Michele McDaniel Rosenfeld

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.

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.

A large group of local residents was opposed to the County's plan to relocate a school bus depot into our neighborhood. We needed the help of an attorney well-versed in land use issues to help us. Michele was recommended to us by another attorney. She addressed our group explaining the issues an...d the steps we could take to try to prevent this County action. She clearly articulated several paths and the advantages, disadvantages and likely costs associated with each. Her experience working with laypersons in civic groups like ours was extremely helpful. She began very targeted data gathering efforts that served notice to County staff with whom she was acquainted that we were ready to take legal action should the County move forward. The County and County Executive suspended their plan and as of this writing, we are waiting for them to present their promised alternative that spares our neighborhood. I believe firmly that Michele's involvement helped demonstrate our seriousness and that the threat of litigation from an attorney with a proven track record of winning in such cases was a major factor in the County's decision thus far. While the final outcome on this is not yet known, we are confident that Michele's representation has helped us to date and will, if needed, help us again. Michele was very cognizant of the limited funds that a civic group could raise and thus kept her billing to a minimum. Her rates were reasonable and estimated hours were accurate. She was easy to reach and always responsive to our requests and needs. She was able to exude confidence and yet remain very approachable. She allayed the fears of our group and really provided excellent service and representation. Our hope is that this matter is now resolved but in the event the County changes its currently stated position, we will re-engage Michele without any hesitation whatsoever and take the necessary next steps. We are confident in her ability and I am happy to recommend her without reservation.

I hired Michele to work with me and with our community's civic association on a very complex and lengthy land use issue. Michele's experience, expertise, critical and strategic thinking skills, and personal demeanor were absolutely the right mix for what we needed at the time. Michele worked dilige...ntly on our case and made suggestions on strategy, while also involving me in a partnership on the case. She allowed me to do the research I could do while tackling the elements of the case that required her knowledge and background. She is ethical in practice and in billing. She never suggested busy work just to increase her invoices. At the same time, she would recommend various courses of action that were crucial to furthering our case. Michele has a substantial history of legal work and is well-respected in her field, even by those attorneys and firms which are often opposing counsel. We ultimately won our case, and obviously that increases my respect for Michele's skills. However, I believe that had we lost, I would still recommend Michele. She is an outstanding attorney and a genuinely good person.