Our Team
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Marian W. Walsh, Esq.
Email: marianwalsh@spalaw2.com
Marian Wait Walsh, a founding member of the firm, is a native Saratogian. She graduated from Cornell University where she raced on the Cornell Women’s Downhill Ski Team, serving as Captain her senior year. After college, she taught junior high school mathematics in Saranac Lake, New York, then worked in banking in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, for approximately two years, becoming fluent in Dutch.
After returning to the States, she graduated from Boston University School of Law and after practicing law in New Hampshire for three years, she returned to New York. In 1988 she opened her own practice in Saratoga Springs, and in 1991, she and her husband, Joseph, became partners in Walsh & Walsh.
The primary areas of Mrs. Walsh’s current practice are estate planning, including wills and trusts, estate administration, commercial law, banking and small business.
Mrs. Walsh has served on the Board of Directors of numerous not-for-profits, most recently for Sustainable Saratoga.
Mrs. Walsh was born in Albany, New York; admitted to bar, 1981, New Hampshire (inactive); 1985, New York and U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York. -
Joseph M. Walsh, Esq.
Email: joewalsh@spalaw2.com
Joe has been in private practice in the Saratoga Springs region since 1981. A significant portion of his practice includes representing condominium and homeowners’ associations (“Community Associations”), and acting as counsel to Sponsors of Homeowners’ Associations and Condominium Offering Plans under New York's "Blue Sky" Law, the Martin Act. His representation of Community Associations involves monetary collections, enforcement of covenants and restrictions, advising Boards about fiduciary responsibilities, drafting Declarations and By-Laws and rules and regulations, and also counseling the Boards through the transition of control from Sponsors. He also represents clients in a wide variety of residential and commercial real estate transactions, including environmental law, subdivision and zoning matters, and handles real property litigation matters, including easement rights and boundary line disputes. He is listed for real estate law in Best Lawyers in America and in Super Lawyers.
He also represents lenders making loans to Community Associations throughout New York State, with loan amounts ranging from $100,000 to $6,000,000.
He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association from 1994-2018, was the State-wide Co-Chair of the Section's Condominiums and Cooperatives Committee from 1996 until 2006 and was the Co-Chair of the Section’s Continuing Legal Education Committee from 2006-2016.
In addition to his real estate practice, Joe represents several local non-profit organizations and a variety of business clients. He has been counsel for the Town of Wells in Hamilton County since 1987. He is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers and regularly acts as bond counsel to several municipal bond issuers.
Joe has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan, a Master’s Degree in Urban and Environmental Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Juris Doctor Degree from Albany Law School of Union University.
He is admitted to practice in New York and the U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York. He is a member of the Saratoga County, New York State and American Bar Associations and the National Association of Bond Lawyers. -
Jesse P. Schwartz, Esq.
Email: jesse@spalaw2.com
Jesse’s practice focuses on litigation, representing homeowners’ association and condominium boards and owners, real estate and land use matters, contracts and other types of civil matters. His experience includes litigating complex cases at both the trial and appellate levels in federal and state courts in New York. Jesse brings a practical and comprehensive “big picture” approach to every case or matter, mindful that that success is determined by achieving the client’s goals as effectively and efficiently as possible. In that regard, Jesse is a proponent of pursuing early dispute resolution, including mediation, where possible.
Jesse’s legal career began in 2006, first as an associate at a Manhattan law firm specializing in condominium/cooperative associations, and then rising to become a partner at the firm where he was head of its litigation department. The hectic pace of civil litigation in New York City courts provided extensive and invaluable experience, but also the realization that he desired a more sustainable and manageable career.
In 2013, Jesse moved to Saratoga Springs with his family and began working with Marian and Joe Walsh on an “of counsel” basis, while simultaneously continuing to oversee the litigation department at the Manhattan firm remotely. In 2021, he began the process of transitioning his career to Saratoga Springs full-time, and Walsh & Walsh became Walsh Schwartz LLP.
He was admitted to practice in New York State in 2006, and is also admitted the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He is a member of the New York State and New York City Bar Associations.
Jesse previously served as president of the board of directors of a local private school. Outside of work, Jesse coaches his daughters’ softball teams, enjoys cooking (and thinks he’s better at it than he probably is), travel, hiking and biking.
St. John’s University School of Law, Juris Doctor
State University of New York at Geneseo, B.S.
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Joan B. Bleikamp, Esq.
Email: jbleikamp@spalaw2.com
Joan B. Bleikamp concentrates her practice in the area of municipal finance. She has acted as bond counsel to the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York as well as to towns, villages, cities, counties, school districts, fire districts and other municipal corporations in New York State. She has extensive experience in acting as bond counsel to municipalities in connection with the New York Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan programs administered by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation and various loan programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development. She has also acted as bond counsel to several industrial development agencies in New York State and the Vermont Industrial Development Authority.
In addition to acting as bond counsel, Ms. Bleikamp has represented underwriters and trustees in municipal and public authority finance transactions in New York, Vermont, Maine, Georgia, Kansas and Missouri. She has participated in a wide variety of financing transactions, including letter of credit secured revenue debt structures, lower floaters and multimodal financings, as well as more traditional general obligation municipal finance transactions. She had lead drafting responsibility in the creation of a successful collateralized letter of credit program that has been used by two lending institutions in connection with both tax-exempt and taxable bond offerings.
Ms. Bleikamp has also acted as special counsel to several municipalities in New York State which have received funding for community development projects through the Canal Corridor Initiative, a program of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Ms. Bleikamp has served as Secretary and a Director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, as a member of the Saratoga County YMCA Membership Committee, as Chairman of the Town of Argyle Zoning Board of Appeals, as Treasurer and Recording Secretary of the Washington County Historical Society and as a member of the Washington County Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
Ms. Bleikamp graduated cum laude from Albany Law School of Union University in 1983. She received a bachelor’s degree with honors from Colorado State University in 1975 and a master’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University in 1978. She is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers. -
Jane French
Jane has over 25 years of professional law office knowledge. She began working at Walsh & Walsh in 2000 as a Legal Assistant, serving as one of the firm’s real estate closing coordinators. She has assisted in countless residential and commercial closings and refinances and is well-versed in providing support for homeowner association and condominium representation. Jane has extensive civil litigation experience, including the preparation of pleadings, discovery demands and responses and trial preparation. She is responsible for a broad range of duties that support the firm and help it operate efficiently. She handles the office bookkeeping and is the point person for vendors and other business representatives. With her robust knowledge of our client base, she is efficient at handling client inquiries and assists all our attorneys.
Jane is a lifelong resident of Saratoga County. She enjoys spending time with her husband and three teenagers. She’s active in her community and volunteers her time to the Old Saratoga Athletic Association and Advocates for the Schuylerville Public Library.
Russell Sage College, 1997
A.A.S Legal Studies
NYS Notary Public -
Geneva (Genna) Henderson
Geneva (Genna) Henderson grew up in Greenfield Center. She graduated from St. John’s College in Annapolis in 2006 with a double major in philosophy and history of math and science. After graduation, she worked for Casey and Casey for fifteen years as their chief real estate closing coordinator and joined Walsh and Walsh (now Walsh Schwartz) in the summer of 2022.
Genna handles most of the real estate at Walsh Schwartz, works with Marian on probate and estate planning files and with Joe on homeowners’ association matters, and provides general support for all of the attorneys. She also handles client billing and accounts receivable.
Genna lives in Porter Corners with her husband, three cats, and hive of bees (the bees live in the yard, not the house). In her spare time, she moonlights as a freelance proofreader, sings alto in the Bethesda church choir, and takes figure skating classes on the weekends.