SPRUCE LAW - Key Persons
Cheryl Gaston has 25+ years of zoning experience in both the public and private sectors and concentrates her practice in the areas of zoning and zoning litigation. Prior to private practice, she served as the Senior Attorney responsible for all Zoning Code matters in Philadelphia and as Counsel to the Zoning Board of Adjustment of the City of Philadelphia from 1992-2008. In that capacity, she was responsible for virtually all zoning litigation involving the City of Philadelphia including extensive appellate court litigation and Constitutional challenges to provisions of the Zoning Code. She was recognized in May 2011 by The Philadelphia Tribune and Barristers' Association of Philadelphia as a "Top Attorney" (Real Estate) in Southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2016, Ms. Gaston was appointed by Mayor Kenney to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, a Departmental Commission that reviews and approves the City Comprehensive Plan, proposed zoning ordinances, maps and amendments; capital programs and budgets; and streets and subdivisions.
Ms. Gaston finished serving a third 3-year term on the Executive Committee of the Real Property Section in 2017, has Chaired or Co-Chaired its Zoning, Land Use and Code Enforcement Committee for over 20 years and served as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair and Chair of the Real Property Section in 2011. As such, she was heavily involved in the deliberations on reforming the City's "New" Zoning Code, suggesting numerous changes ultimately incorporated into the proposed code. Ms. Gaston is the 2012 Recipient of the Real Property Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Harris Ominsky "Good Deed" Award in recognition of her leadership contribution in the adoption of the 2012 Philadelphia Zoning Code. Ms. Gaston also co-authored the article "Entering a New Zone - Philadelphia Zoning Code Revised for the First Time in More Than 50 Years". The Philadelphia Lawyer, Vol. 75 No. 3 Fall 2012.
Ms. Gaston is a frequent speaker, teacher and course planner of accredited programs for the bench, bar, general public and other public agencies on zoning and land use including: 2018 Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation ("PIDC") small business owner training entitled "Zoning Process Made Easy"; "A Discussion of Zoning ABC's" 2017 Private Conversations for the First Judicial District's Common Pleas Court Judges; "Understanding Philadelphia Zoning: An Overview of the Zoning Code in an Ever-Changing Philadelphia" (2015); "New Developments In Zoning In Philadelphia" (2012); "Overview Of The New Philadelphia Zoning Code" (2012); "The ABC's of the ZBA" (2009); "Navigating Through The Maze: Helping Real Estate Clients Steer Through The City of Philadelphia's Approval Process" (2007); "Winning Zoning Cases in Philadelphia" (2006).
Christine Schlosser is an experienced paralegal primarily contributing to Spruce Law's commercial real estate, finance, and corporate practices. Ms. Schlosser has worked and collaborated closely with lenders, funds, developers, investors, and large corporate concerns to facilitate and close large commercial real estate and finance transactions. She has also assisted attorneys on cases ranging from bankruptcy, foreclosure, construction, and commercial real estate. She uses her knowledge, expertise, and organizational skills to support Spruce Law's team and clients to drive speed, efficiency, and accuracy into multi-faceted, multi-party transactions.
As a member of Spruce Law's innovative Corporate Real Estate Strategies Practice (CRES), she assists numerous national corporate clients with large lease portfolios on critical business initiatives such as post-acquisition facilities integration and deal-flow management.
Prior to joining Spruce Law, Ms. Schlosser worked at Dechert LLP and Getler, Gomes & Sutton, PC, where she assisted with residential and commercial acquisition and sale transactions, development projects, and private lender-backed commercial financing transactions.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Managing Director of Intellectual Asset Management Group
George J. Awad is the Founder and Managing Director of Intellectual Asset Management Group and serves as Spruce Law's Special Projects Counsel in select technology, venture, and intellectual property engagements.
Mr. Awad focuses his practice on assisting companies to harvest the greatest value through their life cycle, inclusive of product commercialization, capital financing (private and/or public), intellectual property monetization, roll up, and/or structuring liquidity events. Mr. Awad has worked with domestic and international private and publicly listed companies to develop, deploy, and execute comprehensive financial, technology, intellectual asset development, commercialization, and monetization plans with aplomb.
