Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Land Use and Zoning

Jim focuses his practice on representing public and private sector clients in complex matters involving zoning, condemnation, economic incentives, elections, telecommunications, municipal law, environmental law and commercial real estate. He assists clients in landfill development, obtaining economic incentives from state and local governments, locating cell towers, condemnations, election challenges, rezonings, annexation disputes and procurement challenges. Jim practiced for 18 years in the...

Sharon V. Lovejoy represents clients in a wide variety of litigation matters with primary focus in commercial, real estate and business litigation. Ms. Lovejoy has been named to The Best Lawyers in America ® , "Lawyer of the Year" in Honolulu list, Appellate P ractice (2020), Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law (2015, 2019, 2024, 2026) and Litigation-Banking & Finance (2014, 2022, 2025). Lovejoy is also recognized by The Best Lawyers in America ® (in “Appellate Law”, "Arb...

Orville D. Coward, Jr. was born in Sylva, North Carolina on December 22, 1953. He graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 1976 with a BA in English and went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina Law School in 1979, where he reestablished and served as President of Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity. He was admitted to U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina in 1979, and to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1985.Mr. Coward began his p...

William K. Fahey is a Michigan lawyer serving public utilities and municipalities for more than 32 years. He represents electric and natural gas utilities in administrative, regulatory, commercial and appellate matters, and has been involved in nearly every major matter affecting Michigan public utilities over the last three decades. Mr. Fahey has represented more than 100 Michigan municipalities throughout Michigan, both as municipal attorney and as special counsel, principally handling muni...

Michael Bentley is a partner in the Jackson, Mississippi office, where he concentrates his practice on appellate and commercial litigation. In addition to his responsibilities at the firm, Michael was elected Chair of the Mississippi Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section (2013-2014) and currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Bar Association of the Federal Fifth Circuit. Prior to joining the firm, Michael clerked for Judge Leslie H. Southwick at the Fifth Circuit Court...

Robert B. Ireland, III, was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2002 and is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Mississippi and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Robert has handled and assisted with all aspects of litigated matters, through trial and appeal, in both state and federal courts and also in arbitration proceedings. He has also appeared before municipal and county authorities on numerous zoning related matters. Robert has extensive lit...

David P. Lanferman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law and Litigation - Land Use and Zoning. David P., who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

J. Randall Jones is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Construction, Litigation - Land Use and Zoning and Litigation - Real Estate. J. Randall, who practices law in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been recognized since 1999. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Randall is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Rob's active business litigation practice focuses primarily on complex commercial disputes in the federal courts, including false and deceptive trade practice, false advertising, and consumer labeling claims, commercial fraud claims, products liability, civil RICO, breach of fiduciary duty claims, and intellectual property disputes including trademark, trade dress and copyright. He is also one of New Hampshire's most experienced litigators on the scope and application of the New Hampshire Con...

Mark Bentley is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, certified planner, and board-certified attorney with more than 30 years of experience representing clients in land use, zoning, eminent domain, and property rights matters throughout Florida. Based in Tampa, Florida, he serves clients at Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns LLP . His practice areas include Land Use and Zoning Law and Litigation - Land Use and Zoning. Mark represents private property owners, developers, businesses, and commercia...

Natalie practices municipal, environmental, land use and administrative law and represents both public and private clients. Before joining the firm, she served as Associate Corporation Counsel for the City of Portland for 10 years. Natalie graduated from Bowdoin College, with departmental honors in Romance Languages. She received her law degree from the University of Maine School of Law. She has made presentations on municipal and land use issues at seminars sponsored by the Maine State Bar A...

Charles Ruffin, shareholder in the Firm's Atlanta and Macon offices, has amassed over 30 years a wide array of litigation experience. He currently concentrates his practice in eminent domain and condemnation law, representing landowners and business operators of all sizes in eminent domain, condemnation and inverse condemnation matters. Mr. Ruffin's clients include a wide variety of national and international businesses from large multinational corporations to small individually owned busines...

Judson A. Welborn, a member of Manning Fulton's litigation section, concentrates his practice in the areas of real property litigation, construction litigation and business litigation. He has extensive experience representing clients in the state and federal courts of North Carolina, as well as administrative agencies and arbitration forums, in a variety of litigation matters involving real property and title insurance disputes, construction disputes, franchise, taxation and other business di...

Karl Brandes practices in the areas of civil trial and commercial litigation. His practice includes petroleum marketing litigation; franchise and other trade regulation litigation; class action litigation; environmental litigation; construction litigation for engineer, architect, contractor and developer clients; condominium litigation; professional liability litigation for lawyer and engineer clients; computer litigation; personal injury litigation, including insurance and self-insured defen...

Ethan Zubic serves as Assistant Chair of the Admiralty & Maritime Section of the Firm and focuses his practice on commercial litigation in a wide range of practice areas, from cooperative purchasing enterprises to property damage to legacy litigation, as well as admiralty and maritime law, insurance coverage and defense, real estate litigation and commercial transactions. He has handled cases involving property insurance, ocean marine insurance coverage disputes, subrogation claims, marin...

Greg Kugle concentrates his practice in the area of litigation. He works in the areas of commercial disputes and business litigation, construction, land use and real estate, antitrust, product liability and personal injury, aviation, bankruptcy, admiralty and insurance coverage. He has litigated cases before the Hawaii District and Circuit Courts, the Hawaii Bankruptcy Court and United States District Court, and has handled appeals before the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, the Hawaii S...