Sean M. Burke

As President and Managing Director of McQuaide Blasko, Sean Burke is proud to bring sophisticated and comprehensive legal services to his community. Sean’s overarching mission is to efficiently identify how the law can be used to achieve clients’ business and personal goals. This approach is evident in both Sean’s general leadership of the firm and in his own legal work in the areas of real estate, mergers and acquisitions, and estate planning.

Sean concentrates his real estate practice on agricultural and commercial real estate and land use. Representing land owners and developers in the purchase and sale of real estate, Sean oversees the entire process from financial contracts to zoning to ensure that his clients will be able to achieve the intended use of their investment. Sean negotiates purchase agreements, lease agreements, loan documents, mortgages, promissory notes, and subdivision and land development contracts. Sean’s experience serving on the Hollidaysburg Borough Council, and previously on the Borough’s Planning Commission, affords him with unique insight to navigate common but complex zoning, subdivision and land development issues. A licensed title agent, Sean also reviews related title issues. Understanding that a successful and expeditious outcome involves coordinating many related parties, Sean works closely with lenders, surveyors, contractors, and engineers. Sean maintains vast knowledge regarding agricultural land use and development, including related environmental concerns.

Recognizing that real estate is a key asset for businesses, Sean draws on his expertise in that area and combines it with his longstanding business law practice to guide clients through a wide variety of mergers and acquisitions. From large, high visibility all-inclusive M&As, to those involving a single asset, Sean represents buyers or sellers throughout the transaction. Sean prepares and negotiates confidentiality agreements, letters of intent, and stock purchase agreements. Sean also advises clients in financing and related matters, and in identifying and accounting for impacted third parties. When appropriate, Sean is able to assemble a multi-disciplinary team from within the firm to provide specialized knowledge and services across many different industries. Based in the firm’s Blair County office, Sean’s M&A work includes an emphasis on agricultural business transactions.

Working closely with business owners strategizing for the future of their businesses naturally leads to the related concerns of inter-generational estate and succession planning. As a trusted advisor, Sean counsels business owners and individuals in establishing and executing wills, powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, trust documents, planning for special needs beneficiaries, charitable dispositions, and asset protection. This area of Sean’s practice is another intersection of his transactional capabilities and his central goal of providing legal solutions for business and family aspirations.

In addition to maintaining longstanding and extensive relationships with clients, Sean is actively involved in the community. As a dedicated and strong leader in both professional and personal arenas, Sean and his family believe in contributing their time and talents. Beyond serving on the Hollidaysburg Borough Council, Sean commits time to youth-literacy projects. And his wife is a current Blair County Commissioner. Sean can usually be found on a path toward self-improvement whether it is running marathons or Ironman triathlons, learning new languages or musical-instruments, or reading anything legible.