Barley Snyder Partner John T. Reed Named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers for Second Time

For Immediate Release

Lancaster, Pa. – Barley Snyder Partner John T. Reed has been named a “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America® in its 31^st edition. Reed was designated as the 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” in “Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law” in the Harrisburg metro area.

The Best Lawyers’ 31st edition continues its annual tradition of honoring outstanding legal professionals across the United States. The "Lawyer of the Year" honors are awarded annually to one lawyer per practice area in each region based on feedback from peers. In 2020, Reed was previously named a “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in “Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law”, marking the second time he has received this prestigious recognition.

Reed is a member of Barley Snyder’s Business Practice Group and chair of its Family Owned Business Practice Group. The firm’s family owned business practice is comprised of seasoned attorneys well-versed in helping family owned and closely held companies with their unique legal needs. The group works closely with business owners and their professional teams on an array of matters including strategic planning, management issues, succession planning, estate planning, governance and family disputes.  

With nearly three decades of experience, Reed focuses his practice on counseling family owned and closely held businesses as well as buying and selling businesses. Often acting as in-house counsel, Reed combines his understanding of his clients’ goals with his legal knowledge to provide counsel to businesses on both business-related and legal issues.

“I am humbled by this recognition from my peers in the legal community,” said Reed. “It is rewarding to serve my clients, and I look forward to continuing my work as a partner and strategic advisor to family and closely held businesses. I am also very grateful for the commitment to excellence from the team members and attorneys at Barley who help me provide outstanding services to family and closely held businesses.”

Active outside the firm, Reed has held leadership positions with various organizations throughout the Lancaster community and beyond, including chair of the Lancaster Alliance, chair of the Lancaster City Revitalization & Improvement Zone Authority (CRIZ) and chair of the Lancaster City Alliance. He currently serves as a board member and member of three committees for The Wenger Group, a leading family-owned agricultural products and services organization, and as a board member of Farm Fresh Turkey Products. Reed also currently sits on the board of the CRIZ as well as being a member of the Project Review Committee of the CRIZ and a member of the Advocacy Executive Leadership Team of the Lancaster City Alliance. In addition, Reed is one of the founding members of the S. Dale High Center for Family Business at Elizabethtown College. He currently serves as the lead facilitator for the original CEO Peer Group of the High Center. Reed was also an inaugural recipient of the “Wall of Fame” award of the High Center.

About Barley Snyder
Barley Snyder is a law firm based in Pennsylvania with more than 130 attorneys practicing from offices located in Lancaster, York, Reading, Harrisburg, Lebanon, Malvern, Hanover, Gettysburg and Schuylkill Haven, Pa., and Hunt Valley and Columbia, Md. The firm serves businesses, individuals and organizations in all major areas of civil law including business, employment, immigration, employee benefits, finance & creditors’ rights, intellectual property, litigation, estate planning and administration, real estate, tax, construction, environment and energy, health care, education, municipal authority, hospitality, senior living, cybersecurity and food and agribusiness. www.barley.com | @BarleySnyder