McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC exists to provide professional services of superior value designed to enhance our clients’ success. We do this with creativity and integrity while anticipating problems and understanding our clients’ needs.
Since 1935, McNees has led the community and legal profession. We foster a firm culture that attracts and retains the best people and enables us to use our unique talents to better serve our clients enthusiastically and with unity of purpose.
McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC is committed to devoting our resources and skills to constantly improve the communities in which we do business. For the firm, this includes contributions to charitable organizations, sponsorship of charity events, and encouraging employees to contribute to the United Way through payroll deductions. Similarly, our attorneys and staff give generously of their personal time and talent to organizations in their own communities. All attorneys in the firm are encouraged to donate pro bono services, which they provide individually and through Central Pennsylvania Legal Services.
McNees supports its lawyers in fulfilling their responsibilities under Rule 6.1 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct, and similar rules applicable to its attorneys in other jurisdictions, which states a “that a lawyer should render public interest legal service.” The firm recognizes that an attorney may discharge this responsibility by providing legal services to persons of limited means, public service organizations, or charitable groups.
McNees also recognizes that pro bono service offers occasions for individual professional experiences and satisfactions that are unique to this type of legal work. McNees encourages its attorneys to experience the unique professional satisfaction that comes from representing a pro bono client.
The firm as a whole has long participated in and supported numerous pro bono programs, including the pro bono programs of the Dauphin County Bar Association, the Federal Middle District Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. McNees attorneys regularly receive referrals of pro bono cases from these organizations and others.
McNees attorneys have been leaders in pro bono organizations, serving as, among other things, chair of the PBA Legal Services to the Public Community, chair of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, and chair of the Dauphin County Bar Association Public Service Community.
As part of McNees’ pro bono efforts, McNees attorneys have:
The firm also recognizes that there are other pro bono programs in Dauphin County, and the other regions in which the firm has offices, that are worthy of support, including, but not limited to, the Harrisburg YWCA Domestic Violence Legal Clinic, the Wills for Heroes Program of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Pro Bono Program of the Federal Middle District Bar Association.
The firm’s attorneys and professionals are active in these, and other, pro bono programs. The firm’s legal professionals are encouraged to find pro bono opportunities that fit their interest and skills and to make a difference by sharing their legal skills with those who might otherwise go unrepresented.
McNees Legal Equity Advancement Program (LEAP)
Watch the McNees Commitment to Diversity Video
McNees is committed to hiring and retaining people of diverse backgrounds, utilizing their talents and comprehensive experiences to provide legal services of the highest quality and to meet the full array of our clients’ needs. As a result, women and minorities comprise 39% of the firm’s ownership. Over 65% of McNees staff and attorneys are women and minorities. At McNees, we foster understanding, communication, and respect among all people regardless of race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or veteran status. We capitalize on the strengths of our diversity in creating a more vibrant workplace and firm culture, reflecting our community and, ultimately, enhancing the quality of our legal services.
We demonstrate our commitment to diversity in many ways, through our:
McNees fosters a firm culture that attracts and retains the best people and enables each of us to achieve our goals. We work with enthusiasm and unity of purpose, and we continue as leaders in our community and profession. Openness, inclusiveness, fairness, respect, dignity, and collegiality drive us to better serve our clients and grow as professionals.
Committing in our Strategic Plan to “create, maintain, and advance” diversity in the workplace
At McNees, we create, maintain, and advance a diverse workplace through education and behavior. We hire CAMP 1L Associates (see the Community Involvement section below), we conduct at least four Women’s Network events (see the Women’s Network section below), and we make strategic contributions to community and professional organizations that promote diversity.
The McNees LEAP Program helps Black-owned and Black-operated businesses overcome certain barriers to entry that are caused, in part, by institutional racism by providing sophisticated legal services. In launching the Legal Equity Advancement Program (LEAP) in 2020, we acknowledged that most new businesses, including most Black-owned and Black-controlled businesses, lack the resources necessary to access the sophisticated legal services needed to successfully launch, position and grow a business in today’s interconnected world. Given the events of 2020, we saw the program as an opportunity to utilize our particular skills in a meaningful way to support the Black community in our area.
view the McNees LEAP Website
McNees’ core values are openness, inclusiveness, fairness, respect, dignity, and collegiality.
