WEST CHESTER, PA — Gawthrop Greenwood attorney Ellen B. Koopman has been elected to the board of directors of the Housing Partnership of Chester County (HPCC), which works to improve the quality of life for low- to moderate-income people in Chester County by providing the tools to secure and maintain affordable housing.
“First-time home ownership is a dream for many, but it should be an attainable one, and it is our goal to make it so even in this challenging housing market,” said Robbe Healey, Chair of HPCC’s Governance Committee and Secretary of the Board of Directors. “Ellen’s dedicated work as legal counsel to an array of municipalities across Chester County is highly valued by our board. Her commitment to our conservatorship program is impressive, as we seek to help purchase blighted homes in our communities, rehab them and sell them to those in need.”
As an attorney in Gawthrop Greenwood’s Government Law Department, Koopman helps private citizens, developers and elected officials achieve the vision they have for their homes and communities as they navigate increasingly complex land use and development regulations. As a former President of West Chester Borough Council, she draws on her professional experience as both a public servant — and an attorney representing private and public clients — to assist with identifying goals and creating a successful strategy to achieve them.
Ellen has served as legal counsel to a multitude of Chester County residents, development entities and municipalities, advising on scope of authority, drafting ordinances and resolutions and representing townships and planning commissions in land use and zoning matters in the Court of Common Pleas.
Ellen also has a depth of experience representing clients in criminal matters. She began her career clerking in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia for Major Trials in the Criminal Division. She then served more than a decade as Assistant Public Defender in the Chester County Public Defender’s office, engaging in more than 20 trials including nine felony jury trials. She has briefed and argued appeals before the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
Ellen earned her Juris Doctor at Temple University Beasley School of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago. A member of the Chester County Bar Association, Ellen has served on the Grants Allocation Committee and currently serves on the Education Committee for the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls.
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