S. Graham Simmons III, a Member of law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., and Administrative Partner of the firm’s Pennsylvania office, was named honorary chair of the 31^st Annual Children’s Home of Easton’s Golf Tournament, which took place on Monday, May 20 at the Northampton Country Club. Simmons has been a supporter and contributor to The Children’s Home of Easton since 2007.

The Children’s Home of Easton is a nonprofit organization that provides long term care for children in need, as well as, assistance to their families. They provide a continuum of services, including group care and other family-like programs in a safe, compassionate atmosphere.  The professional staff guides, supports, and encourages the children to believe in their own self-worth and reach their full potential. For more information on The Children’s Home of Easton, please visit thechildrenshome.org.

A business and real estate lawyer, Simmons serves both public and private sector clients on all types of M&A transactions, commercial and syndicated credit facilities, economic development projects, real estate transactions, leases, and corporate work.  He has represented clients across a diverse spectrum of industries, and is deeply experienced in the banking and financial services, health care, real estate development, economic development, and automobile dealership industries.  Simmons has been proud to represent buyers and sellers of businesses throughout Pennsylvania and beyond, as well as developers and lenders who have invested in the Lehigh Valley’s cities through incentives such as the Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) and the City Revitalization & Improvement Zone (CRIZ). He also serves as Solicitor to the City of Easton Parking Authority.

Simmons has been recognized in Philadelphia Magazine as a Rising Star, a distinction for lawyers age 40 and under or who have been practicing fewer than 10 years, and reserved for no more than 2.5% of all attorneys in Pennsylvania.  He has been honored by Lehigh Valley Business as one of their annual Forty Under 40, which recognizes young professionals who exhibit talent and promise and have a well-documented track record of achievements in business. He is an active member of College Hill Presbyterian Church, and is a member of the Board of the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Easton, the Greater Valley YMCA, and of the Greater Easton Development Partnership, where he is the immediate past Chairman.

Simmons earned his J.D. magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Villanova University School of Law in 2004, and his B.A. from Roanoke College in 2001.

Posted in: Banking & Financial Services, Business Law, Economic Development Law, Health Care & Life Sciences, Municipal Law, News, Real Estate & Finance, S. Graham Simmons, III | Tags: Business Law, Children's Home of Easton, Graham Simmons

Richard B. Somach, a Member of the law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., will present “What Every Attorney, and Judge They Go Before, Should Know about Sheriff Sales, Tax Sales, Tax Foreclosures and How They Affect Lien Divestiture and Lien Priority,” on Thursday, May 2, 8– 9 a.m., at the Bar Association of Lehigh County. Somach will discuss the difference between sheriff’s sales and tax sales, and everything in between.

Registration and breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m. For more information, please click here. To register call Nancy at (610) 433-6401, extension 16, or email cle@lehighbar.org.

Somach focuses his practice on real estate, commercial law, and creditors’ remedies, representing real estate development companies, shopping centers, and local banks. He has represented real estate owners, developers, and investors in a broad range of real estate transactions, including zoning matters, residential subdivisions, and shopping center development. A licensed title insurance agent, Somach is president of the title insurance and settlement company ABE Settlement Services. He is legal counsel to the Greater Lehigh Valley REALTORS®, and also serves as Assistant Lehigh County Solicitor, advising the Sheriff’s Office, the Tax Assessment Office, and the Tax Claim Bureau. He frequently writes and lectures on real estate matters, sheriff’s sales, and real estate tax sales. He received his B.A., with honors, in 1971 from Lehigh University, and his J.D. in 1974 from Hofstra University Law School.

Posted in: Banking & Financial Services, Bankruptcy & Creditors' Rights, Construction Law, Municipal Law, News, Real Estate & Finance, Richard B. Somach | Tags: BALC, Bar Association of Lehigh County, Lien Divestiture, lien priority, Rich Somach, Sheriff Sales, Tax Foreclosures, tax sales

F. Peter Lehr, a Member of law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A.,  will present “Pitfalls of Professional Courtesy” on Friday, April 26, at Resident Education Day, sponsored by the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia. The event will be at the Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.

The presentation is open only to members of the Obstetrical Society. To learn more about the society please click here. Lehr will discuss the risks involved when physicians treating other colleagues, family members, and co-workers.

Lehr focuses his practice on health care transactional and regulatory matters, real estate, and land use law, including zoning and subdivision applications and commercial lending.

He has represented and counseled a variety of health care providers, including hospitals, long term care and nursing facilities, home health agencies, assisted living facilities, and more. He has assisted clients in numerous transactions and regulatory issues involving such mandates as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (“HITECH”) Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), the Stark law and accompanying Phase I-III regulations, the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and attendant safe harbors, and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Act of Labor Act (“EMTALA”). He has experience in leading operational assessments of health care providers and drafting corporate compliance programs. He has counseled clients on fraud and abuse avoidance and represented them in third party payer reimbursement cases.

Lehr has obtained favorable decisions for clients in numerous land use and zoning cases, and has served as counsel of record in municipal hearings, trial court cases, and appellate level proceedings. He has assisted municipal code enforcement officers in compliance proceedings and has drafted, interpreted, and implemented ordinances and resolutions, regulating matters from permit issuances to zoning classifications. As part of his practice, he also regularly performs contract and real estate document reviews, including commercial leases.

Lehr prepares and reviews loan documents for financial institutions in connection with various forms of commercial credit facilities. Such experience includes negotiations with borrowers’ counsel over loan and reimbursement agreement provisions, as well as the terms and conditions contained in security, collateral pledge, and suretyship documents.

As an active member of the community, Lehr serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including LifePath, Inc., the Weller Health Education Center, and the Forum for Ethics in the Workplace. He is a member of the Leonard Pool Society of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.

Lehr earned his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1998, and his B.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1995.

Posted in: Banking & Financial Services, F. Peter Lehr, Health Care & Life Sciences, Municipal Law, News, Real Estate & Finance | Tags: health care and life sciences, Obstetrical Society, Peter Lehr, Resident Education Day

Richard B. Somach, a Member of law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., will present “Tax Sales, Tax Foreclosures, Sheriff Sales, and Lessons Learned from Years in the Trenches” on Tuesday, February 12, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Allentown Brew Works.

Somach focuses his practice on real estate, commercial law, and creditors’ remedies, representing real estate development companies, shopping centers, and local banks. He has represented real estate owners, developers, and investors in a broad range of real estate transactions, including zoning matters, residential subdivisions, and shopping center development. As a licensed title insurance agent, Somach is president of the title insurance and settlement company ABE Settlement Services. He is legal counsel to the Lehigh Valley Association of REALTORS®, and also serves as Assistant Lehigh County Solicitor, advising the Sheriff’s Office, the Tax Assessment Office, and the Tax Claim Bureau. He frequently writes and lectures on real estate matters, sheriff’s sales, and real estate tax sales. He received his B.A., with honors, in 1971 from Lehigh University and his J.D. in 1974 from Hofstra University Law School.

Posted in: Banking & Financial Services, Bankruptcy & Creditors' Rights, Municipal Law, News, Real Estate & Finance, Richard B. Somach | Tags: real estate, Rich Somach, Sheriff Sales, tax sales