Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Law
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State
Frank J. Vitolo, a Member of the Sills Cummis & Gross Real Estate Department and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Land Use Law Practice Group, is a recognized leader in planning, zoning and redevelopment law. His practice is state-wide and he has served as lead development counsel for many of the region’s major real estate projects, including the planning and redevelopment of M-Station Morristown – Sanofi and Deloitte’s new headquarters in New Jersey, Valley Bank’s new...
Born Ponca City, Oklahoma, July 5, 1941; admitted to bar, 1966, Oklahoma. Preparatory education, Oklahoma State University (B.S., 1963); legal education, University of Oklahoma (J.D., 1966). Fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta. Assistant Attorney General, State of Oklahoma, 1968. (J.A.G.C., U.S. Army, 1966-68).
Ben Hutton is a partner in the firm's Huntsville office, where he is member of the firm's Real Estate and Banking and Financial Services Practice Groups. His primary areas of practice include real estate, commercial lending, and general commercial transactions. His practice concentrates on all aspects of commercial real estate acquisition, development, leasing, sale and financing transactions involving a variety of property types. Ben's significant experience includes: representing purchasers...
Cecily Barclay focuses her practice on land use and entitlements, real estate acquisition and development and local government law. She regularly assists landowners, developers and public agencies throughout Northern California in all aspects of acquisition, entitlement and development of land, including land use application processing, drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, negotiating and securing the approval of development agreements, general plan amendments, specific plan...
Sharon Nelson Craig is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. Sharon Nelson, who practices law in Bethesda, Maryland, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sharon Nelson is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
A partner with Ball Janik LLP, Chris Walters has practiced at the firm for over 25 years. His areas of practice include real estate, construction, finance, sales and leasing, venture formation and representation, public contracting, and all aspects of project funding, development and management. He has assisted developers, investors, landlords, tenants, lenders, corporations, public agencies, contractors, design professionals, health organizations, resort and hospitality providers, and religi...
Dennis Johnson practices in the areas of real estate finance and development, serving as counsel on large, multistate transactions. He represents lenders in syndicated construction and term loans, counseling them in their capacities as administrative agent and co-lender. Dennis also works with lenders in the negotiation of participation agreements. For more than three decades, Dennis has represented construction and permanent real estate lenders, commercial real estate developers, developers ...
R. Gerard Lutz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law. R. Gerard, who practices law in Bellevue, Washington, has been recognized since 2017. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which R. Gerard is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ed Wicks focuses his practice in the areas of real estate transactions and development, secured financings and workouts, leasing transactions and hospitality law. In his years of experience, he has: Represented public and private hospitality companies in the acquisition, management, financing, debt restructuring and disposition of domestic and foreign hotel and resort properties; Represented lenders, special servicers and borrowers in securitized financings, loan enforcement and workouts, and...
Joel Hilgendorf is a partner in the real estate practice group of Hellmuth & Johnson. He is certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a Real Property Law Specialist. Joel counsels banks, businesses, individuals, and community associations in all legal issues related to real estate, including sale, purchase, leasing, and financing of residential and commercial property.
Christopher R. Mykytiak is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law and Real Estate Law. Christopher R., who practices law in Cleveland, Ohio, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christopher R. 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.