Four-Lawyer Group Joins Ballard Spahr's Top-Ranked Private Client Services Practice

A group of attorneys who focus on estate, trust, and private wealth planning and management has joined Ballard Spahr in its Philadelphia office, positioning the firm’s Private Client Services Group as the premier trusts and estates legal team for high-net-worth individuals, fiduciaries, and nonprofit organizations in the region, firm Chair Mark Stewart announced today.

The group—which comes to Ballard Spahr from Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders—is led by Partners Justin C. Esposito  and Justin H. Brown, and includes Senior Counsel Mark S. Blaskey and Associate Brittany A. Yodis, as well as two paralegals.

“Our stellar Private Client Services practice has been a Ballard hallmark for well over 70 years, and is only increasing in importance because of the firm’s emerging growth and private equity practices,” Mr. Stewart said. “This group makes a strong practice even stronger and deeper. We are very fortunate to have them join us.”

Ballard Spahr is nationally recognized for excellence in estate, trust, and related private client services. Lawyers in the firm’s Private Client Services Group advise and advocate for clients across the country from practice epicenters in the firm’s offices in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Sioux Falls. Clients include high-net-worth individuals and prominent families, corporate and individual fiduciaries, foundations, and other nonprofit organizations. The Group’s attorneys—including the newly arrived lawyers—focus on design and implementation of sophisticated gift and estate plans; estate and trust administration; and fiduciary litigation. They advise family and closely held businesses on wealth management and work with the firm’s corporate lawyers to assist business owners with succession planning.

The new arrivals bring a focus on advising owners and executives of emerging companies and successful entrepreneurs—fitting well with Ballard Spahr’s strategic expansion of the firm’s venture capital and private equity practices and client base.

“Ballard’s Private Client Services practice is well-known for its exceptional lawyers and client dedication,” Mr. Esposito said. “We are excited to join forces, to the benefit of clients.”

“This group is an excellent fit for the firm and for the clients we serve,” said Heike Sullivan, practice leader of Ballard Spahr’s Private Client Services Group. “In addition to having exceptional skills and experience, their collaborative and service-oriented approach fits perfectly with our existing team.”

Ballard Spahr’s Private Client Services Group has been ranked by Chambers High Net Worth as a leading practice in private wealth law in Pennsylvania for the past five years. The Group also is ranked in the highest tier for trusts and estates law nationally by U.S. News & World Report–Best Lawyers Best Law Firms for 2022 and in Philadelphia for more than a dozen years.

“We couldn’t be happier about joining Ballard Spahr,” Mr. Brown said. “We have known and respected Heike and her team for many years. Ballard is a firm that shares our values, as well as our commitment to client service. We’re thrilled to be on the same team.”

For media inquiries, please contact Bill Shralow at 215.864.8195.