Michele McDaniel Rosenfeld

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.

Michele helped our grass roots group wisely navigate the extremely challenging path to fight overdevelopment. With her accrued knowledge from other similar situations, we avoided pursuing expensive rabbit trails. She knew when to move forward and when to stay the course. Her accessibility was unrival...led. Her care and concern was evident in each phone call. I would even venture to say she was a 'friend' to us and our efforts. I could not think more highly of her than I do.

For many months, Michele Rosenfeld provided us with expert legal advice related to a subdivision application and entirely deficient storm water mitigation plan for a large property adjacent to ours in Bethesda. Michele had an amazing facility with and detailed knowledge of all Montgomery County zoni...ng and construction regulations as well as the related case law. Michele was thorough, methodical, wise, and creative in her analysis. She was prompt with her responses to us, clear with her advice, always made herself available for phone consultations, and she was very patient with us and our many questions. We felt extremely well-represented and could not have been more satisfied with her assistance. Michele and the expert engineer she recommended to us were able to obtain, develop and advocate for an excellent outcome on our behalf. We are confident that the storm water mitigation redesign that Michele recommended, and for which she advocated before the Montgomery County Planning Board, will serve to protect our property from storm water damage in the future. Without her redesign, we know the new construction next door and original storm water mitigation plan would have affected us extremely negatively. We enthusiastically and wholeheartedly recommend Michele Rosenfeld to any County resident who may need legal advice on Montgomery County land use issues in general and storm water mitigation, in particular.