The Women of Gross McGinley

LOREN L. SPEZIALE
ESQ-Deputy Managing Partner

Masterful problem-solving is her business

Studies show that children who ride horses have enhanced memory and advanced learning and problem-solving abilities. Attorney Loren Speziale has been riding horses and working in her family’s equine business since she was a young child, so it is no wonder this accomplished equestrian excels at helping businesses reach their goals and solve their complex legal challenges.

A strategic business partner to clients across diverse business sectors, Loren takes a collaborative approach to analyze business opportunities, address business risk by proactively establishing processes and policies, and close business and banking transactions. Whether she is advising on general business matters, employment issues, financing, or commercial real estate, she thoughtfully counsels clients from a place of genuine care, with particular attention to their specific needs and goals. She has a reputation for being laser-focused and attentive, remaining steadfast through any challenge.

Outside of the office, Loren grabs the reins as a volunteer board member in several community organizations, including Women’s Resources of Monroe County, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, and the Rodale Institute. Loren also serves as an assistant City Solicitor for the City of Bethlehem. She shares her clients’ entrepreneurial spirit as co-owner of Camp Bow Wow, a dog daycare and boarding business located in Allentown, with her husband Bobby.

With her extensive experience, connection to the community, and unbridled ambition, Loren has established herself as one of the Valley’s top business attorneys. Wherever she goes, she brings her dynamic energy and unique problem-solving skills to every situation.

KIMBERLY G. KRUPKA
ESQ-Partner

Appealing to a new vision

Since beginning her legal career in the late 1990s, Kimberly Krupka has been waiting for female attorneys to have their day in court. Today, female litigators remain underrepresented, making up just 25% of courtroom lawyers.

Kim’s experience has compelled her to help pave the way for future female litigators. As a defense attorney for the region’s top hospitals and physicians, she mentors law students and  peer attorneys pursuing their own paths of success–whether in a court of law, their homes, or the community. Kim fiercely believes the legal profession is best served through diverse representation and aims to encourage and inspire those she mentors.

While Kim seeks to inspire others, she is continuously inspired by the medical professionals she represents, who extend their hearts and souls in caring for their patients. Witnessing their passion for patients drives her passion to serve them in the courtroom.

Outside of the courtroom, Kim serves as a committee member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Civil Litigation Retreat. Eager to educate fellow litigators and medical professionals, Kim often shares her knowledge at Bar Association educational events and provides legal insights about medical professional liability and risk avoidance with the healthcare community.

Kim remains committed to her vision of elevating her profession while attracting more women to legal practice in the courtroom. By way of example and through mentoring, Kim hopes to encourage a new generation of female attorneys to command the courtroom.

SARAH HART CHARETTE
ESQ-Partner

Writing her own narrative

Since childhood, Attorney Sarah Hart Charette has loved reading and visiting the library. Ironically, Sarah is not a “by the book” person, building her personal and professional life by  doing things in her own unconventional way.

After starting out as an assistant DA in central Pennsylvania, Sarah began her career as a defense attorney in Gross McGinley’s medical malpractice group. She quickly realized a gap in the firm’s suite of service offerings—criminal defense. Collaborating with a fellow attorney and former prosecutor, Sarah launched this new practice area and continues to lead it today. With a team of six, Gross McGinley’s criminal defense team is the largest in the Lehigh Valley.

An avid bookworm, Sarah serves on the Emmaus Public Library Board of Directors, chairing the fundraising committee. In 2021, she spearheaded a new “tee time” mini golf event at the library, which raised $11,000 in its first year. She enjoys supporting her hometown library and ensuring it can continue offering great programming and resources for her daughter and the next generation of readers.

At home, Sarah and her husband seek to be on the same page as they raise their family while both pursuing their legal careers and juggling busy schedules. They’re an open book when it comes to their love of the beach and making time for their passion of travel adventures. Having made partner at a young age, Sarah is excited about the next chapters of her life, continuing to make the Lehigh Valley home and authoring a life and career she loves.

KELLIE L. RAHL-HEFFNER
ESQ-Partner

Conducting life, law & community is her passion

While Kellie Rahl-Heffner doesn’t claim to play an instrument or carry a tune, practicing law is music to her ears. After providing legal representation to vulnerable populations for over a
decade at a nonprofit agency, she found a new rhythm as a family law attorney and litigator at Gross McGinley.

Families and individuals choose Kellie to help them navigate sensitive legal matters like divorce and child custody, appreciating her practical and upbeat approach. She knows how life can go a bit off-key at times, and she makes it her business to help her clients face the music and come out stronger on the other side of their darkest days.

When something strikes a chord with Kellie, she gets involved and takes action. In the Lehigh Valley nonprofit community, she’s taken on leadership roles in Habitat for Humanity, Pinebrook Family Answers, and the Allentown Chamber of Commerce.

Animals are also near and dear to Kellie’s heart, and when she and her wife learned how black dogs in shelters are less likely to be adopted and more often euthanized, they changed their tune about pet ownership. They now exclusively open their home to overlooked dark-haired canines and currently share living space with three loving, four-legged friends.

While Kellie will never toot her own horn about her achievements and community service, she will proudly share her love of 90s rap, singing as loudly as possible while driving to or from court or cleaning her West End Allentown home on weekends,