Our Firm
Gibbel Kraybill & Hess LLP (“GKH”) has been engaged in the general practice of law and providing legal services to clients in the south-central and eastern part of Pennsylvania since 1977. GKH has steadily grown from its original three founding partners to 16 attorneys and a dedicated and capable support staff. In 2015 the firm consolidated its Lancaster and Lititz offices into one building at 2933 Lititz Pike to better serve clients' needs. In addition, the firm has opened an office in the Times Building in Suburban Square in Ardmore, offering the services of a general practice law firm to the greater Philadelphia area. GKH also maintains by-appointment meeting space in downtown Lancaster for clients who prefer that location. GKH’s mission is “to provide excellent legal services that promote justice with integrity.”
Our Founding Partners
The three founding partners have deep roots in Lancaster County. John Gibbel is a native of Lititz and has practiced law in Lancaster for more than 45 years. John graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. Elvin Kraybill grew up on a family farm near Elizabethtown and graduated from Georgetown University Law Center. He has practiced law in Lancaster County since 1973. Melvin Hess also grew up in Lancaster County on a family farm in Manheim Township. Mel graduated from Franklin and Marshall and the Seattle University School of Law. He has practiced law in Lancaster County for more than 35 years. John, Elvin and Mel founded GKH based on a shared vision of serving others by providing high-quality legal services to individuals and businesses within Lancaster County and the surrounding counties.
Our Practice
The firm has diverse practice areas that include estate planning and administration; elder law; business succession planning; corporate and commercial law; tax law and tax controversies; nonprofit organizations; employment law; real estate, zoning and land use; municipal law; general and complex litigation; civil rights litigation; and administrative law. This diversity of practice reflects the broad range of clients we serve, including individuals, families, businesses, corporations, institutions, churches, nonprofit organizations, municipalities and citizen groups. The firm represents clients throughout central, south-central and eastern Pennsylvania, including the greater Philadelphia area.
GKH is organized into four practice groups for managing and coordinating all of the firm’s work areas. The practice groups include (1) Elder Law; (2) Complex Business Succession and Estate Planning; (3) Corporate and Organizations; and (4) Advocacy. Each practice group consists of attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants who specialize in specific practice areas. The attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants within a practice group work collaboratively in a team environment to provide our clients with high-quality legal services.
Why Us?
We know you have many law firms and attorneys from which to choose. What makes us different? While we believe that GKH is unique in many ways, we would like to highlight three: (1) our commitment to service; (2) the value we place on building strong client relationships; and (3) our deep roots in, and connections to, the community.
John Gibbel, Elvin Kraybill and Melvin Hess founded the firm more than 30 years ago based on a common commitment—to provide the best service they could to their clients and to the community. With this shared vision, the firm has steadily grown, building a strong client base and developing a positive reputation within the community for providing excellent legal services. Not only are we passionate about serving our clients, we also care deeply about our community, particularly the less fortunate and marginalized. Therefore, the firm also is committed to serving the community through providing pro bono legal services, volunteering with local community groups, supporting/sponsoring numerous community initiatives and being involved in nonprofit boards and organizations. It is this commitment to service and excellence that separates GKH from many other firms.
GKH believes that providing high-quality legal services involves an ongoing process of building strong relationships with clients. We maintain that the strongest attorney-client relationship is built through time, as the firm learns and understands a client’s interests, culture and objectives, and as a client builds confidence and trust in GKH’s attorneys and services. In this regard, GKH’s commitment to fostering long-term client relationships ultimately leads to a higher level of service and satisfaction to the client, as well as better results. The firm’s size helps to facilitate this type of relationship building. We are large enough to handle a wide range of complex legal matters, yet small enough to provide personal attention to clients and their matters.
Finally, GKH has strong roots in the community. We live in the local community, send our children to the local schools, attend local churches and synagogues, serve on school and nonprofit boards, and volunteer with community groups. We understand the local community and the individuals who live here. Whether preparing a complex estate plan, attending a zoning hearing, or negotiating the sale of real estate, our firm’s deep roots to the community allow us to better serve our clients.
Please explore our website to learn more about our firm, or feel free to contact us directly. Our firm would be honored to call you a client.
