Christen G. Pionzio

Christen G. Pionzio is a partner in the Real Estate and Zoning Department at Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin. For the last 14 years, Christen has handled significant real estate, zoning, municipal, and land use matters on behalf of large corporate clients and private individuals. With respect to real estate transactions, Christen has facilitated land acquisition and development for commercial landowners, developers and private citizens by way of local, state and federal approvals and sophisticated financing. In addition, she also represents buyers and sellers of residential and commercial real estate, providing cost-saving strategies and resolving obstacles in ways to keep the deal together.

In the area of zoning and land development, Christen effectively obtains zoning relief for clients to enable them to fully utilize their property, represents townships to protect their interests in matters, and advises zoning hearing board members as to how to apply the law to the zoning cases before them. She serves as Solicitor to five local Zoning Hearing Boards, to three Municipalities and was Special Solicitor to a local Borough in a controversial matter. Christen is known for her sense of humor, charismatic energy, being well prepared and thinking fast on her feet.  She invests herself in her clients' problems and cares how they affect them from a business perspective and personally.  She is tenacious and pays attention to detail while keeping her clients and consultant team focused on the ultimate goal.

A member of the Real Estate/Land Use Committee and the Municipal Law Committee of the Montgomery Bar Association, she is also a member of the Pennsylvania and Bucks County Bar Associations. Christen is a founding member of the Irish-American Society and serves on its Board of Directors as Vice President. A graduate with honors from the University of Scranton (B.S. 1991),  Christen received her law degree from Widener University School of Law (J.D. 1994).

Recent Representative Cases:

* Chaired hearings and meetings for municipality and guided them through zoning changes for highly controversial hospital proposal which attracted hundreds.
* Obtained approvals and successfully closed deal for developer for 300+ unit development that faced 3 lawsuits, a sewer moratorium and skyrocketing costs.
* Responsible for the redevelopment of blighted properties with uses such as gas stations, drug stores, wine and spirit stores and McDonald's Restaurants.

Speeches/Publications:

• March 2009 - "Getting Approvals, a Solicitor's Point of View" for the Montgomery Bar Association
• December 2008 - "Understanding Development Plans and Schedules" for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute
• August 2007 - "Plans and Surveys:  Tools for Lawyers" for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute
• December 2006 - "Plans and Surveys:  Tools for Lawyers" for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute
• October 2006 - "Understanding Plans and Surveys" for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute
• October 2005 - "When Do I Need Them and How Do I Read Them?" for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute
• Montgomery County Bar Association Lectured on Residential Real Estate Transactions
• Bucks County Bar Association Lectured on Residential Real Estate Transactions

Professional and Civic Memberships:

• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Bucks County Bar Association
• Montgomery County Bar Association
  • Member, Real Estate/Land Use Committee
  • Member, Municipal Law Committee
• Irish-American Society
  • Founding Member
  • Vice President, Board of Directors

Honors and Awards:

• Moe Levine Trial Advocacy Honor Society
• The International Legal Fraternity of Phi Delta Phi

Personal Interests:

Christen enjoys exercising. She cross trains with running outdoors, spinning, kick boxing and she attends boot camp classes at her local YMCA. She and her builder husband, John, live in Doylestown with their three young children.