Best Lawyers in America for Municipal Law
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State
Erin Girard is a real estate and land use lawyer with significant experience in securing approvals on a wide range of complex commercial, institutional and mixed-use projects. She represents and advises clients in all aspects of land use law, including regulatory permitting and licensing, from planning through post-construction. Her practice spans due diligence review, zoning entitlements, rezoning, variances, special exceptions / conditional uses, subdivision approvals, historic preservation...
Chandler is a senior attorney in the Corporate and Securities Practice Group at Bradley. His practice focuses on public finance, including serving as bond counsel and underwriter’s counsel on both tax-exempt and taxable financings throughout Alabama. He has worked with numerous types of public entities, including cities, counties, school boards, utility boards and state-level authorities. He also represents governmental entities in economic development matters. Chandler also has extensi...
Bill Griffith advises local and national clients on legal and policy issues affecting land use, zoning, real estate, environmental review, municipal law, regulatory matters and government relations. He has served as legal counsel to Mall of America in all its phases and serves as city attorney for the city of Columbus. He is a trusted advisor on real estate development and public funding for both private clients and municipalities. Bill is a is a frequent speaker at seminars on land use, zoni...
David T. Caldon is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Land Use and Zoning Law, Municipal Law and Real Estate Law. David T. practices law in Grand Rapids, Michigan Best Lawyers has recognized David T. Caldon since 2018. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which David T. Caldon is held by other lawyers.
Peter Webster focuses his practice in the areas of Real Estate Litigation, Eminent Domain, and Commercial & Business Litigation. Mr. Webster has represented landowners and developers, governmental authorities, utility, transmission, and pipeline companies, educational entities and others in matters involving acquisitions, easements and rights of way condemnation under eminent domain, permit and development rights and the protection of property rights. Mr. Webster’s practice also foc...
Calm under pressure, dependable, and a true advocate for her clients, Mary is an experienced municipal and environmental law counselor. Having worked in the public sector for years before joining Bernstein Shur, she has a firsthand understanding of the issues faced by municipal and state employees and boards—and how to help her clients confront them. Her most recent public sector position was associate corporation counsel to the City of Portland, where she advised the city staff and cou...
Area of Emphasis Blaine Lucas is a shareholder in the Public Sector Group of Babst Calland. He is also a member of the firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Group, and is responsible for coordination of the firm’s representation of traditional and renewable energy industry clients on land use and other local regulatory matters. He has represented oil and gas operators in obtaining local government approvals for unconventional natural gas wells, compressor stations, meter stations, t...
Attorney Mario Coppola practices in the areas of municipal law, land use and zoning, property tax assessment appeals, general civil litigation and real estate transactions. He has handled hundreds of land use/zoning and tax appeal matters from the administrative level through the Connecticut courts. He has handled property tax appeals involving various types of real and personal property, including complex and specialized commercial properties, totaling billions of dollars over the years. Att...
Margaret L. Behm has earned the reputation as the go-to person in 45 years of representing clients and forging coalitions for change. After beginning her legal career in 1976 at Legal Services if Middle Tennessee, Inc., Behm and Marietta Shipley in 1980 founded Shipley and Behm, the city's first all-woman law firm. “Back then, women just weren’t taken seriously as business owners or lawyers,” Behm says. “I wanted to run my own business and demonstrate that women could ...
Diane Calta is a key member of the firm’s civil litigation and real estate and land use practice groups, bringing over 25 years of legal experience in municipal law, economic development, litigation, real estate, eminent domain, and probate and estate planning. She currently serves as Director of Law for Mayfield Village and as special legal counsel for the City of Independence. Her previous roles include serving as Director of Law for the cities of Beachwood and Green. Diane has also h...
Stacy L. Hissong is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Administrative / Regulatory Law, Environmental Law, Municipal Law, Natural Resources Law and Water Law. Stacy L. practices law in Okemos, Michigan Best Lawyers has recognized Stacy L. Hissong since 2017. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Stacy L. Hissong is held b...
Dean has extensive experience representing school districts throughout the state in matters involving general school law and federal special education law. He is also an AV-rated jury trial lawyer with trial experience in the area of commercial litigation, products liability defense and municipal representation. He has represented manufacturers, distributors, banks, retailers and developers in complex commercial litigation, including computer conversion, anti-trust, products liability, breach...
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...
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.
