Jonathan H. Spergel of Bala Cynwyd is the New Managing Partner at Manko,Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP F

On October 6, 2014, Jonathan H. Spergel took over as Managing Partner of the environmental and energy land use law and litigation firm of Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. Robert D. Fox, who served as the firm’s Managing Partner for the past eight years, is confident that Spergel is ready to make a seamless transition. “We have always cultivated continuity and a smooth succession plan. Joe Manko and I met Jonathan when he was our law student at Penn. We have seen his continual growth over the years as he has developed into a highly respected attorney and community leader,” explained Fox.

Jonathan Spergel, a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, was also once a summer associate of the firm. He has been coached and mentored from his early days in law school and now embodies the core principles of the firm. He strives to provide high quality legal services to his clients, is committed to education and the community as an adjunct professor at Villanova University School of Law, chair of the board of the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority, and an active board member of City Avenue Special Services District, Legacy Youth Tennis and Education, and more recently the Bryn Mawr Hospital Foundation. Despite a busy schedule, work-life balance is important not only at the firm but for his family, including his wife Kathy and their two children, Chloe (14) and Noah (12).

Jonathan Spergel knows he has big shoes to fill. “Robb is such a natural leader. He guided us through difficult economic times and helped expand our firm’s market share by embracing the changing practice and focusing on entrepreneurial growth,” said Spergel. Fox adds, “My practice has grown considerably over the past several years and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to become more engaged and expand our services to those clients. Jonathan is ready to take the lead. He has demonstrated leadership within and outside the firm and always brings excellent judgment and business sense.”

A sound succession plan and high employee retention seems to be a winning combination for MGKF. One of the firm’s founding partners, Joseph M. Manko explained, “We sustain, maintain and develop our attorneys starting as early as law school—even Robb Fox was one of my summer associates.” Forty percent of the attorneys at the firm were once summer associates and a quarter of the team has been taught by MGKF adjunct professors.

This continuity carries over to the professional staff as well. There has been very little employee turnover through the years with any members of the MGKF team—from support staff to the partners. In fact, more than 40 percent of the firm has been with MGKF for over 20 years, and 52 percent for more than 16 years. 72 percent of the team has been with the firm 10 or more years.

MGKF has been able to take a fresh approach with this seasoned team. Since the firm’s founding, MGKF has expanded its original environmental and land use umbrella to include an active litigation practice as well as concentrations in energy, and health and safety law. Fox explained, “We have strived to stay ahead of the curve. Our forward thinking approach led us to hire in-house technical consultants, offer part-time schedules to female partners to attract and keep talent looking for work-life balance, and become the first law firm in the Philadelphia region to achieve Gold level certification under LEED® for Commercial Interiors for our office space through the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.”

MGKF, its 30 attorneys, two in-house technical consultants and two paralegals make it one of the largest environmental practices in the country. Since its inception in 1989, it has garnered not only local and regional recognition, but has also established a reputation nationally and internationally.

MGKF concentrates its practice in environmental, energy, and land use law and litigation. It represents clients ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to small, privately held enterprises, both in the Mid-Atlantic region and on a national basis. Offices are located at: 401 City Avenue, Suite 901, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania; 535 Route 38, Suite 145A, Cherry Hill, New Jersey; and at 25 West Third Street, Suite 303, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. For additional information, visit www.mankogold.com or call 484-430-5700, 856-317-1299, or 570-567-7325.