Stephen Harmelin is an attorney with over 50 years of experience in corporate law, securities, and financial transactions who also represents various governmental and non-profit entities. He lectures on law firm management, corporate, and other business financial transactions.
Steve is engaged in various civic and charitable activities. In 2003, he received a Certificate of Distinguished Service from the Director of the FBI for his work with its agents to recover an original Bill of Rights manuscript which was missing for 138 years. He was Founder of the Philadelphia Constitution Foundation whose projects included developing the exhibition in 1987 of an original Magna Carta in Philadelphia as well as providing assistance in 1992 to the drafters of the Russian Republic’s Constitution. In 2007 he was elected a Fellow of the Philadelphia College of Physicians and subsequently to its Board of Trustees. He has served for the past ten years on the Board of The Barnes Foundation which houses one of the world's largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early Modern paintings. Following approval by the Court, he worked tirelessly to bring the Collection to its new home on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. He is on the Board of the Atlantic Legal Foundation and is Chairman of the Thomas Skelton Harrison Foundation. He is also a Trustee and General Counsel to the National Constitution Center, a $200 million project that opened in Independence National Historical Park on July 4, 2003.
In 2005 Steve received the Replansky Award given by the Philadelphia Bar Association Corporate Law Committee to the attorney whose professional and civic accomplishments distinguished him and reflected “superior legal talent and professionalism.” He has been consistently chosen by a survey of his fellow lawyers to be listed in the publication, The Best Lawyers in America.