As part of this inclusiveness, McNees is committed to fostering diversity in a positive and supportive work environment. We know and have experienced that a diverse group of professionals, including differences in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and religion, increases the value of our law firm, strengthens our firm’s ability to attract talented individuals, and enhances our ability to retain and serve our clients. We welcome the unique perspectives derived from diverse life histories and experiences. We recognize, understand, and appreciate that bringing together talented people from varied backgrounds creates a dynamic environment in which thoughtful and imaginative solutions to difficult legal problems are born. Maintaining an inclusive organization where all are and feel welcomed and empowered to succeed enables us to provide the breadth of experience and perspective that best serves our clients and our community.
Our commitment to cultivate and maintain a diverse workforce remains at the core of our outreach, retention and promotion efforts as we strive to maintain a firm culture that taps into the potential of every contributor. As such, we are committed to making diversity an integral part of every facet of our firm, including our recruitment, hiring and training efforts, as well as the organizations we belong to and programs we sponsor.
As a leader in our communities and our profession, we also seek to extend our commitment to inclusiveness and diversity beyond our own firm. We seek opportunities to do business with diverse suppliers. Further, we have established and led the Dauphin County Bar Association’s Equal Professional Opportunity Committee and the Capital Area Managing Partners (CAMP) Diversity Initiative (see the Community Involvement section below), an organization dedicated to the goal of significantly increasing the number of minority lawyers who practice in the Capital Region. We look to create additional, broader efforts and opportunities for the cultivation of diversity in the legal profession. For example, the Widener Black Law Students Association recently hosted a networking reception where our Chairman, Hiring Committee Chair, PDEC Chair, and one of our associates, who is an alumnae attended and participated.
Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is charged with ensuring that our commitment continues to translate into tangible efforts and resulting success both internally and externally. The Committee includes the following:
At McNees our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion includes our active community involvement and engagement. Our attorneys and staff actively participate in and/or provide financial support to many organizations that assist other attorneys, law students, women and people of color, and the disenfranchised across local and regional communities in which we practice and live. These programs include partnerships with the Capital Area Managing Partners 1L program, Keystone Human Services, Foundation for Enhancing Communities (women’s fund); King Community Center; LGBT Center of Central PA; United Way of the Capital Region- Women’s Leadership Network. A few examples of our key sponsorships include the YWCA Greater Harrisburg Black History Month event, YWCA’s Race Against Racism and YWCA’s Eliminating Racism Empowering Women; Girls on the Run and the Water Street Mission.
Diversity and Inclusion Professionals of Central PA
The Diversity and Inclusion Professionals of Central PA represent a diverse cross-section of business, education, government, health care, law, both non-profit and for-profit organizations, and individuals. Members of the organization meet bi-monthly to discuss and exchange best practices ideas on various topics, including cultural competence, inclusive human resource policies in the office, change management, LGBTQ in the workplace, and integrating employees with disabilities.
Dauphin County Bar Association Capital Area Managing Partners Diversity Initiative (CAMP)
The Harrisburg Capital Area Managing Partners’ Diversity Initiative (CAMP) prides itself on making diversity a key element of their leadership culture and a core value of their organization. The CAMP program was developed by the Dauphin County Bar Association Equal Professional Opportunity Committee (“EPOC”) under the leadership of its long-time past Committee Chair and McNees retired partner, David Lehman. The EPOC is the only Dauphin County Bar Association committee with its own budget and oversees the diversity and inclusion initiatives advanced by the Bar Association.
McNees has participated in the CAMP program every year since its founding in 2004. Each summer, through the CAMP 1L Initiative, we employ a minority first year law school student (1L) as an intern, who participates in our Summer Associate Program along with our second year law student interns (2Ls). The CAMP 1L Initiative has allowed us to see first-hand the excellent work product of minority first year law students who might not have come to our attention in our 2L summer hiring program. We currently employ three attorneys (two associates and one member) who are CAMP alumni.
McNees members, including our Chairman, Hiring Committee Chair, and PDEC Chair, have assisted in the CAMP 1L Initiative interview and candidate assignment process. McNees also hosts a program for the CAMP participants each year that focuses on job opportunities in the energy and telecommunications fields.
McNees and Black History Month
Throughout history, the people of this country have used the law to change the landscape of society, following the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “all men are created equal.” At McNees, all are treated, and expected to treat others, with equal respect and appreciation. Anything to the contrary is unacceptable and not tolerated.
