Pat has been practicing real estate law for over 35 years. Recognized both in Pennsylvania and nationally as a leading authority on conservation law, she serves on the Policy Advisory Committee of the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association and the Conservation Defense Advisory Committee of the Land Trust Alliance, the national association of land trusts in the United States. She is a prolific writer, having published many guides explaining the principles of conservation law and the ways it can be used to protect natural and scenic resources and preserve availability of land for public enjoyment.  Most notably, Pat is the principal author of The Model Pennsylvania Conservation Easement and Commentary, a key publication of the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association. The Model Conservation Easement and other model documents Pat has crafted have been adopted by land trusts throughout the United States. 

 

Serendipity led Pat to her area of expertise.  Pat’s interest in conservation law began while wading in the creek on a friend’s farm in Chester County.  She was fascinated to learn that the farm was part of a larger tract protected by a legally binding agreement known as a conservation easement.  A few years later, the firm she was working for as a novice real estate attorney had a land trust client who was interested in pursuing donations of conservation easements.  Being the only attorney on staff with any acquaintance at all with conservation easements, she was given the assignment. Her knowledge was limited and there was not much guidance on what a grant of conservation easement was supposed to look like, but Pat embraced the opportunity to develop something new from the ground up, and as they say, the rest is history.

 

While her career path may have been serendipitous, her passion for our natural resources has been lifelong.  Pat and her husband share a love for the outdoors.  They built their house in the woods adjoining Fairmount Park, where they have enjoyed living among the wildlife.  Pat does much of her writing on her back deck, listening to the birds and watching the stirring of the trees.  The woods have been a playground for her children and grandchildren, and she believes there is nothing better than watching a child explore nature. Pat is an avid gardener, and she also enjoys watching the eagles, osprey and other migratory birds inhabiting the Chesapeake Bayshore.
 
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Pat earned an M.A. from Bryn Mawr College and J.D from Villanova University. She began her career at Duane, Morris & Heckscher (now Duane Morris) and became partner in the Real Estate Department.  In 1998 she formed her own firm to concentrate entirely on real estate and conservation law.  She is delighted to be working side by side with her daughter Lauren, who joined Pregmon Law in 2000.  

 

Pat is a member of the Pennsylvania and Montgomery County Bar Associations.