MANAYUNK

Originally Published in Manayunk.com MagazinBy Manayunk Magazine

A true vibrant community not only needs great restaurants and shops, it also needs skilled professionals to serve the local businesses and residents. This series looks to introduce our readers to some of those professionals and the faces behind these service businesses. In the second part of our series, we spoke with Attorney William J. O'Brien from Manayunk Law Office and Certified Public Accountant John 'Jack' McGovern from John E McGovern & Associates PC. Read on to learn about their professional stories, experience in the field, and why they love servicing Manayunk residents and businesses in our community.

Attorney
William J. "Bill" O'Brien
Manayunk Law Office
mnyklaw.com

Bill O'Brien has had quite an interesting career in the legal field. After graduating from college in 1976, Bill joined the staff of U.S. Senator John Heinz. There he acted as a liaison between the senator and federal agencies on behalf of constituents who were adversely affected by the bureaucratic process. This experienced inspired him to go to Delaware Law School, where he graduated in 1981. After law school, Bill clerked for Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge Joseph T. Doyle, and worked on focusing and refining his skills on government regulation and public sector disputes.

Bill was admitted to the Bar of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1982 and opened the Manayunk Law Office in 1985. Since then, he has worked with a wide variety of clients with his practice focusing on real estate, small business planning and development, zoning, and landlord/tenant law. Bill also serves in commercial matters like business formation, shareholder and partnership agreements, purchase and sale of assets and entities, and he loves helping his clients navigate the maze of government regulations. He also provides estate planning and administration for families and individuals. In all cases, Bill strives to be an effective problem solver and is a vigorous litigator when necessary.

When asked about why he chose Manayunk as the place to hang his shingle he said, "the location is perfect: it's convenient to City Hall and the Montgomery County Courthouse. Its business owners and residents have diverse interests, but all share a love for Manayunk." He's also an avid cyclist and adds that his office "offers doorstep access to the Schuylkill Trail and the Wissahickon."

Bill is an integral part of Manayunk and has been involved for 30 years in both the business and residential community. He is proud to have offered and continued to offer exceptional legal service to those who seek his advice and counsel. Lastly he adds, "living, working and playing in Manayunk for the last thirty years has been extraordinary."

Certified Public Accountant
John "Jack" McGovern
John E. McGovern & Associates PC
cpaphilly.com

Jack McGovern always wanted to own a business. While attending college at Penn State University, he decided to study accounting. The more he learned about the trade, the more he began to realize that this field could offer him the chance to start something of his own.

In 1992, Jack established McGovern and Associates in Manayunk. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Jack specializes in tax planning and preparation for individuals and small businesses. He also has a background in finance and serves as a director of East River Bank. Jack and his wife Annette; a partner in the firm, own investment properties in both Roxborough and Manayunk that not only keeps them financially invested, but emotionally invested in the neighborhood as well. It also gives them unique insight and expertise to offer clients that wish to invest in real estate or their own business.

"We represent a lot of businesses and individuals in the area including both the Roxborough and Manayunk Development Corporations. What is most amazing is the diversity of the people and businesses that are our clients," Jack said. John E. McGovern and Associates is a busy local firm that represents manufacturing, technology, health care, non profits, retail, hospitality, real estate and even agriculture.

"I chose to open my office in the City of Philadelphia because I could see that clients wanted to deal with a CPA that operated within the city limits and had a deep knowledge of Philadelphia's strange tax laws," Jack said. He first looked at Main Street Manayunk because it seemed to be really centrally located. "I also knew that I wanted a place that was growing and vibrant. It was an interesting destination, and that continues to be the case today." The firm handles clients from throughout the Delaware Valley, "and the truth is we could be located anywhere, but Annette and I, our staff and our clients enjoy being here in Manayunk," he said.