As part of its real estate practice, the firm specializes in the planning and zoning law, and in this context represents clients in a wide variety of transactions, ranging from relatively straightforward purchase and sale transactions concerning residential and commercial properties, to complex real estate development projects.  We advise clients on all aspects of planning and zoning law that are relevant to the establishment of real estate projects, from the preparation of city building plans to the submission of the variety of necessary applications to local authorities (including requests for exemptions and changes of building plans, and the like).  We also have considerable experience in matters relating to the determination of municipal boundaries and related zoning issues.

We place great emphasis on close cooperation with local planning commissions, in an attempt to minimize litigation and public hearings with respect to building and planning matters.  To achieve these ends, we develop in-depth familiarity with the properties in issue and the proposed construction plans, so that we can provide clients timely advice about the risks and difficulties that they are likely to encounter in the regulatory process and so that we can provide constructive suggestions for facilitating the process to the extent possible.

In this regard, among other things, we represent clients in all relevant stages and before all applicable administrative commissions and agencies in the planning regulatory process, and we provide legal opinions where necessary to enable the process to progress; we participate in appellate administrative hearings and in court hearings reviewing administrative decisions in planning matters; we represent clients in claims of violations of local building codes; we file oppositions to city building plans that are inconsistent with our clients' interests, and negotiate with local planning authorities to maximize our clients' building rights; and we provide advice related to the determination of betterment levies and represent clients in hearings with appraisers on such matters.