Stacy Plotkin Silber

Stacy Plotkin Silber is a land use attorney at Lerch, Early & Brewer in Bethesda, Maryland whose practice focuses on land use and zoning issues in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. She helps clients navigate the complexities of securing approvals for their projects at the local and state levels of government. Her clients include developers with mixed-use, office, retail and residential projects, as well as private schools.

Stacy’s experience includes master planning, zoning, rezoning, project plans, site plans, subdivisions, historic preservation, affordable housing matters, transferrable development rights, legislative matters, special exceptions and variances. One client refers to her as “Madame Ambassador” because of her firm but respectful way of advocating for her clients and building coalitions, when appropriate.

Stacy’s first step in any case is to ask the client about the company’s goals and expectations. By undertaking an analysis of each client’s current situation, needs and objectives, Stacy helps develop and implement strategies to pursue efficient and effective public approvals. She acts as an advisor and tenacious advocate from the very beginning of the development stage of a project, helping clients avoid potential hurdles during the course of the approval process. Clients describe her as indispensable. They often trust her as their outside general counsel, asking her to serve as a kind of quarterback when other legal needs arise.

Stacy received her Bachelor of Arts from Emory University and her Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.  Prior to joining Lerch Early, she was a partner in the Montgomery County office of a global law firm. She is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

In addition to her private practice, Stacy is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School, where she teaches a class on land use and historic preservation. She is listed in the Maryland and D.C. editions of Super Lawyers.

Stacy is the founding Chair of the Maryland/DC Chapter of NAIOP’s Leadership Committee, a committee that connects NAIOP, a commercial real estate development association, to governmental leaders in Montgomery County and the State.   She also serves on NAIOP’s Sustainable Development Committee.  Stacy is a member of BB&T’s Advisory Board, and serves on the North Bethesda Transportation Management District Advisory Committee. 

Stacy also is active in the community. She is passionate about the need for affordable housing in Montgomery County, and for seven years, she served on the board of the Montgomery Housing Partnership, a nonprofit that provides affordable housing and support for working families; she chaired the board for two years.  Stacy currently serves as a trustee for the National Center for Children and Families, and serves on the Josiah Henson Park Planning Committee (Uncle Tom’s Cabin), which is part of the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.  Stacy also serves as a co-chair of the Boys and Girls Club Annual Real Estate Luncheon.

For recreation, Stacy enjoys playing tennis, running, reading presidential biographies and attending minor league baseball games at the Potomac Nationals.