Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Land Use and Zoning

Jennifer L. Hernandez co-chairs Holland & Knight’s National Environmental Team and leads the West Coast Land Use and Environment Practice Group. She divides her time between the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices, and works on projects in Northern and Southern California, as well as the Central Valley. She has achieved national prominence in her work on brownfields redevelopment, wetlands and endangered species, and master planned community projects. She represents private, nonpr...

Michael Berger is one of California’s preeminent appellate lawyers and is a partner in Manatt Real Estate and the appellate practice. One of the top land use and condemnation lawyers in the United States, his appellate cases have involved planning, zoning, eminent domain, various kinds of business litigation, landslides, contract, due process, equal protection, defective construction, nuisance, insurance and environmental law. Michael has argued four cases before the United States Supre...

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...

Thomas M. Hale is an experienced, skilled and effective trial and transactional lawyer who brings a wealth of knowledge to his clients in his practice areas of: Corporate and Transactional Employment and Labor Estate Planning, Administration and Trusts Local Government and Public Utilities Real Estate Professional Liability Litigation Commercial Corporate Municipal Land Use/Zoning He is a solution seeker and problem solver and works hard as an advocate for his clients in an honest, straight-f...

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...

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...

Michael Botnick is a member with more than 40 years of experience in commercial litigation and is a certified mediator. His practice encompasses transactions, real estate, contracts, and corporate law, as well as trusts and estates. In the last 28 years, Michael has dedicated a hefty portion of his time practicing construction law and handling litigation cases involving disputes, an area in which he has been recognized in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business . Chambers USA sta...

Pat has many years of experience in municipal and land use law. Representing a wide variety of clients including towns, cities and quasi municipal agencies, commercial and residential developers and opposition groups in a broad range of matters. Her municipal practice includes serving as Town counsel, land use counsel and special counsel. She provides advice on all aspects of municipal governance, assisting municipalities in the resolution of legal concerns of all types, from the review of ro...

Bill Serangeli represents business clients, including real estate companies, banks and insurance companies, in commercial litigation and insurance defense matters. He currently serves as general counsel for various Boards of Realtors® and regularly lectures on legal topics to bar associations and trade organizations on professional compliance issues and ethics. Bill is also active in professional community organizations including the Iowa State Bar Association and the Polk County Bar Asso...

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...

I have been a litigator at Devine Millimet for more than 27 years, practicing in the New Hampshire state and federal courts. My general commercial litigation practice covers land use and environmental matters, probate, and trust litigation. Another practice focus is Medicaid provider issues for social service agencies and long term care facilities, health insurance and managed care. I serve on the board of Devine Millimet and recently completed a term as chair of our Litigation Department. I ...

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...

G. Matthew Brockway is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Land Use and Zoning and Real Estate Law. G. Matthew, who practices law in Sarasota, Florida, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which G. Matthew is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Trenholm is a versatile litigation attorney who handles a wide variety of cases at the trial and appellate levels. As a result of his trial skills and accomplishments, he has received the distinction of membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and Litigation Counsel of America. He has also been ranked at the top among his peers by Super Lawyers®, Chambers USA® Legal Guide, and “Best Lawyers in America.” In addition to case...

Mark Bentley practices in the area of land use, eminent domain and property rights. He is a former planning director and has represented numerous private property owners against various governmental condemning authorities in eminent domain matters. He also practices in the areas of administrative law and legal matters. Mark taught land use law as an adjunct professor for the University of South Florida’s Urban and Regional Master’s Degree Program, and now serves on the program&rsq...

Edward L. Bleynat, Jr. began his legal career by clerking for James G. Exum, Jr., then the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Cutting hsi trial teeth at a major Greensboro business litigation firm. In 1995, Ed relocated to Asheville, to continue his law practice and to raise his family in Western North Carolina where he grew up. Ed and Joe Ferikes merged their practices into Ferikes & Bleynat, PLLC in 2001. Ed is actively involved in a variety of church, civic, and comm...