Prior to joining Spruce Law, Mr. Awad was engaged by the Knox Investment Group (the Family Office of Thomas J. Knox) to act as its Managing Director. In this capacity, Mr. Awad was responsible for strategic investment, business development, syndicated investment, and operational oversight of a diverse investment portfolio spanning domestic and international direct investments, PE/Venture Fund investments, equities, fixed income, and real-estate investments. Mr. Awad also led the investment committee, and in this capacity coordinated the sourcing, due diligence, presentation, and analysis of pipeline investments. On behalf of KIG, Mr. Awad maintained various board appointments and executive roles in various KIG affiliated/invested companies. Exemplary appointments and roles included: Homestead Insurance Company (Board Member, President), ORB Automotive Corporation (Board Member), Akers Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKER) (Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs), Claim Watcher (Corporate and Legal Affairs), and INDECS Corp (Corporate and Legal Affairs).
Mr. Awad also spent nearly ten years in private practice representing the gamut of client types and sizes, from startups to Fortune 100 companies. He is also an active supporter of quality education and the arts sitting or having sat on the boards of Rowan University Foundation, Independence Charter School, and the "Philly Pops."
Kimberly A. Freimuth is an experienced real estate, zoning and land use attorney whom prior to Spruce Law was a partner in the Real Estate Department of Fox Rothschild LLP where she practiced for 16 years. In addition to her general real estate transactional experience, Kim also has extensive experience representing developers, home builders and landowners with respect to suburban zoning and land use matters, including applications to municipal zoning hearing boards and governing bodies for variances, special exceptions, conditional use approvals and land development approvals. She takes pride in quarterbacking a transaction from start to finish beginning with the purchase and sale agreement, through the approval process and ultimately to closing. Kim is also as a member of Spruce Law's innovative Corporate Real Estate Strategies Practice (CRES), where she represents numerous companies with diverse real estate needs on both a regional and national level.
Kim was also selected to the "Rising Star" list for Zoning & Land Use in Philadelphia Super Lawyers Magazine (2012-2018).
In law school at Temple University, Kimberly received the Reuben E. Cohen Memorial Award for academic achievement in zoning and land development. She was also a member of the Temple Journal of Science, Technology and Environmental Law.
Margaret A. DeSimone is an experienced corporate, regulatory and environmental attorney having served for 18 years as in-house counsel at Sunoco. Now in private practice, Ms. DeSimone leverages her years of corporate experience to assist corporations, real estate developers, lenders, and in-house counsel with cost control initiatives, preventative measures to avoid liability, risk analysis, claims resolution, and contract negotiation, with the ultimate goals of efficiently resolving complex business and regulatory issues and avoiding costly litigation.
As a member of Spruce Law's innovative Corporate Real Estate Strategies Practice (CRES), Margaret represents numerous multi-billion-dollar companies with diverse real estate needs on regional and national level. She takes pride in quarterbacking the leasing team (internal clients, brokerage, construction, etc.) driving uniformity and efficiency into multi-faceted transaction processes.
While at Sunoco, Ms. DeSimone leveraged her environmental and chemical engineering background to provide legal and technical assistance for all aspects of Sunoco's highly regulated petroleum refining and marketing business, including, without limitation, refining; chemical and ethanol processing; co-generation facilities; various channels of marketing such as co-op, franchise, distribution, and wholesale branded marketing; the PMPA; product distribution; commodity trading; OTC derivatives; maritime; procurement; real estate; transportation; racing fuels; pricing; antitrust; credit card portfolio; reserve setting; training; and corporate credit issues.
