Antheil Maslow & MacMinn attorneys represent our clients in cases involving claims of employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, breach of employment contracts and actions involving the enforcement of non-compete agreements, non-solicitation covenants and non-disclosure agreements. We counsel both employers and employees in matters involving the inception and termination of employment as well as compensation issues.

Our Litigation Practice Group serves large corporations, smaller businesses, non-profit organizations and municipalities in the Greater Philadelphia area including Bucks County and Montgomery County, handling a wide range of cases, including those involving:

• Employment contract claims
• Harassment and discrimination claims
• Wrongful discharge claims
• Enforcement of non-compete agreements, non-solicitation covenants and non-disclosure agreements

When litigation arises from the probate and estate administration process, Antheil Maslow & MacMinn attorneys represent heirs, trustees and personal representatives in the Greater Philadelphia area including Bucks County and Montgomery County.

Estate litigation involves many issues from the interpretation of the meaning of a Will, to determining whether it was validly made, to claims involving the administration of the estate. Representation may also include filing actions to recover assets that have been misappropriated while the owner was infirm or unable to resist the influence of designing persons. Although usually thought of as involving deceased persons, estate litigation also includes cases involving the estates of incapacitated persons, including the appointment of a guardian and claims involving the assets of the incapacitated person.

Our Litigation Practice Group is experienced in all facets of estate litigation including:

• Will, trust and inheritance disputes
• Claims by and against Executors, Administrators, Trustees and Beneficiaries
• Appointment of Guardians
• Claims by and against Guardians
• Estate tax issues

From lease interpretation to boundary disputes, to construction contract disputes, to partnership dissolution, Antheil Maslow & MacMinn attorneys represent property owners, builders, sellers, buyers, lessees, lessors, brokers, financial institutions and other parties in resolving real estate disputes in the Greater Philadelphia area including Bucks County and Montgomery County.

Our Real Estate Litigation Group provides sophisticated representation to retail, commercial and residential real estate developers, as well as property managers, multi-site tenants and contractors in cases involving:

• Adverse possession, easements and title issues
• Real estate agent/broker liability
• Landlord-tenant disputes
• Seller non-disclosure liability
• Lease interpretation and enforcement
• Construction contract claims
• Real estate development partnership issues
• Financing and investor disputes

Moving any piece of civil litigation through the court system is an important aspect of service to the client.  Efficiency in advocacy is critical to representation.  A litigator must be aware of the local landscape and use that backdrop to the client’s advantage where possible.  Knowing when action is required or not required, ascertaining deadlines and effectively communicating with court administration and staff enhances the representation of the client.  Moreover, awareness of local practice allows the litigator to focus on substantive issues pertinent to the matter without becoming bogged down by the mechanism by which those substantive issues will be presented to the Court.  

The Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, like many jurisdictions, maintains practices and procedures unique to the practice of law in the County relating to issues and matters such as discovery, scheduling of preliminary injunction hearings, local rules relating to other matters such as timing of memoranda in support of motions and responses, jury selection, voir dire and the order of presentation.  These areas can be problematic to the out of county practitioner.  

The attorneys at Antheil Maslow & MacMinn have more than 50 years’ combined experience in the practice of civil litigation in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.  Throughout those years, the attorneys of the Firm have navigated the procedural landscape in the Bucks County courts, developed an understanding of the principles upon which the procedures are based and personally encountered many of the procedural pitfalls which may entrap an unwary litigator unfamiliar with the unique set of practices and procedures which govern the practice of law in this County. Along with easy access to the Courthouse, the Firm possesses the most up-to-date technology for the transfer of information to the Courthouse and communication with court administration, clients and other parties. The combination of experience and technology renders Antheil Maslow & MacMinn uniquely situated to serve as local counsel in a cost-effective and efficient manner.     

Several regional and national firms, recognizing the benefit of local counsel, have retained Antheil Maslow & MacMinn to serve in that role.  We stand ready to provide the insight and guidance of local knowledge gained through years of practice in the community in which we live and work.           

“Partnerships” are a particular species of business entity which implicate specific provisions of common law, regulation and tax which often times differ from general principles applicable to internal business disputes.  Assessment of potential liabilities in a partnership requires knowledge of the differing business partnership forms and the requirements imposed upon the owners thereof.  General partnerships, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships implicate different statutory schemes.  Moreover, understanding and applying partnership tax law, including the calculation of capital accounts and interests, is an esoteric and complex endeavor.      

Effective representation of a business owner in relation to a partnership requires an understanding of the various partnership forms by attorneys experienced in the identification of the key factors which are at play and the risks associated with alternative approaches.  Our commercial litigation group offers sophisticated, strategic representation informed by decades of collective experience in a broad spectrum of complex business transactions and disputes including disputes related specifically to partnerships and partnership interests.  As such, our team is uniquely qualified to untangle even the most complex disputes in order to help you reach the best possible resolution under a particular set of facts.  

Should your partnership dispute prove to be insurmountable, partnership dissolution may be the best course of action.  We are well versed in all aspects of this process as well, and can guide you through it to ensure that assets and debts are fairly divided and your interests and rights are well protected throughout this difficult negotiation.

Partnership disputes can arise over a number of factors, including:

• Disputes over language in, partnership agreements, and limited liability agreements
• Succession issues
• Financial disagreements, undisclosed earnings or secret dealings
• Breach of contract or fiduciary duty
• Partnership buy-outs
• Underperformance of a partner
• Personal and managerial conflicts
• Partnership deadlocks – where two equal partners cannot agree
• Fraud • Embezzlement
• Business disparagement
• Leaking of trade secrets
• Unauthorized disclosure of  sensitive information
• Partnership accounting practices

Business valuation can become contested in many different situations. Shareholder Agreements, Operating Agreements and Partnership Agreements often contain mechanisms for involuntary transfer upon the occurrence of any number of circumstances including but not limited to death of a shareholder, termination of employment or retirement.  In such matters, it is often in the best interest of the prospective purchaser to interpret an agreement or process set forth therein in a manner which most benefits the remaining owners and the company to the detriment of the separating owner; in other words reduce the value of the separating owner’s interest as much as possible in an effort to save money for the majority.

The language of a business agreement, if there is one, is often less than clear. If there is writing, even the clearest expression can be subject to challenge and interpretation.  Disputes in business valuation can become a battle of experts, but advocacy and leverage also play a role.  Understanding the business, the parties, the marketability of various assets, valuation methodologies and the interplay between business valuation and governance is essential to achieving the best result possible for a party.

AMM has the depth of knowledge and experience to secure appropriate evidence bearing on valuation, negotiate the resolution of a valuation dispute and, where necessary, litigate the underlying elements related to value.