Gross McGinley Law Firm Expands to Emmaus

Attorney James Ritter wanted to offer the residents of Emmaus more than his estate planning services.

So when the Allentown-based law firm of Gross McGinley approached him with an offer of bringing him into the firm, and using Ritter's Emmaus office as a satellite to the Gross McGinley Allentown location, Ritter knew it was the opportunity he was looking for.

“It’s an exciting moment for me. I was a graduate of Emmaus High School in ’73. My vision after becoming a lawyer was always to go back to the community and serve the people I knew,” Ritter said.

On Tues., May 3, approximately 80 guests attended the official grand opening ceremony for the Gross McGinley Emmaus location, including State Representative Doug Reichley, Emmaus Main Street Partners (EMSP) President Rick Zaiyitz, EMSP Manager Teri Madison and several Emmaus borough council members.

Following the ribbon cutting, guests were treated to a catered party under a white tent behind the office.

Ritter worked with his father, Ernest Ritter, Esq., for 20 years on Linden Street in Allentown until an opportunity came up in 2000 to sell the office to the Baum School of Art for its expansion.

This chain of events forced Ritter to look for another office location, so when the office at 111 E. Harrison St. in Emmaus became available, he took it.

“It was just so nice because I live only a mile away from work. A lot of local people who I went to high school with became clients of mine,” Ritter said.

After 10 years of solo practice in Emmaus, Ritter sat down with attorneys Malcolm Gross and Paul LaBarre and they agreed Ritter's services and Emmaus location would be a nice addition to their firm.

“They were interested in branching off, where I wasn’t interested in leaving my local Emmaus roots. It became a mutual partnership. They’re anxious to provide services to the people in the East Penn area, and I’m allowed to stay in my office and provide my service,” Ritter explained.

The official expansion of Gross McGinley to the Emmaus location took place in January 2011.

"We're delighted that we've joined with Jim Ritter, and now have a  presence in Emmaus. It's a great community to be part of, and  with the combined resources that we now have, we're eager to provide our services to everyone in Emmaus and the surrounding area -- at our Emmaus location," said attorney Paul McGinley.

Ritter is pleased that he still has the flexibility of having his own legal practice, but now has access to the larger firm’s 29 other lawyers and other resources if he has an issue he’s not familiar with.

Accompanying Ritter in the Emmaus location is attorney Thomas Capehart who joined Gross McGinley as a partner in 2007.

Caphart, also an Emmaus resident, specializes in real estate, bank and collection work, foreclosures, bankruptcies, and added that he still does basic contracts such as wills, trusts and landlord/tenant agreements.

“I was asked if I was willing to serve at the Emmaus office and I jumped at the opportunity. I live in Emmaus, so this was a natural fit for me,” Capehart said.

Managing director at Gross McGinley, Deb Faulkinberry, said that they really want people to understand that their attorneys will meet people in the Emmaus office rather than driving into Allentown to their office at 33 S. 7^th St.

“There’s a conference room with a computer where we can sit down and have a full-blown meeting in this office. That was the whole purpose of this location,” Faulkinberry said.

The Emmaus office also employs a paralegal and an administrative assistant. Faulkinberry said she floats in and out from time to time.

When asked how long he plans to run his Emmaus location, Ritter joked, “I have a daughter in high school so I’m hanging around. We have college and weddings to cover, so we still have many more years of practice here!”