Best Lawyers in America for Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
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State
Kevin Walsh is a highly experienced attorney who has represented hundreds of property owners in cases involving the taking of property by governmental authorities exercising the power of eminent domain. The eminent domain process is complicated, and the laws surrounding it are not always easy to interpret. For more than 40 years, Kevin has advised his clients on eminent domain procedures in a clear, objective, and thoughtful manner while working to protect their best interests and constitutio...
Charles is a board-certified civil trial lawyer and primarily represents property owners in securing just compensation when government takes private property for public use. While his experience has included takings projects for highway expansion, pipelines, electric transmission lines, and flood control, Charles’s principal practice is focused on highway and roadway widening projects impacting retail, commercial, and industrial uses. Charles has obtained successful special commissioner...
Mark Murakami practices in the firm's Dispute Resolution, Real Estate, Construction, and Business & Commercial Law practice groups. His focus is on complex commercial disputes, land use negotiation and litigation, environmental, and general civil litigation. He has appeared in all federal and states courts in Hawaii, most of the administration boards and commissions, and is licensed in the U.S. Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Court of Federal Claims. He is rated by Marti...
A skilled and experienced litigator, Joe’s practice at Lewis Babcock includes eminent domain, business disputes and fiduciary negligence. He also represents clients in appeals. He’s an affiliate member of the Owners’ Counsel of America, an invitation-only national group of eminent domain attorneys who represent landowners.Joe came to Lewis Babcock after serving as a prosecutor in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office. He prosecuted a range of cases, including f...
Gaylord Merlin represents property and business owners in eminent domain and property rights litigation throughout the State of Florida. Our firm guides an owner through the condemnation process, protects an owner's property rights, and fights for an owner to receive full compensation. Andrew G. Diaz represents a variety of business and property owners in eminent domain and property rights litigation. He has handled cases involving the taking of large vacant parcels, national big box retailer...
Lela M. Hollabaugh has served as the lead trial lawyer in more than a dozen jury trials, as well as more than two dozen bench trials, arbitrations and administrative hearings. She advises leading natural gas pipeline companies on issues involving location, land acquisition, construction and operations. Hollabaugh serves as lead counsel for several pipeline projects in the southeast involving more than 200 lawsuits. She also represents leading pharmaceutical, medical device and other manufactu...
Jody Harper Alderman grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 1991 with a BA in History and a BA in Economics. Jody graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1994, Order of the Coif. She was the Editor in Chief of the Law Review. She has been in private practice since 1994 and is currently a member/owner of the firm Alderman Bernstein LLC, where she practices in the areas of eminent domain and condemnation law and real estate-related lit...
Liam maintains a broad practice grounded in all types of real estate matters. Liam’s litigation practice focuses on property law, including disputes involving title and boundary issues, easements, adverse possession and prescriptive easements; public and private road issues; title insurance claims; land use, zoning and Act 250; construction, condemnation and tax appeals. In the course of his practice, Liam has represented landowners, developers, municipalities and neighborhood groups in...
Justin P. Matkin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law and Litigation - Real Estate. Justin P., who practices law in Salt Lake City, Utah, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Justin P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
George Soneff is a partner in the Los Angeles office. He has over 30 years' experience in complex litigation in state and federal courts, and administrative tribunals. He has an extensive background handling real property litigation, including real estate development and valuation, land use restrictions and governmental regulation of property rights, eminent domain/inverse condemnation, ownership disputes, construction-related claims, water rights, and insurance. His clients have included maj...
Mr. Hardy’s areas of practice include: civil litigation, insurance defense, business litigation, formation & licensing; real estate; administrative & regulatory law; campaign & election law; First Amendment & defamation; legislative affairs; intellectual property; constitutional law and eminent domain. Mr. Hardy returned to Marquis Aurbach after serving as vice president and general house counsel for a prominent firearms group. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Hardy served...
Brian McMillan brings experience and insight from more than 10 years in manufacturing, distribution and sales and more than 26 years practicing law at Brooks Pierce to bear on his counsel to individuals and businesses. His practice focuses on a variety of litigation and transactional matters. Brian’s business and practical background gives him a deep understanding of clients’ goals, operations and legal challenges. His business and corporate practice includes negotiating and draft...
Terence O’Toole is a Director of the Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher law firm. He manages the firm’s litigation department and has over 50 years of experience in the area of commercial and complex litigation. Mr. O'Toole has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America ® , as a "Lawyer of the Year" in Honolulu in the practice areas of Bet-The-Company (2011, 2019, 2023) , Banking & Finance Litigation (2012, 2015, 2024) , Appellate Practice (2014, 2018, 2022, 2024)...
Stephanie Hutchins Autry has been a trial lawyer since 1987 and has focused her practice on eminent domain since 2000. Before joining Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog as a partner in 1995, Stephanie was a partner in the Raleigh office of an international law firm. Stephanie’s career has included dozens of successful jury and bench trials and reported appellate decisions. For the last 15 years, Stephanie has concentrated her practice exclusively in the area of eminent domain, representing p...
Lee D. Wedekind III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law. Lee D., who practices law in Jacksonville, Florida, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lee D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.