- Corporate LawEric C. Springer, Managing Shareholder and Director – President, was recognized in Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, and Financial Services Regulation Law.
- Mergers and AcquisitionsSGK attorneys collaborate to offer a broad range of commercial and individual legal services to a diverse group of clients. Our particular strengths and capabilities lie in the fundamental and strategic areas that affect virtually all businesses and their principals, including general corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions and other business transactions, technology transactions, real estate law, employee benefits, labor and employment law, tax planning and counseling, litigation, services for financial institutions, estates and trusts, and energy and natural resources. Our clients, large multi-national, publicly-traded corporations, family-owned or other closely-held businesses, start-up and emerging businesses as well as family offices and high net-worth individuals, trust us to be their advisors and counselors on matters that affect them and their businesses most deeply. We deploy our knowledge, sophistication and creativity to achieve their goals, ever mindful of the faith that our clients have placed in us.
- Business Transactions
- Real Estate LitigationU.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” as a Tier 1 firm in Pittsburgh for Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Litigation – Real Estate and Real Estate Law. SGK also achieved three metropolitan Tier 2 and Tier 3 rankings.
- Estate PlanningCooper, German, Kelly & Purcell, P.C. was youngest of the firms which combined to form Sherrard, German & Kelly, P.C. It was first established in 1975 by a group of attorneys who were formerly associated with another Pittsburgh law firm. Originally known as Houston, Cooper, Speer & German, Henry Cooper led the new firm with innovative planning for individual estates, particularly with retirement plans for medical practices and soon it became well-known in the Pittsburgh area for its concentration in these new areas of law. Rita Kelly, a member of the firm, attended law school at night during the 1950s while teaching fulltime at local high schools. She was admitted to practice in 1958, at a time when women lawyers were not common and nor immediately accepted within the profession. Her skills and talents brought acceptance and then admiration and respect for her uncompromising professionalism. When her name was added to the firm’s name in 1973, she became one of the first woman attorneys to have her name ‘on the door’ of a major Pittsburgh firm. Her name continues to be used by Sherrard, German & Kelly, P.C. With offices in the Oliver Building, and later the Frick Building and Chatham Center, the firm developed an active and highly-regarded practice for corporate transactions for closely-held businesses and estate planning for business owners and individuals.
- Trusts
- Bankruptcy
- Tax LawA primary reason for the firm’s long-time success, reputation and growth can be greatly attributed to the leadership of Robert D. German. Rob was a proud graduate of Notre Dame and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and he received his Masters of Law in Taxation from New York University. He then joined Cooper, German, Kelly & Purcell, P.C. to work alongside his father, Ralph German, focusing his practice on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, non-profit law, tax law, and estate planning. Rob was instrumental in the formation of the firm in 1990 and was the driving force and primary Managing Shareholder of the firm for 25 years. During that period, Rob oversaw the development of Sherrard, German & Kelly, P.C. into one of Pittsburgh’s most well-known and highly-respected law firms. He served as outside corporate counsel and Corporate Secretary for the firm’s long-standing and flagship client II-VI Incorporated and also rose to become a highly-regarded Chairman of the Board of Directors of JDRF International (“JDRF”). His commitment to his work, community and client service and SGK inspired all those around him. Robert D. German passed away on September 6, 2015 following a long battle against acute myeloid leukemia but his reputation, leadership and wisdom continues to propel the firm and all those who knew him.