Visionary – Marc Empey

PARTNER, SLOVAK BARON EMPEY MURPHY & PINKNEY

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ETHAN KAMINSKY

The partners at Slovak Baron Empey Murphy & Pinkney law firm believe in staying connected to the community. In fact, the founding partners grew up in the Coachella Valley and returned here to practice.

“We’ve had lifelong connections to the desert and wanted to make some professional investments here, including building a law firm,” says partner Marc Empey. “We want to be providers of jobs, be active in our community, be part of our charities, and be involved in the growth and development of the Coachella Valley going forward.”

The firm has offices in Princeton, N.J., and in Orange County, and practices civil litigation, business, estate planning, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate law. The Coachella Valley practice has grown to 17 lawyers.

“Every lawyer that we’ve drawn here has come here for a lifestyle change,” Empey says. “Any of these lawyers could be practicing in Los Angeles or San Francisco or New York, but they want to raise their families here. We have the opportunity to offer them affordable housing, a terrific lifestyle, and shorter commute times.”

Empey emphasized the development of the area as a desirable place to do business. “We have come a long way,” he says. “Palm Springs is not a sleepy little tourist town anymore. We have greater educational opportunities, a better-trained workforce, and an opportunity to bring in professionals and other skilled workers and give them a lifestyle that they probably can’t find anywhere else.”