By Thomas P. Donnelly, Esquire Reprinted with permission from the May 29, 2015 issue of The Legal Intelligencer. (c) 2015 ALM Media Properties. Further duplication without permission is prohibited.

Confidentiality agreements have become commonplace in commercial litigation.  The purpose of a confidentiality agreement as the protection from disclosure of either private personal or sensitive business information which gives a party a competitive advantage is certainly a noble one and one which mandates an agreement against such disclosure in a wide variety of circumstances.  Often, the parties seek the imprimatur of the court by requesting the court adopt the agreement of the parties as an order thereby incorporating the court’s power to impose sanctions in the event of breach.  The entry of such an order, whether intentionally or as an unintended consequence,  may change the nature of a third party, foreign to the dispute with respect to which the confidentiality order was entered, to obtain information produced in the prior litigation.  

Antheil, Maslow & MacMinn, LLP is pleased to announce that partner, Jessica A. Pritchard, has been named a 2015 Pennsylvania Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters, published annually in Philadelphia Magazine and Law and Politics Magazine, Super Lawyers editions. Only five percent of lawyers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are recognized on this annual list.  Since 2006, Pritchard had been recognized by the same publication as a “Rising Star.”  She is very honored by this newest level of achievement.

Ms. Pritchard chairs the firm's Family Law practice group, where she handles all phases of the negotiation and litigation of domestic relations cases, including divorce, child custody and support, alimony/spousal support, equitable distribution, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.  She has extensive experience working with high net worth individuals experiencing dissolution of their marriage or partnership.

Founders Bill Antheil, Sue Maslow and Bill MacMinn along with Partners Tom Donnelly and Mike Mills broke ground Wednesday on a two-story addition to our Doylestown Office on West State Street.  The addition will offer Class A office space, with the first floor featuring additional offices for our growing practice and a large state-of-the-art event/conference room for events and educational programs.  The second floor space will be offered for lease and will feature approximately 1650 square feet of premium office space including a separate entrance, elevator, restrooms and kitchen. We anticipate that the building will be ready for occupancy in the fall.

We are confident that our architectural design will improve the profile of our corner of town, and we look forward to expanding our services, professional staff and presence in the community.

Mike Mills will participate as a faculty member in the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Continuing Legal Education program entitled “Sophisticated Trust Techniques for the High Net Worth Client” on June 11th in Mechanicsburg, and July 21st in Philadelphia. This informative program explores the best planning techniques in a hypothetical fact/panel discussion format.

Mills’ practice focuses on helping businesses build and preserve value, and helping individuals preserve and protect their family wealth. He is highly experienced in the area of taxation, which impacts so much of business and personal financial planning. In representing businesses, this includes counseling clients on the tax aspects of business formation, financing, reorganization, and acquisition transactions, as well as business succession planning. With individual clients, this includes assistance with income tax planning, and planning for estate, inheritance, and other death taxes.