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Find Lawyers in America for Municipal Law
Practice Area Overview
Attorneys who practice municipal law act as a municipality’s attorney for all legal matters or special counsel for specific legal matters. Municipal attorneys also assist in ensuring that the day-to-day operations of the municipality and any matters enacted by its governing body comply with local, state, and federal laws. These laws include those that may affect any potential liability of the municipality and those elected or appointed individuals and employees involved in its operations. The practice of municipal law encompasses a wide range of issues including, but not limited to the scope of the municipality’s police power, employment, and labor issues, real estate, zoning and land use matters, economic development, imposition of taxes, public bidding and contracts, tax assessments, environmental regulations, and access to public meetings and public information.
Municipal attorneys can also act as private legal counsel, providing services for individuals, partnerships, corporations, and other entities in their encounters, both adversarial and non-adversarial, with governmental entities.
Finally, a municipal attorney may act as an advocate for municipalities and private entities before various courts, administrative agencies, and the municipality’s various boards and commissions.
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Katie Baynes, a partner in Nixon Peabody’s Public Finance group, focuses her practice on project finance, infrastructure finance and public finance. She represents government authorities, issuers and underwriters in connection with project financings including stadiums and arenas as well as industrial development revenue bonds; college and university bonds; hospital, health care, and senior living bonds; and other exempt facility bonds. What do you focus on? Project Finance I have been ...
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 ...
G. Kenneth Bernhard is a principal in Cohen and Wolf's Municipal , Business & Corporate , Real Estate , Family Law and Appellate Groups. Dividing his time between the firm's Bridgeport and Westport offices, Mr. Bernhard represents municipalities and a wide range of businesses, as well as individuals, in litigation, real estate, matrimonial and commercial matters. Mr. Bernhard has extensive experience in all phases of municipal law, including land use, administrative appeals, condemnations...
Bradley Bingham is a partner in the Government Services and Finance Department of the firm's Indianapolis, Indiana office. He concentrates his practice in the areas of general municipal law, public finance, and economic development. In addition, Bradley routinely works with Indiana cities, towns, and counties on a wide variety of state and federal lobbying issues. Bradley graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics and history from Dartmouth College. He received his law degree magna cum l...
Lee Birchall’s practice focuses on public finance in Alabama, where he serves as bond counsel to cities, counties, utilities, school boards, and various other types of governmental entities that issue tax-exempt and taxable securities. He also represents cities and counties in negotiations with private developers for economic development transactions. In addition to representing public bodies, Lee has experience serving as counsel to underwriters, trustee banks and commercial banks in t...
Kim Blanchet concentrates her practice in municipal finance, including complex taxable and tax-exempt transactions. Experience is everything in the area of public finance, which is an inherently technical and specialized discipline. With two continuous decades of practice, Kim is well-respected in her field for her deal structure experience and responsiveness. Kim has worked on a variety of taxable and tax-exempt financings for cities, towns, counties, regional water and sewer districts, cons...
Ira W. Bloom is a senior partner in the firm. He has practiced in the land use and municipal areas for many years. Mr. Bloom has been Town Attorney for Westport since 1998, Town Attorney for New Canaan since 2012, Town Counsel for Wilton since 2016, Weston Town Attorney since May 2018, and has served as counsel to Easton and Madison for several years. He has also represented other municipalities, along with numerous applicants and neighborhood associations throughout the state. Mr. Bloom is a...
Ms. Bowman has had a significant amount of experience acting both as bond counsel and underwriter’s counsel in a number of bond transactions, both at the state and local levels. She has acted as bond counsel for regional wastewater treatment and other systems, and represented the owners of a $230 million racetrack in Kansas City, Missouri in connection with bond financing for the facility. Ms. Bowman represents clients in securities law matters. She has also counseled clients on complia...
For more than 40 years Lee has provided counsel to local governments and municipalities across the state on a wide range of legal issues, from bond issuance to land use. He is keenly aware of the needs of governmental clients and uniquely adept at meeting them. As testament to his talent and work ethic, he currently manages approximately 40 towns, cities, and districts. Lee has been approved as bond counsel in connection with issues of the Maine Municipal Bond Bank and the United States Depar...
Steve Briglia has extensive trial experience in both civil and criminal law matters. He has tried cases before judges and juries in both state and federal court. He has also served as counsel in administrative hearings and arbitrations. Mr. Briglia’s clients range from national and regional businesses to individuals involved in business disputes and criminal investigations. Mr. Briglia is a founding member of BrigliaHundley. Mr. Briglia has served on numerous boards and commissions in h...
James R. Brown concentrates his law practice in municipal law and real property law. He represents many townships, villages, cities and other municipal bodies throughout West Michigan and elsewhere in the state. His law practice has a particular emphasis in the representation of townships, and he serves as general counsel for a large number of townships in Kent County and in surrounding counties. Jim is also an experienced township official, having served for 25 years as chairperson of the Gr...
Ronald Bultje is a Member in Dickinson Wright's Grand Rapids office. His practice is concentrated in the areas of municipal law and labor relations. He represents numerous municipalities throughout the western half of Michigan’s lower peninsula. He has extensive experience in advising legislative bodies, planning commissions, and zoning boards of appeal. In representing municipalities, Mr. Bultje provides a full array of services, including advice on contracts, intergovernmental relatio...
Managing partner of the Indianapolis office and a member of the firm’s Management Committee, Brian Burdick practices in the areas of government services and public finance law. In his third decade of practice, Brian remains dedicated to understanding his clients’ business goals and most importantly, what a win looks like for their company. Brian represents both public and private clients before state and local regulatory bodies and administrative agencies. His experience includes ...