PA Legal Aid Network Martin Luther King Jr. Program
McNees has sponsored the PA Legal Aid Network Martin Luther King, Jr. Program for five years. The Martin Luther King, Jr. program was established in 1991 to promote cultural and ethnic diversity in legal services and to honor Dr. King. The MLK program offers summer internships throughout the PA Legal Aid Network for rising second- and third-year law students.
McNees also participates in a variety of local diversity programs and initiatives and we are in partnerships with:
The women attorneys at McNees are leaders in our firm and our community, and share a commitment to excellence. They work with our clients to solve legal challenges in multiple practices areas. They also devote themselves to supporting and guiding organizations throughout our communities.
McNees supports the professional development and advancement of women in our firm through active mentoring by female and male attorneys and valuable networking and business development training. McNees encourages our attorneys to participate and hold leadership positions in women-centric and professional organizations.
McNees is proud to have many valued women in leadership roles at the firm. The women leaders of our firm make up 37% of Attorneys, 25% of Members, 46% of Associates, and 55% of Of Counsel. The women at McNees comprise 25% of our Management Committee and are leaders of 26% of our Practice Groups.
Women’s Network Mission
The mission of the McNees Women’s Network is to provide a forum to build professional connections and promote business opportunities through substantive programs and social events. The McNees Women’s Network was formed in 2004, and today includes over 500 women who are clients, vendors, and friends of McNees.
Each year, we present three substantive programs and one social program for our Women’s Network members.
2022 programs:
2021 programs:
2020 programs:
2019 programs:
2018 programs:
2017 programs:
Our 2016 programs:
Our 2015 substantive programs were:
The Women’s Network continues to be one of the few professional women’s groups of its kind in Central Pennsylvania. Our programming and events foster multiple opportunities for professional women to learn, discuss, network and socialize. If you are interested in joining our McNees Women’s Network, please contact Karen Swaringen at kswaringen@mcneeslaw.com.
McNees Wallace and Nurick cultivates as its core values openness, inclusiveness, fairness, respect, dignity and collegiality. Our commitment to these core values extends to all aspects of the Firm’s operations, including our vendor relationships. The Firm desires to ensure that we will provide the greatest level of client service with the help of vendors who share our values. Accordingly, it is the policy of McNees Wallace and Nurick to encourage the inclusion of diverse businesses among those vendors with whom the Firm contracts.
Recognizing that the Firm has an existing network of suppliers, we continue to seek businesses to help us better meet our needs and serve our clients. As we work to identify new vendors, we will consider qualified minority, woman, veteran, service disabled veteran, LGBTQ, and disability-owned business enterprises whenever possible. While we encourage diverse businesses to receive the appropriate third-party certification, we will seek opportunities to work with all qualified diverse business enterprises.
Whether a vendor is a current or potential provider of services or products to the Firm, we expect our vendors to, among other things (i) provide quality services or products at a competitive pricing structure; (ii) be responsible; (iii) comply with all applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations; (iv) provide timely service and prompt resolution of any issues; and (v) support the Firm core values.
McNees is committed to our policy of equal employment opportunity for all employees regardless of race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or veteran status. Below are ways McNees supports the LGBTQ community:
Domestic Partner benefits
McNees recognizes that families have many different structures, so in furtherance of our inclusiveness, we offer domestic partner coverage for medical, dental, and vision plans at the standard premium spousal rates for domestic partners.
Pennsylvania Competes
McNees, along with many other community supporters, joined the Pennsylvania Competes movement to prohibit discrimination against hardworking lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Pennsylvanians. We also financially support the Central PA LGBT Center and have many attorneys and staff who have committed their individual funds and time to the Central PA LGBT Center.
McNees exists to provide professional services of superior value which excel our clients’ expectations. We do this with creativity and integrity, anticipating problems and understanding our clients’ needs. Recruiting diverse and talented employees to fit our winning team is something we pride ourselves on.
Active participation in the Dauphin County Bar Association (“DCBA”) Minority Job Fair and CAMP 1L Initiative
The DCBA, through its Equal Professional Opportunity Committee (“EPOC”), sponsors a job fair and invites first-year law students for summer internships. Each fall, the EPOC recruits students from a wide variety of schools to submit their resumes. Many firms invite students for interviews, and several of them receive multiple job offers. Through the CAMP 1L Initiative, we employ a minority first year law school student (1L), who participates in our Summer Associate Program
along with our second year law student interns (2Ls). For more than a decade, the McNees community has benefited from participating in this Diversity Initiative, and McNees has elected to build upon the DCBA CAMP 1L program by successfully launching a Winter Clerk pilot program in 2017 through which McNees employs a member of the CAMP 1L Program for 10-15 hours per week during the second semester of law school.
