Attorney Stephen R. McDonnell Elected Chair of Management Committee at Gawthrop Greenwood, PC

Gawthrop Greenwood, PC  has elected litigator and shareholder Stephen R. McDonnell as chair of the firm’s management committee.

A partner at Gawthrop Greenwood who joined the firm in 2007, McDonnell has represented Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized companies and small businesses in contract disputes, construction claims, employment issues and insurance matters. His extensive trial experience includes more than 50 trials to verdict in the State and Federal Courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Focusing his law practice on helping corporations and individuals avoid and resolve disputes through negotiation, mediation and/or litigation, McDonnell has been selected to serve as an arbitrator by his peers and appointed as an arbitrator by the Chester County and Philadelphia Courts of Common Pleas.

“My experience has given me a solid understanding of our clients’ needs and our firm’s role in the region’s business and public sector landscape,” says McDonnell. “I look forward to drawing on that experience, as well as input from our exceptional team of attorneys and staff, to help shape Gawthrop Greenwood’s strategy moving forward.”

McDonnell recently completed a 5-year term serving on the Board of Directors of the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry (CCCBI) in Malvern, PA. He has also previously served on Gawthrop Greenwood’s management committee and is past chair of the firm’s litigation department. McDonnell is a member of the Chester County Bar Association, and a past member of the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations and Counsel for Litigation Management . He has also served on the United Way Community Impact Team and the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce’s member retention committee.

McDonnell will fulfill his term with management committee members P. Kristen Bennett, an attorney and shareholder specializing in trusts and estates in the firm’s Greater Wilmington office, as well as  Patrick M. McKenna, an attorney and shareholder who practices in municipal law, real estate and land development in the firm’s West Chester office.

McDonnell succeeds Stacey L. Fuller, who oversaw a merger that made Gawthrop Greenwood one of the largest community association law firms in Pennsylvania.

“At Gawthrop, we often say that our firm is big enough to have an impact, but small enough to keep our communities and clients as our focus,” said Fuller. “Under Steve’s leadership, we will continue to uphold those values while adapting and expanding services to meet the diverse needs of our clients.”

Prior to joining Gawthrop Greenwood, McDonnell was a partner with the Philadelphia law firm Delany & O’Brien. He earned a B.S. in Finance from Drexel University in 1990 and graduated cum laude from  Widener University School of Law in 1994 where he served as an articles editor for the Law Review program.