Kane Burnette’s primary practice involves serving as bond counsel to municipalities, counties, boards of education and public corporations throughout Alabama on both publicly underwritten and privately placed tax-exempt financings. Kane is particularly active in the public education sector, where he has represented both public universities and boards of education on tax and finance matters, and he currently serves on the faculty of the University of Alabama's academy for finance trainin...
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...
Trey Byars has successfully tried cases to verdict ranging from simple automobile accidents to complex products liability and insurance disputes. In recognition of his trial skills, Trey has achieved membership by invitation to such prestigious organizations as the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys. In addition to his litigation practice, Trey is actively involved in several legal organizations that focus on competence and professionalism in the ...
Barry Carrigan focuses his practice on project finance, infrastructure finance and public finance. Barry represents developers, issuers and lenders on a range of project finance and public finance projects including renewable energy facilities, transit oriented developments, waste to energy projects, charter schools and multi-family housing transactions.Barry has been selected as one of The Bond Buyer’s 2020 Rising Stars, a program which showcases the brightest young minds in the munici...
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...
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...
Jeffrey M. Donofrio has been practicing law in Connecticut since 1990. Jeff's practice is focused, by design, on 3 areas: construction law, municipal law and commercial litigation. In addition to his extensive expertise in the foregoing areas of the law, Jeff's responsiveness, passion and commitment to clients, ability to understand each client's unique needs, and his efficiency enable him to effectively serve the needs of many local municipalities and businesses of all sizes. Jeff's approach...
Taylor Earl’s legal practice focuses exclusively on zoning, land use, and municipal law. As an Arizona native, Taylor takes pride in contributing to the quality development and redevelopment of his home state. His extensive experience spans all sectors of real estate development, including residential (single-family and multi-family), industrial, commercial, office, food and entertainment, hospitality, and more. Taylor has successfully secured entitlements and various land use approvals...
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...
Mr. Estis concentrates his practices on complex commercial litigation, with a particular focus on construction law, condominium and community association law, public entity law and alternative dispute resolution. His practice also encompasses real estate and business disputes and general equity matters. He serves as counsel to numerous developers, condominiums and cooperatives, New Jersey municipalities, and one of the major sewerage authorities in the state. He has served as an arbitrator an...
Gerry Fagan has been practicing as a civil litigator at one of the top Montana law firms since 1998. Gerry is a Montana native who graduated with Honors from the University of Montana School of Law. He has tried over ten jury trial cases throughout Montana, including in Billings, Missoula, and in Great Falls, Montana. He primarily handles the defense of claims for personal injury, product liability, malpractice, employment, and municipal liability. He also handles a wide range of commercial l...
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...
George R. Fair was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1973. He has a general civil practice of both business and litigated matters, primarily in the banking, commercial lending and finance, corporate, public utilities, construction, fidelity and surety areas. George is a former President of the Mississippi Bar and an active member in several professional organizations.
Attorney Matt Fleming is a shareholder at Murphy Desmond representing both public and private sector clients in municipal law and related areas including land use regulation, property tax assessment, eminent domain disputes, economic development, tax incremental financing, alcohol and other licensing and permitting issues, open meetings and public records law, ordinance drafting, real estate, special assessments and general litigation. Matt is an established presenter on municipal law issues....
In her role as CEO of Bernstein Shur, Joan works to ensure that the firm and its attorneys live by the firm’s strategic vision and core values. She empowers attorneys to serve clients with energy, empathy, precision, innovation, and with an eye to the future. To encourage Bernstein Shur attorneys to be creative and thoughtful practitioners, Joan consistently creates new opportunities for education and professional development so that they can effectively serve each unique client. Equall...
Bradley A. Fowler focuses his practice on municipal law, civil litigation, real estate, and zoning/land use issues. Brad has a wide range of experience in representing large corporations, small businesses, local governments, and individuals in commercial, real estate, construction, contract, and employment related disputes in both Federal and State Courts. He also counsels local governments on a number of municipal matters including governance issues, planning and community development, Const...
Named “Lawyer of the Year 2022” by Best Lawyers in America ® and chair of Gawthrop Greenwood’s management committee, Stacey L. Fuller practices in the areas of Municipal Law, Land Use Law, Education Law, and Special Education Law. Stacey represents municipalities, townships, boroughs, planning commissions, zoning hearing boards and other governmental entities, as well as individual developers and residents, on issues such as zoning and other land development matters. She...
Erica Garrison is known for her creative problem solving, her client-centered approach and her unique understanding of municipal and state regulatory law. She specifically focuses her practice on entitlement and land-use projects in Nashville, helping to shape the landscape by permitting and entitling numerous projects that have beneficially impacted the city’s skyline. Erica daily interfaces with agencies in Nashville and the surrounding mid-south area, and she is well-known for her en...
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...
As managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg, Bob Grand leads the firm’s strategic development and execution of firm-wide internal and external goals. He is responsible for driving production, productivity, quality and client service strategies, evaluating and supporting systems objectives and resource needs, and serving as a catalyst for change and innovation. Bob works with the firm’s Management Committee and professional staff to identify new opportunities and design policies,...
As bond and underwriter's counsel, Lewis Greenbaum advises state and local governments, nonprofits and public-private partnerships on a range of general obligation and revenue bond financings. With a public finance practice spanning more than 40 years, Lew has been involved in hundreds of high-profile public projects and public-private partnerships. Lew also advises on public finance legislation. He is the co-author of the Local Government Debt Reform Act and the Municipal Bond Reform Act, tw...
For three decades, Bill Griffith has advised 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 been 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 seminar...
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