Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
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State
Chris Roper is a land use lawyer focused on real estate development, entitlements, and concurrency. He has experience throughout central Florida representing clients in due diligence, re-zonings, comprehensive plan amendments, vested rights, Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs), binding letters, and special taxing districts, including community development districts (CDD). Chris also has experience in real estate tax appeals.
Hans’ broad and varied background allows him to provide clients with a balanced perspective and a complete understanding of the issues. Prior to becoming an attorney, Hans was an entrepreneur and small business owner. He has served as in-house counsel for a large regulatory entity and a start-up company. He has worked with national corporations and local homeowners associations. He has successfully litigated multi-million dollar construction claims on behalf of condominium associations ...
Mike Vercher is a partner and former chair of Christian & Small’s Insurance and Financial Services Practice Group. For over 20 years, he has represented insurance companies and their insureds in litigation and coverage disputes. Mike also routinely represents businesses in complex mass tort, workplace exposure, construction, transportation, product liability, premises liability, breach of contract and fraud litigation. He has tried cases as lead counsel in seven different Alabama co...
James G. Powers is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Banking and Finance, Litigation - Bankruptcy, Litigation - Construction and Litigation - Land Use and Zoning. James G., who practices law in Omaha, Nebraska, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geogra...
Mr. Sher is a business lawyer whose practice is concentrated in commercial real estate and business and finance law. He also practices in the areas of: commercial litigation, creditors' rights, workouts and foreclosures, commercial bankruptcy, disaster recovery, arbitration and mediation, secured finance and asset based lending. Along with his practice, Mr. Sher is actively involved with many professional and trade organizations, including the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, where he...
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...
A. Bernard “Bernie” Bays is a Director of the firm. Mr. Bays has over 50 years of experience successfully representing clients in over 150 landmark Hawaii litigation cases. Mr. Bays focuses his practice in the areas of complex commercial litigation, business litigation, real estate litigation, trusts and estates litigation, legal malpractice law-defendant litigation, real estate law and land use and zoning law. Mr. Bays is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board o...
Ms. Hagerman’s practice focuses on employment litigation and complex commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on matters pending in federal court. She has represented clients in cases involving employment discrimination, wage and hour class actions, civil rights, products liability, insurance coverage and numerous areas of commercial law. Ms. Hagerman also advises clients on a variety of employment matters including non-solicitation and non-competition agreements, employee hand...
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...
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...
Joe Trauth's practice is concentrated in areas of civil litigation, zoning and planning law and real estate law. He has been extremely successful in major rezoning for local and national clients and in obtaining real estate property tax reductions for major commercial properties in this region. He has also handled major eminent domain cases and construction cases. From 1967-1969, Joe served in the United States Peace Corps in Western Samoa as Assistant to the Director of Economic Development ...
Kenneth B. Bley is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation - Land Use and Zoning and Real Estate Law. Kenneth B., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 1995. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kenneth B. 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.