WEST CHESTER, PA — The law firm Gawthrop Greenwood, PC is pleased to announce that community association law attorney Connor J. Thomson has joined the firm as an associate, joining one of the largest law firms supporting homeowners associations (HOAs), planned communities, condominium associations and cooperatives across Pennsylvania in the residential and commercial arena.
Holding the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation earned by only 4% of insurance professionals and recognized as a “35 Under 35” Rising Insurance Star Executive, Thomson will provide insurance-savvy general counsel services to community associations, as well as timely and thought-provoking advice to adjusters while defending board members against directors’ & officers’ liability claims.
“Connor’s unique combination of experience in both insurance and community association law makes him a valuable asset to the many homeowners associations (HOAs), condominium associations, cooperatives and insurance companies that turn to Gawthrop Greenwood for legal counsel,” said Stephen R. McDonnell, chair of the management committee at Gawthrop Greenwood.
Thomson is admitted to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, is a member of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) Developing and Emerging Community Association Lawyers Network as well as the Chester County Bar Association. He earned his JD from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and MBA in Spring 2025. Previously, he studied Risk Management and Insurance at Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a Deans’ Scholar, was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society, and graduated summa cum laude with University Honors. During law school, Connor clerked at Gawthrop Greenwood, as well as at a boutique insurance defense law firm, and externed for FEMA’s Office of Chief Counsel, where he oversaw the defense of NFIP claims in federal courts during Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
A winner of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s 2025 Irvin Stander Award, Thomson serves as a board member of the Brandywine Valley CPCU Society Chapter. He recently completed service as Law Student Vice-Chair, American Bar Association – Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section: Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee and Law Student Vice-Chair, American Bar Association – Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section: Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Committee. His article “Hostile Environments in Today’s Community Associations” was published in Ask the Experts by the Community Associations Institute (CAI) last spring.
“Having taught Connor in my Condominium and HOA course at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and worked with him during his tenure as a law clerk at Gawthrop Greenwood, I can attest to his strong academic skills and passion for excellence in the practice of law. He will be a great addition to our Community Association Law Department,” said Steven L. Sugarman, who leads the Community Association Law Department at Gawthrop Greenwood.
Thomson will serve in Gawthrop Greenwood’s West Chester and Berwyn offices. He currently resides with his family in Glen Mills, PA.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.