Ms. DeSimone's extensive commercial contracting experience includes commodity sales and purchase agreements, exchange agreements, NAESBs, lightering agreements, franchise agreements, transportation agreements, procurement contracts, distribution contracts, sponsorship agreements, private label card and fleet card agreements, ATM and bank branding agreements, credit arrangements, and toll road agreements. She regularly assists Spruce Law's corporate clients by providing in-house counseling services. Ms. DeSimone has advised on numerous real estate divestments and acquisitions, leases, and business/asset purchases and sales, including the associated access issues and covenants. She has assisted clients in managing risk in transactions by analyzing environmental, health and safety concerns and the use of environmental insurance to protect buyers, sellers and lenders. She also counsels on various plant utility issues, including those involving intake water, wastewater, steam, and electricity.
Ms. DeSimone's wealth of environmental and regulatory experience includes counseling on the remediation and development of contaminated properties; air, water, and waste regulations and associated permitting storage tank programs; US Customs regulations; fuels compliance and RINs regulations; RCRA; CERCLA; OSHA; Brownfields; Prop 65; and FIFRA. She regularly negotiates with regulators from Federal, State, and Local environmental agencies concerning remediation, compliance, covenants, and consent decrees. Ms. DeSimone counsels clients on compliance and the economic impact of federal and state environmental regulations, reporting and recordkeeping, HES audit initiatives at plants and service stations, fuel quality audits, permitting, state and federal agency inspections, responses to agency requests for information, and comments on proposed regulations. Ms. DeSimone has counseled numerous businesses on environmental contamination claims, complex multi-party issues, third-party health claims, personal injury claims, and fuel quality claims.
Matthew T. Kelly concentrates his practice in corporate transactions, tax and real estate, including mergers and acquisitions, redemptions, shareholder and partnership agreements, employment agreements, and commercial real estate transactions, including financing and exchanges. Mr. Kelly serves as outside general counsel to clients on matters related to corporate and business law, commercial transactions and real estate. As a strategic partner to his clients, Mr. Kelly regularly counsels entrepreneurial individuals and assorted entities on all aspects of business and commerce including formation and structure; ownership, management and control; financing and capital; expansion and acquisition; sale and transfer; and contraction and dissolution.
Mr. Kelly is well versed in the various issues and challenges that companies of all sizes and industries face in the business life cycle including start-up, maturation and end stage considerations. Furthermore, Mr. Kelly works closely with business owners and regularly counsels such owners on succession planning; that is helping business owners prepare and optimally transition their business to third parties, management or family.
Mr. Kelly brings dynamic and thoughtful problem solving to every client issue and treats each and every client with white glove personal service. Mr. Kelly designed, negotiated and documented numerous corporate transactions and business combinations involving multi-million dollars of value for the acquisition of (and at other times disposition of) asset classes of all types as well as equity interests. A representative sampling of some of the industries.
Mr. Kelly serves as "of counsel" at Spruce Law and also maintains an independent private practice based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Controller
- Director of Operations
Michael P. Lynch is the Controller and Director of Operations at Spruce Law. He is an experienced financial analyst and project manager with a demonstrated history of working in intricate business operations. His primary responsibility is to understand the company's financial data and design and implement key strategic initiatives to strengthen the company's financial health. He also oversees the billing and matter administration function and develops and implements key financial processes, including the management of our internal financial database system to more efficiently analyze financial data and reporting.
Mr. Lynch also supervises the day-to-day operational needs of the firm and manages the relationships with Spruce Law's vendors and systems (e.g., IT, payroll, HR). He also continuously manages procedures to streamline internal business requests with both the Attorney and Operations teams. Furthermore, he oversees the firm's marketing activities and initiatives, and utilizes his marketing background to design and execute substantive programs that effectively represent Spruce Law and its strengths in the marketplace.
Prior to joining Spruce Law, Mr. Lynch worked as a senior account and project management associate for DigitasLBi, a global marketing and technology agency. While there he helped direct the planning, design, and execution of online & offline campaigns and projects for American Express OPEN & Corporate. He often served as primary Client contact for multi-department programs to ensure cohesive operation, timely completion within budget, and adherence to internal & external processes/requirements.
Mr. Lynch began his career at Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records, a global record label, and at RocketXL, a social media engagement company, where he gained experience in the execution of digital campaigns and strategies along with a variety of client needs. He is a graduate of the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University, where he served on the Campus Activities Board and played a key role in the planning and implementation of the university's large-scale student events.
