Best Lawyers in America for Land Use and Zoning Law
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State
Neil Sekhri is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law. Neil, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Neil is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Passionate about real estate and development, John has dedicated his over 30-year career to protecting clients’ property rights and achieving their goals. Practicing in all facets of real estate – including acquisition, disposition, leasing, finance, construction, eminent domain, and real property tax – John represents national and regional clients in industry sectors including commercial, office, retail, industrial, and residential. Notably, John devotes a significant part ...
Doug Berry concentrates his practice in land use and zoning, eminent domain, municipal law, state administrative law and commercial litigation, particularly disputes related to real estate. Mr. Berry advises and represents private and public sector clients on antitrust and trade regulatory issues. He represents both land developers and municipalities in zoning and planning matters, as well as buyers and sellers in commercial real estate transactions. Mr. Berry has been a Rule 31 Mediator sinc...
Nicholas Barshel practices in the area of land use and development, representing clients in all aspects of the development approval process including due diligence review, planning and zoning applications, submerged lands issues, dock and marina permits, historic preservation, code compliance, and other aspects of complex land use and zoning matters with federal, state, and local agencies. He has assisted clients in development of major projects across South Florida and beyond, including the ...
Samuel E. Swafford is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law. Samuel E., who practices law in Indianapolis, Indiana, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Samuel E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Todd E. Lehder is co-chair of the Real Estate team at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. Mr. Lehder is ranked by Chambers USA for Real Estate in New Jersey and is a fellow with the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Mr. Lehder represents professional developers, real estate investors, lenders, and property management companies, as well as borrowers, landlords, and tenants in a variety of office, industrial, retail, and residential projects in New Jersey. He handles complex commercial ...
Mike Brown is the head of the Real Estate Litigation Team at the firm. Mike is a member of the firm’s Environmental and Toxic Tort Practice Group and the General Litigation Practice Group. Mike’s emphasis in both practice groups is on real property and land use matters. Because of this emphasis in his practice, Mike also works very closely with the Real Estate Group. For the past several years, Mike has served as an adjunct Professor at the University of Alabama School of Law wher...
Jeff Brenner is a trial lawyer who represents clients in complex business disputes in federal and state courts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, arbitrations, mediations and before regulatory agencies. Jeff concentrates his practice on construction and real estate disputes, and he leads the firm’s Real Estate Litigation team and Construction group. What do you focus on? I help people and businesses that have disputes requiring litigation. I focus on construction and complex real estate...
Richard Richter is a Member of the Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert law firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. His practice primarily includes real estate law, construction and development, zoning and regulatory matters, governmental relations, commercial finance and business transactions. Mr. Richter has an educational background in engineering and in law. He attended Tulane University and received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Degree (BSCE) in 1968. He pursued graduate E...
Chris Colwell concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial real estate transactions, representing owners, sellers, and developers in a variety of transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, routine and complex leasing matters, financings and development of commercial real estate properties throughout South Carolina and the United States. Chris has significant third-party legal opinion experience for real estate lending in the State of South Carolina. Chris also...
C. David Brown II is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Government Relations Practice, Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law. C. David, who practices law in Orlando, Florida, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which C. David is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Michael has an active land use and zoning practice in Miami-Dade County, with a broad specialization in Miami Beach, where he frequently appears in front of the City Commission, Historic Preservation Board, Design Review Board, the Board of Adjustment, and the Planning Board. Michael also does work in Bay Harbour, Sunny Isles, Key Biscayne, Aventura and Bal Harbour. Additionally, his practice extends to appellate litigation matters before the Eleventh Judicial Circuit’s Appellate Divisi...
Robert McConnell is a member of the firm’s transaction and real estate practice groups and has substantial experience in commercial financing transactions representing lenders, borrowers and developers. Mr. McConnell represents clients undertaking a wide variety of commercial and residential real estate development activities, including residential, retail and office condominium developments, low-income housing projects utilizing tax credit financing, subdivision and mixed-use community...
Andrew’s practice is focused on zoning, land use, real estate law, government relations and municipal law. His areas of concentration include development agreements, rezoning ordinances, code enforcement, intergovernmental financing agreements and complex transactional matters. Prior to joining Burch & Cracchiolo, Andrew served as the Town Attorney for the Town of Paradise Valley for 22 years from 1998-2020. He oversaw high quality growth and development that strictly adhered to the...
Robert W. Bucknam, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law. Robert W., who practices law in Voorhees, New Jersey, has been recognized since 2015. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Robert W. 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.