Zachary A. Sivertsen

Biography

Zachary A. Sivertsen is a Shareholder in the firm’s Municipal, Land Use and Zoning and Litigation practice groups.

Zac has appeared on behalf of clients before zoning hearing boards and other municipal governing bodies in land development matters, zoning amendments, zoning appeals, and applications for zoning variances and conditional use and special exception approvals in communities throughout Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Montgomery, and Northampton Counties. He has represented municipal clients in litigation matters, drafted municipal ordinances, filed and responded to right-to-know requests, worked with local advisory bodies, and served as solicitor and assistant solicitor to numerous zoning hearing boards, planning commissions, and governing bodies in communities in Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, and Montgomery Counties. Zac has litigated matters on behalf of private and municipal clients before Commonwealth and Superior Court, the Courts of Common Pleas of Adams, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, and York Counties, as well as the United States Bankruptcy Court. Prior to entering law, Zac worked in the non-profit community development and alternative energy sectors in Philadelphia.

Some of his recent accomplishments include:

• Successfully obtained special exception and land development approval for the conversion of a small scale manufacturing facility into a pediatric dentist office in Bucks County.
• Successfully navigated preliminary land development approval for a 7 building, 198 unit apartment complex in Luzerne County.
• Successfully obtained zoning variance relief for the installation of business signage located above the allowable sign height in Montgomery County.
• Successfully obtained zoning variance relief for paving and drive aisle requirements to allow the establishment of a parking lot for tractor trailers awaiting loading in Bucks County.
• Successfully obtained a zoning amendment and conditional use approval for a 118-unit apartment building for student and employee housing in Dauphin County.

Memberships

Zac is a member of the Montgomery Bar Association, the Bucks County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.

Clerkship Experience

Zac served as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Matthew D. Carrafiello of the Orphan’s Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia and the Honorable Alice Beck Dubow, then of the Criminal Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia.

Volunteer and Community Work

In 2017, Zac was elected to the Board of Governors of Valley Youth House, an organization that provides housing, counseling, and enrichment programming for vulnerable, abused, and homeless youth throughout Pennsylvania. He has served as a member of the VYH Risk Management Committee, providing guidance on implementing strategies and procedures to limit organizational risk and ensure that participants and staff enjoy a safe and respectful environment.

Following graduation from his master’s program, Zac served as an Americorps VISTA volunteer with the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia. While there he helped promote the growth and development of small businesses in the alternative energy and energy efficiency sectors in Philadelphia.

During law school, Zac served as a volunteer for the Philadelphia Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program and assisted low income families and the elderly prepare and file their federal income tax returns. Zac was granted membership into Temple Law’s Rubin Public Interest Law Honor Society in recognition of his pro bono and volunteer work during law school.

Bar Admissions

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; Supreme Court of New Jersey; United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Education

Zac received his law degree, magna cum laude, from Temple University Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia. While at Temple he served as a member of the Temple Law Review and as a Teaching Assistant in the Integrated Transactional Program. He earned an undergraduate degree, with Honors, in Urban and Regional Studies and a Master of Regional Planning degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Honors and Awards

• Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®, Ones to Watch, for his work in Litigation - Real Estate, 2023 - present
• Selected by peers for inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine, 2018 - present
• Member, Montgomery Bar Association Leadership Academy, 2019
• James E. Beasley Scholarship Recipient — Temple Beasley School of Law
• Nancy J. Knauer & Eleanor W. Myers Integrated Transactional Program Award — Temple Beasley School of Law — for demonstrating outstanding achievement in the Integrated Transactional Program
• The Honorable Dolores K. Sloviter Award — Temple Beasley School of Law — for an excellent paper in the area of federal judicial administration or federal jurisdiction
• Merritt Memorial Scholarship Recipient — Cornell University

Personal Data

Zac is a native of Buffalo, NY and is an avid fan of his hometown Buffalo Bills. He currently lives in King of Prussia with his wife, Megan and their daughters.