Our Hiring Committee plans to visit numerous law schools to recruit 2L candidates to fill associate positions. We also solicit resumes from law schools and participate in at least one Job Fair. Of course, we welcome applications from law students attending schools where we do not recruit.
Diversity Action Plan
McNees is committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting a diverse workforce, as reflected in the Firm’s core values and the mission statement of the Firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
To honor our commitment, the Firm has developed this Action Plan which describes and identifies indicative strategies to assist us in achieving our goals. These strategies are not exhaustive and may be supplemented and enhanced as determined by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. The Committee, with the support of the Management Committee, will oversee the implementation of the Diversity Action Plan.
Promote the Firm’s Commitment to Diversity. The Firm will communicate its commitment to diversity internally by announcing its Diversity Action Plan to all employees of the Firm and will include this Action Plan in all hiring materials. Efforts and initiatives undertaken by the Firm in furtherance of its commitment to diversity will be regularly communicated to all employees of the Firm.
Further, the Firm will regularly communicate its commitment to diversity externally by including the Diversity Action Plan on the Firm’s website and in recruiting materials and client communications.
Increase Diversity Within the Firm and Promote Diverse Staffing of Client Matters. The Firm is committed to (i) increasing diversity at all levels of the organization; and to (ii) ensuring the retention of diverse employees and professionals at the Firm. It will do so by, among other things, utilizing training programs and educational tools for our entire workforce to promote diversity, to work to ensure the retention of diverse employees and professionals and to eliminate impediments like unconscious bias. These programs and tools will be consistently offered to everyone in our workforce.
In staffing client matters, the Firm attempts to maximize the value of client services through a number of considerations. In that regard, the Firm will work to assemble a diverse team of lawyers and other service providers in a fashion appropriate to each matter.
Further, when considering individuals for leadership positions within the Firm, the Firm will work to identify diverse candidates, including minorities, women and members of other underrepresented groups.
Enhance our Diversity Recruiting Efforts. The Firm will make a good faith effort to recruit a diverse group workforce and provide equal opportunity for minorities, women and members of other underrepresented groups. The Firm will advertise positions in media outlets that will provide information and access to the underserved populations.
As part of our law school recruiting efforts, the Firm through its Hiring Committee will seek to identify and recruit diverse candidates, including minorities, women and members of other underrepresented groups. These recruiting efforts will include the Firm’s continued participation in the CAMP 1L Program and participation in minority job fairs, diversity-related law school events and various other events to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to join the Firm.
Further, when scouting for lateral talent or when working with search consultants, the Firm will reiterate its commitment to diversity and its desire to recruit, interview and hire diverse candidates, including minorities, women and other underrepresented groups.
Expand Relationships with Organizations for Minorities, Women and Other Underrepresented Groups. The Firm will identify and support organizations for minorities, women and other underrepresented groups, including bar associations and professional and community organizations. The Firm will also seek opportunities to collaborate with these organizations to strengthen our diversity efforts.
Monitor and Measure our Progress. The Diversity Action Plan will be reviewed annually by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to review and discuss results from the prior year and to ensure that the Firm is developing and implementing effective strategies to meet its diversity goals.
In 1912, Sterling G. McNees started his law career in the small western Pennsylvania town of Apollo, just 20 minutes east of Pittsburgh. Then in 1935, shortly after he formed a partnership with Charles Hollinger and Gilbert Nurick, he was engaged by Milton Hershey to do legal work for Hershey interests. As they served Hershey Chocolate Corporate, Hershey Estates, the Milton Hershey School, the Hershey Trust Company and Hershey National Bank as well as other clients, their reputation for conscientious and successful service grew.
In 1942, David M. Wallace joined the firm, and by 1950, McNees Wallace & Nurick had grown to specialize in a wide array of practice groups, such as real estate, financial services and estate and trusts.
McNees Wallace & Nurick opened offices in Washington D.C. in 1996, Columbus, Ohio in 1997, State College, Pennsylvania in 2002, Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2004, Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2012, Frederick, MD in 2017, York, PA in 2019, Devon, PA and Pittsburgh, PA in 2021.
Today, McNees Wallace & Nurick continues its tradition of valued service, its understanding of Clients First, and its leading edge spirit. Explore our site and you’ll see that while McNees Wallace & Nurick keeps ahead of your trends, issues and challenges, our foundation of quality service remains steadfast and strong.
