Member • Chair, Charitable and Nonprofit; Environmental, Social and Governance
Frannie represents government institutions, organizations, and nonprofits in public finance, charitable, and environmental, social, and governance matters. She advises clients on leveraging bonds, maintaining charitable organizations, and sustainability strategies.
Charitable and nonprofit
Frannie serves as outside general counsel to numerous nonprofit organizations, including colleges, universities, charter schools, and foundations. She advises charitable and nonprofit organizations on fiduciary duties, contract issues, compliance concerns, mergers and affiliations, fiscal sponsorships, and general corporate reviews.
Public finance
Frannie advises clients as bond, borrower, institution, and underwriter’s counsel for issuers, colleges, universities, schools, healthcare institutions, state agencies, and investment banking firms. She has extensive experience with the issuance, offering, structuring, remarketing, and restructuring of tax-exempt and taxable municipal securities and other debt instruments. The firm’s Public Finance and Government Services Group, which Frannie co-chairs, has been ranked seventh in the U.S. for bond counsel deals sold through competitive bidding and first in Pennsylvania for its bond counsel work by The Bond Buyer.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG)
Frannie advises businesses of all sizes on the development and implementation of corporate policies, best practices, and corporate governance. She counsels clients on the use of ESG Bonds and Green Bonds to further their sustainability plans and offers presentations to nonprofit organizations, for-profit business leaders, and granting organizations on the benefits of implementing policies focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Frannie previously served as co-chair of the firm’s Public Finance Group and currently leads the firm’s Charitable and Non-Profit and ESG Groups. She currently serves as McNees’ Supplier Diversity Council Member for the Women’s Business Enterprise Center (WBEC) – East, an advocacy group for women business owners and entrepreneurs in the Pennsylvania, Delaware, and southern New Jersey regions.
She is an adjunct professor at La Salle University’s Masters of Science in Nonprofit Leadership Program, where she teaches the Law and Ethics and Capstone courses. She also volunteers her time to train and support attorneys through Philadelphia VIP, which provides pro bono legal representation to low-income individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits.
Frannie is dedicated to giving back to her community and is involved in several nonprofit organizations. Most notably, she is the founder of the Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to ensure teachers and students continue to promote innovation, creativity, and excellence, especially in difficult economic times.
Explore recent thought leadership, news, and other updates.
Nonprofit attorney Frannie Reilly recently joined a panel discussion at The High Center’s “Nonprofit Sustainability: Social Enterprise Models” event at The S. Dale High Leadership Center in Lancaster, PA, on June 3, alongside Otto Monroy of LogosWorks Partners and M. Travis DiNicola of The High Center. The panel discussion explored how nonprofit organizations can diversify […]
McNees Wallace & Nurick announces that Martha “Frannie” Reilly has once again been ranked Band 3 in Public Finance (Pennsylvania) in the Chambers USA 2026 guide. Chambers and Partners is a nationally and internationally respected legal ranking organization that evaluates leading attorneys through client feedback, peer evaluations, and independent research. A Chambers ranking is widely […]
Public finance attorney Martha “Frannie” Reilly, co-chair of the firm’s Public Finance and Government Services Group, recently concluded her 15-year tenure as president of the Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools, which she founded. Under Frannie’s leadership, the Foundation has become an important community partner for the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, raising more than $2.5 million to support […]
Attorney Frannie Reilly presented “Fostering a Culture of Compliance” at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI)’s 2026 Nonprofit Law Essentials CLE on May 12, 2026. The program covered common and costly mistakes that can occur when serving Pennsylvania nonprofit organizations. Frannie’s session offered attendees a roadmap for staying on top of essential compliance obligations and cultivating […]
Advises businesses and public entities on privacy, data security, and complex litigation. Counsels on compliance, breach response, and class action defense.
Represents businesses and municipalities in commercial real estate transactions. Advises on acquisitions, leasing, realty transfer tax, and public assets.
Supports municipal clients, financial institutions, and nonprofits in public finance and lending transactions. Assists with document drafting and settlement.
Counsels public and private employers on labor relations, employment compliance, investigations, and workplace disputes.
