Former Wawa general counsel joins Phila. law firm as partner

The former general counsel and corporate secretary with Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Wawa Inc. has joined the ranks of a Philadelphia law firm.

Mark N. Suprenant, who served as general counsel for Wawa from 2005 to this year, is now a partner at Deeb Blum Murphy Frishberg & Markovich, P.C., which is headquartered in Philadelphia, and has an office across the Delaware River in Princeton, N.J.

Suprenant’s hiring was announced by his new firm in a statement posted on its website Nov. 1.

“Mark has it all – big firm experience, business law and management experience, and an understanding of the political landscape,” the firm’s managing partner, Peter J. Deeb, said in the statement. “We are delighted to have him on board and know that he will enhance the diverse legal services we offer.

“Mark’s experience and skills translate well to our practice,” Deeb continued. “He adds depth in corporate, employment and real estate law, and will also help open new business verticals in a variety of retail industries.”

According to the announcement, Suprenant, has practiced in large firms in both Philadelphia and Pittsburg, managed his own law firm in Cherry Hill, N.J., and taught paralegal programs.

For the six-year period serving as general counsel to Wawa, a popular convenience store chain that got its start in eastern Pennsylvania, and now employees more than 16,000 people in stores throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, Suprenant handled labor and employment matters and operational enhancements, as well as finance, real estate and investor relations.

Suprenant’s decision to move on, the firm’s statement said, stemmed from his desire to help clients with mid-sized companies who might not otherwise be able to afford qualified and experienced corporate legal representation.

“What appealed to me about the firm was the people in it,” Suprenant said in a statement. “I felt it was time to embrace change, and the opportunity to join an established, boutique firm based in Center City with a sophisticated practice was something I couldn’t turn down. I have a great deal of respect for the people at the firm and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to grow and build a team, which is something we did at Wawa.”

Suprenant, who obtained his law degree from the University Pennsylvania School of Law, began his career as an associate at Thorp, Reed & Armstrong in Pittsburg, before moving onto Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, and then Drinker Biddle & Reath in Philadelphia, according to the Deeb statement.

From there, he opened a private practice in Cherry Hill, N.J. Suprenant also has served on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Convenience Store Council, the New Jersey Food Councel and the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association.

He resides with his family in Chester County, Pa.