This year, McNees Wallace & Nurick marks the 88th anniversary of its founding, giving us an opportunity to reflect, remember and celebrate. We are reaching out to you, because you are an important part of that nearly nine-decade-long legacy of dedicated service to our clients and our community.
We are excited to announce the launch of our McNees Alumni Program! This new initiative aims to celebrate our Firm’s remarkable history while fostering stronger connections between McNees attorneys past, present and future. After all, the McNees attorneys of today are the McNees alumni of tomorrow.
We hope you will consider joining us as we build a thriving community of legal professionals that will live on for generations to come. Whether you practiced at our Firm 50 years ago or your tenure was more recent, you are always a member of the McNees team.
When you join the McNees Alumni Program, you will be able to keep in touch with colleagues, share personal and professional milestones, access McNees training opportunities and resources and stay informed about the Firm. You will gain access to:
Join us today! Click here to join the McNees Alumni LinkedIn Group.
Share: Have you started a new position or received a promotion? Gotten married or welcomed a new baby or grandchild? As life milestones happen, keep us updated so we can share your good news! Please send updates, including new contact information, to alumniconnect@mcneeslaw.com.
Thank you for being a part of McNees’ history and future – we look forward to your engagement in the McNees Alumni Program!
Sincerely,
The McNees Alumni Program Advisory Committee
McNees Wallace & Nurick attorneys are frequently recognized as leaders in various surveys and publications both legal and non-legal. Below are just a few of these:
The Legal Intelligencer’s 2020 Professional Excellence Award for Most Innovative Law Firms
The Best Lawyers in America, in the 2022 edition, includes 34 McNees attorneys. Best Lawyers in America is regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the U.S. and called “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice” by Corporate Magazine.
TwoMcNees attorneys have been recognized as 2022 Ohio Super Lawyers.
Super Lawyers recognized 12 McNees attorneys in their 2022 Pennsylvania directory.
McNees was ranked nationally in one practice area and regionally in more than 30 practice areas in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers’ “Best Law Firms” rankings.
McNees achieved a national Tier 2 ranking in Energy Law and 31 metropolitan rankings for its practices in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
The “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process.
McNees was voted “Simply the Best” 2018 Law Firm by Harrisburg Magazine.
Seventy-eight McNees attorneys are recognized as Select Lawyers in Central Pennsylvania.
McNees has been named to the inaugural list of the National Law Journal’s “NLJ 350”, the definitive ranking of the largest 350 law firms in the nation, ranked by number of full-time attorney positions.
McNees Wallace & Nurick was recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
The United Way awarded McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC the prestigious Excellence in Leadership Award for its many contributions to the organization. This award is presented each year to an organization whose hard work, creativity, and commitment of time and resources demonstrate exemplary support of United Way.
Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Harrisburg Area honored McNees as an “Outstanding Company” for demonstrating consistent, exceptional, dedicated support of the organization and the community in a selfless way.
To achieve the Firm’s goals, we aim for happy, healthy, productive employees who have engaging, challenging work in an environment where excellence and client service is rewarded. To help our attorneys and staff in their health and wellness targets, we are proud to provide a strong selection of benefit plans, coupled with a range of health and wellness programs throughout the year to enhance balance between career and personal well-being.
Brian F. Jackson
Chairman
717.237.5467
bjackson@mcneeslaw.com
Nicole Kaylor
Vice Chair
717.237.5416
nkaylor@mcneeslaw.com
Robert A. Weishaar, Jr.
Vice Chair
202.898.5700
bweishaar@mcneeslaw.com
Donald Martin
Chief Technology Officer
717.581.2308
dmartin@mcneeslaw.com
Sara Reohr
Chief Financial Officer
717.237.5250
sreohr@mcneeslaw.com
Jenna Wagner
Chief Practice Officer
717.237.5260
jwagner@mcneeslaw.com
Kimberly Wakefield
Senior Director of People & Development
717.237.5309
kwakefield@mcneeslaw.com
Nicole Y. Fiamingo
Director of Legal Project Management & Information Center
717.581.2308
nfiamingo@mcneeslaw.com
Shannon McCurdy
Director of Professional Development
717.237.5271
smccurdy@mcneeslaw.com
Briana Hallett Stiff
Director of Business Development
717.237.5444
bhallett@mcneeslaw.com