For Law with a Personal Touch, Call Lentz, Cantor & Massey

By Susan I. Shiber

Chester County Life - July/August 2009

Philadelphia Business Journal recently asked if the beginning of the end of big law is pending. Changes in the make-up of large local firms are dramatic, giving the Philadelphia lawyer image a whole new look. Prognosticators expect the rise of boutique law as mega-firms tighten barrister belts or close.

In Chester County , Lentz, Cantor & Massey, Ltd. has practiced on the premise of very personal service provided by a small group of community-committed professionals since its founding in 1959. One of the original partners, Albert P. Massey, Jr., remains active in the firm, bar associations, politics and the community.

Compared to family doctors of past eras, Massey is a general practitioner known to make house calls. His areas of practice are general litigation, criminal law, real estate, zoning, municipal law, domestic relations and professional liability law. His undergraduate economics and law degrees are from Villanova. Honors and affiliations, too numerous to list, range from county and state Bar Association leadership and positions in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Boards and Panels. He is a lifetime member of several Who’s Who registers, including American Law, Emerging Leaders, American Politics and the United States . For two years in a row, Philadelphia magazine designated Massey among Pennsylvania ’s “Super Lawyers.”

Local involvement is high on Massey’s priority list. Organizations, such as Bryn Mawr Hospital , Daemion House Crisis Intervention Center , United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and various civic associations, benefit from his altruism. He is also an accomplished musician who plays with St. Norbert Parish guitar choir.

“Working in Chester County , I enjoy a quality of life missed by many attorneys,” says Massey. “We encourage our lawyers to become part of the local landscape. It energizes them and strengthens the firm’s foundation. Our firm has developed a lot of very long-term business and family relationships. For example, we began working with Malvern Federal Savings Bank and Matthews Paoli Ford in the 1960s and still do. Grandchildren of early clients come in for legal advice. Walk in our door and you aren’t shuffled from lawyer to lawyer. If specialized knowledge is required, we call in another member of the practice to provide expertise, but stay by the client’s side.”

Wendy McLean, whose practice is concentrated in real estate, land use, municipal and employment law, sheds light on Massey’s style. “Al provides a soothing influence when people are faced with horrendous situations. In criminal cases involving teenagers or young adults, the common cry from alleged offenders and their parents is ‘What’s going to happen to me?’ They are often too scared to relate problems, and Al calms so the solution process can begin. This sensitive personal care goes a long way in setting our firm apart,” says McLean .

McLean has seen her share of emotion, as well, in condemnation and easement cases. “Bob Lentz and Scott Yaw spent years trying to prevent the city of Coatesville from taking Dick and Nancy Saha’s family property to build a golf course. This became a cause celebré, and people from all over the U. S. sent money to help them. Ultimately, they settled and still live on the property.”

The Villanova Law graduate notes that Saha is not the norm. “Usually property is taken over, and you argue how much money the owners will receive. These are tough circumstances regarded as necessary evil. After the Saha case, Pennsylvania statutes were changed for the better, but it isn’t comforting for people when their land is being seized. We help clients understand what is and what is not possible.”

As vice-chair of the board of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association and a Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation director, McLean is a devotee of natural environments. She has worked with Brandywine Conservancy, Natural Lands Trust, Chester County French and Pickering Conservation Trust and others to negotiate easement terms. Her B.S. from Cornell and Drexel University masters in science enhance the attorney’s proficiency.

“Easement litigation tends to get complicated,” she points out. “We work with homeowners on present and potential uses of their land. Will it be part of an estate plan? Is the property historic enough to qualify for preservation? How can tax advantages be derived? These are all questions we address and resolve.”

Tax law and estate planning are other issues that demand intricate attention to detail. Andrew H. Dohan relishes sifting through tax, trust, probate and estate regulations to find the best monetary solutions. With a law degree from Villanova and B.A. in economics from Yale, he is uniquely qualified to deal with complicated issues. Dohan is the only lawyer in Pennsylvania to rank in Worth magazine’s Top 100 U.S. Attorneys in wealth management and estate planning in 2007 and 2008.

“These laws are drastically different today,” says Dohan. “We assist clients to make the most of financial legacies. Executing a proper will is essential, and I guide clients to sound decisions. In my 32 years in practice, no one ever said that they wanted to leave whatever the state designates for survivors. Some lawyers are hired guns and do whatever is asked. I take a different approach, ask questions, and urge clients to take time reaching good answers. A lot of law firms make money fixing mistakes. We practice preventive law and avoid mistakes.”

Bob Willson, also a partner in the firm, handles both business transactions and litigation. He is a life-long resident of Chester County who grew up a few blocks away from the firm’s offices. Willson’s deep commitment to his home community is evidenced by his involvement in numerous non-profit organizations, including Historic Yellow Springs where he is a board member (and former president) and organizes the annual Jazz Festival. 

Lentz, Cantor & Massey attorneys handle a full spectrum of services. Partner Sean A. O’Neill and associate Lindsay A. Dunn practice primarily in real estate and municipal land use law. Associate Heather Burns Pozniak handles civil litigation and assists with estate planning.

When Chester County or nearby is home for family or business, trust legal matters with the firm that grew up here.