Helen L. Gemmill

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Helen L. Gemmill

Member

Locations

Harrisburg, PA

Contact

Service and Sector groups

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Overview

Helen represents commercial property owners, developers, and homebuilders in real estate and construction disputes.

She advises clients on complex land development and zoning matters, title challenges (including subsurface ownership), easement rights, breach of purchase agreements, home construction warranty claims, and planned community and condominium disputes. Helen uses her more than 35 years of experience as a litigator to guide clients through the dispute resolution process, both inside and outside the courtroom. She employs strong oral and written advocacy skills and focuses on practical, effective solutions to achieve our clients’ objectives.

Helen appears on behalf of clients before municipal governing bodies and zoning hearing boards, federal courts, the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas, and the Pennsylvania appellate courts (Commonwealth Court, Superior Court, and Supreme Court).

Commonwealth Court: Obtained reversal of municipality’s denial of subdivision plan and sewer planning module because adoption of intermunicipal agreement did not amend municipality’s land use ordinances.
Commonwealth Court: Attained reversal of denial of subdivision and land development plan based on municipality’s bad faith in refusing to grant time extension to respond to staff comments.
Commonwealth Court: Achieved a ruling that the municipal zoning ordinance unconstitutionally excluded the client’s proposed land use and that the client was entitled to site-specific relief.
Superior Court: Prevailed on claim to extinguish subsurface oil and gas rights of former property owner based on former owners’ untimely challenge to early 1900s tax sale.
Commonwealth Court: Persuaded the court that the absence of a recorded deed did not prevent the establishment of a consentable boundary line under the settlement agreement.
Supreme Court: Obtained reversal of lower court’s award of over $1 million to delinquent taxpayers by establishing that taxpayers had no legal cause of action and municipalities had the right to recover collection costs.
Supreme Court: Argued successfully that retroactive amendment of Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act for collecting tax claims did not violate remedies clause of Pa. constitution.
Superior Court: Succeeded on claim that retail tenant’s lease and letter agreements prevented landlord from leasing to another tenant selling similar products.
Commonwealth Court: Convinced the court that the assessment board’s income approach to valuing the client’s real property amounted to an impermissible value-in-use method.

Washington University in St. Louis, J.D.
University of Chicago, B.A., political science

Pennsylvania
District of Columbia
Maryland
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Maryland Court of Appeals
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers, 2027
The Best Lawyers in America®, Best Lawyers, 2024-2027
Central Penn Business Journal Icon Honors, 2026
Women of Influence, Circle of Excellence Award Winner, Central Penn Business Journal, 2021
YWCA Tribute to Women of Excellence Award Winner
Select Lawyers, 2014

Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, Board of Directors, vice president
Pennsylvania Bar Association, House of Delegates, past delegate
Dauphin County Bar Association, Board of Directors, past member
S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, certified mediator
Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania, Board of Directors, past member
Pinebrook Educational Foundation, Board of Directors
Leadership Harrisburg Area, Program Graduate
Faith Bible Fellowship of York, Pa., Deacon

Conflicts of Interest and Consents to Representation, Association of Corporate Counsel, September 28, 2024
Understanding Easements 2023, PA Bar Institute, April 25, 2023
Be Like Wonder Woman: Ethics for Paralegals, Central PA Paralegals Association, March 30, 2020
Easements and Rights of Way: From Acquisition to Zoning, PA Bar Institute, July 25, 2016
Lessons from Business Women In History that You Have Never Heard Of, May 25, 2016

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Firm news

46 McNees attorneys named to 2027 Best Lawyers in America®, including seven “Lawyer of the Year” honorees

McNees announces that 46 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Among those honored, seven attorneys have been named “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practices and regions, the highest distinction the publication offers. In addition, 41 attorneys were named to The Best Lawyers […]

Speaking engagement

Understanding Easements 2025

On April 30, McNees Real Estate attorneys Helen Gemmill and Giuseppina McCarthy presented “Understanding Easements 2025” , a Pennsylvania Bar Institute Continuing Legal Education program, to Pennsylvania attorneys. Giuseppina and Helen discussed easement creation, drafting express easements, litigation disputes, and other areas relating to easements for real estate associated with people, vehicles, utilities, pipelines, stormwater, […]

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