Michele McDaniel Rosenfeld

I hired Michele for a very stressful home business zoning issue, but her steady hand provided me with not only the legal expertise I needed, but the compassion to keep me sane through the multi year process. She was successful in achieving all of the goals I asked of her and my business is thriving.... I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a zoning attorney.

Michele Rosenfeld represented us from 2016 to 2024 in our eminent domain dealings with the State of Maryland concerning a temporary construction easement and a permanent aerial easement affecting our home of over 40 years. The State required these easements to build infrastructure for its new P...urple Line light rail public transit system. Once construction is completed, Purple Line trains will run uncomfortably close to our front door on the street immediately in front of our house, no doubt changing the character of both our property and that of our older residential neighborhood of 85- to 100-year-old single family homes. From the moment we met Michele in 2016, we were impressed by her empathy, kindness, tenacity, and expert knowledge of land use law. She immediately grasped the project’s adverse impact on the value and comfort of our home and neighborhood. She also was clearly sensitive to the project’s emotional impact on our family when Purple Line construction crews removed hedges, mature trees, and almost all of the established landscaping we had been painstakingly nurturing in our front yard for years. Michele’s performance exceeded our expectations. She regularly involved us in strategic decisions involving our case and routinely updated us about her activities on our behalf by telephone, email, and in person meetings. In so doing, she was exceptionally patient and generous with her time. We never felt rushed or sensed that she was “on the clock” – and she never ended a conversation before ensuring all of our questions and concerns were fully addressed. After lengthy disappointing settlement discussions with the State, Michele began preparing our case for a jury trial. At that point, the State offered to settle for an amount we had previously requested that the State had rejected. The resulting settlement exceeded our initial expectations and was consistent with what we hoped a jury would award with a favorable judgment at trial. It was always a pleasure working with Michele. We were lucky to have found her, and I’m certain we could not have achieved the same results without her help. Michele’s legal knowledge and skills, along with her wonderful demeanor and client-focused approach, are just a few examples of what makes her special — qualities all lawyers should strive to provide to every client. Considering our many years of experience working closely with Michele and the results she accomplished for us, we wholeheartedly recommend her without any reservation.

When our local planning office approved a gas station on a site of great historical and community significance, we (as citizens) tried to fight it on our own. The gas company's corporate attorney was too much for us, and we didn't know where to turn. A chance call led us to Michele Rosenfeld, who und...erstood our situation and went to work on our behalf. Although the planning office's original decision remained intact , Ms Rosenfeld was able to negotiate funding from the gas station folks to mitigate at least some of the damage their construction would do. An important point is that, because the planning office had approved the project and because Maryland's standing laws are surprisingly strict, the gas station folks were legally not required to do anything. Thanks to Ms. Rosenfeld, instead of telling us to go pound sand, the gas station company provided funding to address important needs that our planning office had just dismissed out of hand. Ms. Rosenfeld worked for us with reasonable fees and terms, and settled our issue with the best outcome possible.