Timothy M. Dozois serves as Spruce Law's Special Projects Counsel in select corporate and securities engagements. Mr. Dozois is a veteran business lawyer who favors collaboration over controversy. He has served as general counsel, transactional counsel and securities counsel to mid-size companies for three decades, first with Davis Wright Tremaine, a nationally-acclaimed, full-service law firm, from 1991 until 2010, and then as chief legal officer for Pendrell Corporation, a NASDAQ-listed public company, from 2010 until 2018.
Mr. Dozois has led large legal teams through complicated transactions but works most effectively as a collaborative member of multi-disciplinary teams, such as the teams that handled dozens of acquisitions and financing transactions for the country's second largest provider of assisted living facilities and more recently the teams of intellectual property professionals that pursued licensing and litigation initiatives for Pendrell Corporation.
Mr. Dozois' strength is navigating the securities laws amidst complicated financing transactions. For clients seeking capital, he has engineered and directed early-stage offerings, structured financings and follow-on public offerings. For clients moving the opposite direction, he has designed and supervised equity redemptions and reverse splits. His crowning achievement was the privatization strategy that transformed Pendrell from a public company to a private company.
In addition to his securities and transactional work, Mr. Dozois thoroughly enjoys the art and science of negotiating, drafting, and editing all varieties of contracts. Unlike many seasoned lawyers who move from hands-on legal work to legal management, Mr. Dozois embraces both, executing on complicated work to transform client concept into operative documents and providing legal management to assure budgetary predictability and alignment of interests.
Since 2011, in addition to his work at Pendrell, he has served as an independent director and chair of the audit committee of MacKenzie Realty Capital, an SEC-registered real estate investment trust, and as an independent director of Pinnacle Healthcare, a privately-held owner of senior living properties.
Mr. Dozois earned his J.D. in 1989 from the University of Oregon, where he was Order of the Coif, and his B.S. in finance from Oregon State University in 1985, as a member of the Blue Key Honor Society. He is admitted to the Oregon State Bar.
Job Titles:
- Taught President Musharraf How to Play Blackjack and He 's Good!
Todd R. Bartos is a veteran business trial lawyer focused on novel, efficient litigation solutions that further clients' business interests. He has handled claims nationally in a variety of manufacturing and service industries, including healthcare, financial services, construction, insurance services and consulting. With almost 15 years in the courtroom, Mr. Bartos understands the value of strategic, cost-efficient litigation solutions. He uses the latest in litigation technology to control the litigation costs. Further, Mr. Bartos uses mediation and arbitration in novel ways to drive results.
Starting his career at Stark & Stark, P.C., one of New Jersey's largest law firms, Mr. Bartos represented construction companies, broker-dealers, small and family businesses and individuals in a wide variety of litigation matters. In 2001, he moved to Central Pennsylvania and worked for nearly 13 years with Stevens & Lee, P.C., one of America's 200 largest law firms. As a Shareholder in the Litigation and Healthcare Litigation and Risk Mitigation groups, he has litigated a number of jury trials, appellate arguments, mediations and arbitrations in significant claims around the country, and has been retained by individuals to oversee retained insurance defense counsel in potential super-loss cases. He also represents licensed professionals in disciplinary matters before state licensure boards. He has developed and implemented eDiscovery programs and managed complex technology issues within litigation proceedings. He is often asked to consult regarding new technological issues and risks for clients in a variety of business settings.
Mr. Bartos has also been engaged to manage corporate crisis situations and craft crisis communication strategies. He is also a nationally recognized speaker on a variety of topical business issues and has taught thousands of professionals and entities pragmatic strategies to enhance business while reducing legal risk. His advice has made a true difference in profitability and customer loyalty. His work in the healthcare field in particular has helped to make patient care safer, has enhanced employee satisfaction, improved core economics, and increased market share. Mr. Bartos makes sure that any legal expenditure serves a business interest and, whenever possible, drives bottom-line revenue.
Job Titles:
- IP Counsel - Philadelphia, PA