John F. “Jack” Gross is a seasoned business attorney, counseling businesses of all sizes on general corporate, real estate, financial, and intellectual property matters. He has experience in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, professional services, media and publishing, restaurants, and nonprofit.
Jack’s clients look to him for insights about business formation, purchase, sales, mergers and acquisitions, as well as succession planning. He also counsels businesses in more complex matters relating to privacy and intellectual property, internet law, and advertising law. Jack has deep knowledge in copyright, trademark, and licensing matters, as well as First Amendment and defamation matters particularly affecting the media and publishing industry.
As a real estate attorney and licensed Pennsylvania Title Agent, Jack represents commercial and individual clients in purchasing and selling residential and commercial real estate. He also assists in leasing and financing matters, regularly counseling clients with holdings that range from large and diverse real estate portfolios to individual investors.
Jack’s business and real estate knowledge lend to his municipal law practice. He counsels municipalities and industrial authorities on a wide array of legal matters, notably code enforcement, zoning, ethics, and land development. Currently, he serves as Solicitor to Whitehall Township and as Board Chair of the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Authority.
Additionally, Jack serves as the firm’s Managing Partner and as an adjunct instructor in the Communications Department at Muhlenberg College. In the Lehigh Valley community, he actively serves in leadership roles within several nonprofit organizations.
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif, Law Review, 1998
- Muhlenberg College, B.A., magna cum laude, 1994
Professional Associations
- Whitehall Township, Solicitor
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Bar Association of Lehigh County
- Northampton County Bar Association
- Pennsylvania School Board Solicitors Association
- Whitehall Township Board of Ethics, Former Solicitor
- Allentown Zoning Hearing Board, Former Member
Community Involvement
Presentations
- “Doing Risky & Rewarding Business,” Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, October 2020
- “Your 2020 Vision: Planning for Business Success(ion),” EZ Micro IT Solutions Lunch ‘n Learn Series, January 2020
- “Wrestling with the Right to Privacy,” Moravian Village, November 2019
- “Business Succession Planning”, Business Growth Symposium hosted by Lehigh Valley Business at DeSales University, June 2019
- “Protecting Your Most Valuable Asset: Intellectual Property for Small Businesses”, Small Business Development Center at Lehigh University, October 2018
- “The Changing Face of Manufacturing: Protecting Your Business as the Workforce Evolves”, Manufacturers Resource Center Lunch and Learn, September 2018
- “First Amendment”, The Rotary Club of Allentown, July 2018
- “Tax Assessment Appeals”, Greater Lehigh Valley Association of Realtors, January 2018
- “Wrestling with the Right to Privacy”, The Institute for Learning in Retirement 33rd Annual Luncheon, Cedar Crest College, 2016
- “Nuts and Bolts of Copyright: Fair Use in the Classroom and in Course Management Systems”, Muhlenberg College, 2016
- “Identity Theft, What you Need to Know”, Muhlenberg College Circle of 1848, 2014
- “Legal Issues in Advertising”, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2011 and 2008
- “Technology Law Forum”, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2007 and 2006
- “Internet Law Update”, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2007 and 2005
- Private Client Presentations
Publications
- Quoted: “‘Opportunity’ coming to needy Pennsylvania communities,” The Morning Call, April 2018
- Quoted: “All businesses need policies, practices to foil cyberthreats,” Lehigh Valley Business, December 2016
- Quoted: “Roberto Clemente Charter School expansion plans at odds with existing day care center,” Express-Times, March 2014
- Quoted: “Roberto Clemente Charter School expansion delayed,” The Morning Call, March 2014
- Quoted: “Ruckus Brewing to finalize purchase of Allentown’s Neuweiler Brewery site”, Express-Times, February 2014
- Quoted: “Cottage Neighborhood Proposed in South Allentown”, WFMZ.com, June 2013
Awards & Recognition
- 2021 Lehigh Valley Business, Power 30 in Law
- 2021 Lehigh Valley Business, Power 100 List
- 2017 Local Legal Leaders, Lehigh Valley Magazine
- 2005 Human Relations Award, recognized as part of the Allentown Human Relations Ordinance Legal Defense Team,
- Allentown Human Relations Commission