Deep, Practical Legal Expertise

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania’s law school in 1973, Mr. D'Avella accepted a position at Hannoch Weisman, where he built and ran a multi-million dollar legal practice as its Managing Partner. His undergraduate years at Princeton University and, in many ways, his service in the 1st Air Calvary in Vietnam also contributed greatly to his counseling abilities. Today, he runs his own advisory practice that counsels owner-managed and family-held businesses in the following specialty areas:

  • Family Business Counseling

  • Estate and Trust Planning and Administration

  • Business Acquisitions and Dispositions

  • Business Reorganizations and Restructurings

  • Employment Arrangements and
    Deferred Compensation

  • Creditors' Rights

  • Alternate Dispute Resolution

  • Bankruptcy

A Proven Business Leader

During his time in the practice of law, Mr. D’Avella also honed his skills as a business leader, working as Hannoch Weisman’s Managing Partner for 11 years. Mr. D'Avella was heavily involved in the firm’s growth and served extended terms on the firm’s Executive, Strategic Planning, Expansion and Marketing Committees. Under Mr. D’Avella’s skilled leadership, the law firm tripled from 35 attorneys in a single location to more than 125 across three locations. He was instrumental in completing the firm's merger with Sterns, Herbert, Weinroth & Petrino in 1988, thereby creating and running the second largest firm in the state of New Jersey for several years.

A Family Business Executive

Mr. D’Avella left the full-time practice of law in 1998 to become President and Chief Operating Officer of Prudent Publishing Company, a family-owned business and one of the largest, 8-figure producers of personalized greeting cards in the United States. The company also happened to be one of his oldest clients. At Prudent, Mr. D’Avella combined a lifetime of insights gained from counseling family-run enterprises with his knowledge of what it takes to run a successful business.

A Track Record of Success

The results at Prudent are evident in morale, succession planning, and the bottom line: he has significantly increased sales and almost doubled the profits, including four consecutive best years ever, from 2004 to 2007. He significantly increased employee satisfaction, and installed a top-flight management team where there was none before to ensure that both ownership and employees continued to flourish long after Bud stepped away from the President and COO's desk in June 2011 to focus his efforts on helping other family businesses realize more value.

A Much Sought-After Advisor
and Thought Leader

During and after his time at Prudent Publishing, Bud enhanced his position as a family business thought leader through board membership with various companies. He currently serves on the boards Newel Art Galleries, LLC, Tomco Construction, Inc., Bilco Wire Rope & Supply Company, as well as a principal advisor to the owners of several large Metropolitan area enterprises. He previously served extended terms on the boards of Latin Percussion & LP Music, Inc., The Garibaldi Group, General Magnaplate Corporation, The Owens Group, LLC, Prudent Publishing Company, and The W.A. Cleary Corporation. Corporation. Mr. D’Avella also served as the Chairman of the inaugural Mantoloking Beach Commission in Mantoloking, NJ in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. He is currently a member of both the Zoning and Planning Boards of the Borough of Essex Fells, NJ.

Member of the Federal and New Jersey State Bars (both since 1973)
Qualified Rule 1:40 Mediator - State of New Jersey Roster of Court-Approved Mediators

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