Reilly Wolfson, a Lebanon law firm, is now affiliated with Barley Snyder.
The affiliation was finalized April 1. Reilly Wolfson’s eight attorneys, three paralegals and 15 staff members will continue to work out of Reilly Wolfson’s office at 1601 Cornwall Road in North Cornwall Township. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 1940, Reilly Wolfson focused primarily on real estate, trusts, estates and business law.
The attorneys joining Barley Snyder and their focus areas include: Paul Bametzreider, real estate, creditors’ rights and business; Michelle Calvert, business and real estate; Colleen Gallo, real estate, trusts and estates, and litigation; Corey Lamoureux, litigation, real estate, and trusts and estates; Loren Schrum, real estate, trusts and estates, and business; Timothy Sheffey, trusts and estates, and real estate; Megan Ryland Tanner, business and real estate; and Michael Light II, litigation and trusts and estates.
The partners at both firms agreed to pursue the joint affiliation based on shared values, supportive practice offerings for clients, and similar client-oriented cultures.
“The continuity for our clients was important. We’ve had people retire and some who are planning to retire in the next few years,” said Schrum, Reilly Wolfson’s managing partner. “Barley Snyder is a well-respected firm, and that was important to us.”
With the affiliation Schrum has become a partner at Barley Snyder. He said Fred Wolfson, who started Reilly Wolfson in 1968, retired from the firm at the end of 2022 after practicing law for 54 years.
“Fred enjoyed a long and successful career and was dedicated to his clients and the community,” Schrum said. “Our firm began discussions about affiliating with Barley Snyder about two years ago — we wanted to make sure it was the right fit for us.
“Now that it’s happened, we’re excited to be working with Barley Snyder.”
Schrum said in addition to providing continuity for clients, the affiliation also expands the services the firm can offer to its clients.
“Lebanon County is changing dramatically in its demographics and needs. As a small firm of eight attorneys, we didn’t always have expertise in areas that clients needed and referred clients to other Lebanon firms. Now that we’re part of a larger firm with more areas of practice, we can refer clients to other attorneys within Barley Snyder.”
Jeff Lobach, Barley Snyder managing partner, said the affiliation with Reilly Wolfson expands its geographical reach.
“We’ve been expanding gradually. We love the Lebanon market — it’s fast growing. We already have a number of relationships in the area and some of our work is similar to what Reilly Wolfson has been doing, but we also offer services in areas that they did not such as employment and immigration law,” he said.
Lobach stressed that for many clients in the Lebanon area, it’s a seamless transition. “Not much will change — they’ll be working with the same people in the same location,” he said.
Barley Snyder also has attorneys working in its Lancaster and Harrisburg offices who live in the Lebanon area, and they will also periodically work out of the Lebanon office. Lobach said each Barley Snyder office has an office for visiting attorneys to use.
Schrum said the affiliation also provides Reilly Wolfson’s staff with dedicated technology and marketing support. “Technology and tech support can be difficult for smaller firms; now we have access to a dedicated IT department,” he said.
He said the transition with Barley Snyder has been ongoing.
“Going from a firm of eight lawyers to a firm of 130 lawyers is overwhelming. Plus we’re learning new systems; new ways of doing things. I liken it to moving into a new home — you have to learn how everything works. But everyone at Barley Snyder has been welcoming,” Schrum said.
Lobach said Barley Snyder has transitioned staff from 10 firms since 2015, and nearly all the attorneys involved in the transitions are still with the firm. The firm now has 130 attorneys at offices in Pennsylvania and Maryland, an all-time high for the firm. The Reilly Wolfson transaction marks the second major addition to the firm within 15 months, as it previously added 14 attorneys from the Wyomissing-based firm Leisawitz Heller in January 2022.
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