member of the International Business Council of the Chester County Economic Development Council, a past Board member of the Seamen's Church Institute and is named in the International Who's Who of Shipping & Maritime Lawyers.

Michael Merlie, whose practice is concentrated in business law, finance and banking, commercial transactions, maritime and real estate law, has represented institutional, corporate and entrepreneurial clients in a wide variety of matters, with a particular expertise in maritime financing. He also assists entrepreneurs in all phases of start-up organizations. Prior to his legal career, he was a certified public accountant with a Big Five accounting firm in Philadelphia.

A member of the American and Pennsylvania Bar Associations and the Maritime Law Association of the United States, Merlie is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States. He serves on the Board of Directors of Great Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, and on the advisory boards of Continental Bank and Archbishop John Carroll High School. He is a former Board member of The Mill at Anselma.

Founded in 1904, Gawthrop Greenwood, PC comprises 23 attorneys concentrating in comprehensive practice areas including business transactions, litigation, tax and estate planning, environmental issues, elder law, education and special education, real estate, family law, employment law, municipal law, land use and government relations. Continuing its strong tradition of community service, the firm provides a complete listing and links to some of the most useful and requested resources for business, legal, government and media issues at www.gawthrop.com.