Donald Petrille

Donald Petrille, Jr. primarily represents businesses and their shareholders as they wrestle with complex issues in today’s ever-changing legal environment. Don has helped businesses through all phases of their development, starting with initial organization, through the operational stage, eventually ending with sale, acquisition or dissolution. Addressing corporate governance, contracts, procurement, compliance, human resource issues and creditors’ rights, Don has spent his career helping small-business owners succeed. His client base includes companies in diverse industries such as real estate management, alternative energy, market research, pharmaceutical services, telecommunications, construction and software development.

Don is a member of the firm’s wills, trusts, estate planning and probate team, where he advises clients on methods of wealth preservation and transfer, as well as business succession planning. As a member of the firm’s real estate team, Don advises clients on the purchase, sale, financing, leasing and improvement of real estate. He has served as a closing agent on scores of transactions.

Don has volunteered legal services for Living Hope Community Church, Bucks County emergency management associations and has served as the solicitor for the Bucks County Department of Health. He has been a director of Discover Dublin, Inc., a community development organization whose mission is to improve the residential and business communities in Dublin, PA, Bucks County, and the surrounding areas. Don is a director of the Bucks County Board of the Penn State Cooperative Extension.

Currently, Don is serving Bucks County as its Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphan’s Court. He is the President of the Registers of Wills and Clerks of the Orphans’ Court Association of Pennsylvania, where he serves as its Legislative Liaison to the General Assembly.

Villanova University School of Law

J.D.

1998

College of William and Mary

B.S. | Chemistry

1994

Of Counsel

High Swartz

2012 - Current

• Multi-disciplinary legal practice emphasizing wills, estates, real estate, commercial law and corporate transactions • Trusted advisor to management and executives concerning business affairs for companies in varied industries such as telecommunications, real estate, market research, trucking, alternative energy and scientific services • Designed business entity structures to compartmentalize liability and maximize owner profitability • Drafted, negotiated and closed agreements for sale of closely held business entities • Advised clients regarding executive employment, non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality, non-disclosure, and employee severance agreements • Obtained basic trademark and copyright protections for clients in non-contested matters • Drafted wills and estate plans, taking into consideration client objectives, business succession, qualified and non-qualified assets, unrealized capital gains, estate liquidity, family heirlooms and income, inheritance and federal estate tax exposure • Administered estates from initial probate, through all phases, including ultimate distribution • Drafted real estate transaction documents including leases, agreements of sale and financing documents in residential and commercial transactions • Advocated for landowners in zoning matters • Obtained favorable verdicts in bench and jury trials • Drafted of legal pleadings and memoranda in litigation concerning commercial disputes, business divorces, shareholder rights, land use, specific performance, collection and estate administration • Advised individuals and businesses on restructuring options available in bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy forums • Represented creditors and debtors in Chapter 7 and 11 proceedings • Creatively settled complicated commercial matters subject to intense litigation, where appropriate • Provided pro bono representation to indigent women in domestic matters, volunteer fire companies, nursery schools and churches

Register of Wills

Orphans' Court of Bucks County Pennsylvania

2012 - 2020

Modernized and automated public office responsible for probating wills, collecting inheritance tax and filing of adoption, estate and guardianship actions. While streamlining staff through attrition, the office has opened up a satellite office for the convenience of citizens, implemented online services and eliminated expenses. Additional productivity has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional income and savings for Bucks County taxpayers.

Shareholder

Petrille Wind, P.C.

2007 - 2011

Small buisness attorney delivering estate planning, estate administration, real estate and general business counseling to Bucks and Montgomery Counties.

Attorney

Scott Petri & Associates, P.C.

2004 - 2007

General law practice for all aspects of small business, including corporate organization, finance, mergers and acquisition, human resources, real estate and estate planning

State Bar of Pennsylvania  # 82332

Member

Current

Bucks County Bar Association

Member

Current

Bucks County Estate Planning Council

Member

Current

New Jersey

New Jersey Courts

Since 1998

Pennsylvania

Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Since 1998

3rd Circuit

Since 1999

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Since 1999

U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey

Since 2000

U.S. Tax Court

Since 2005

• Credit Cards Accepted

• Power of Attorney
• Special Needs Trust
• Death Tax
• Affordable Housing
• Estate Litigation