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.

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.

When dealing with land use and zoning laws, you typically have a lot of money at stake and not a lot of room for miss-steps. Without a doubt, Michele is responsible for our success in fighting the lackluster performance of county's permitting office. Michele knows the people involved and more impo...rtantly what types of arguments will work and which ones will fall of deaf ears. She also has demonstrated she can get things done on an emergency basis - with quick calls to get attention by the right people. In addition, I would have to say she is not only a careful listener and meticulous in her preparations (for hearings) but also able to pivot when opportunities present themselves (at the hearings). I cannot thank her enough. The permitting processes and the protesting of permits have specific requirements and specific deadlines. You will want Michele to navigate those for you.

I retained Michele Rosenfeld to research the rights of a developer who purchased at a tax auction a 0.535-acre landlocked parcel of land in the small forest behind my home. This developer claims the property brings with it a universal right of way easement for building a road to the property anywher...e in the forest he chooses, including directly behind our backyard fence. Michele referred me to a civil engineering firm to perform a comprehensive title history. Based upon the title history results and Michele's vast knowledge of, and experience with, land use law, Michele concluded that no easements of any kind accompany the landlocked property. I recommend Michele in the highest possible terms for any land use issues.

As an attorney myself I would highly recommend Michele. Michele recently helped our neighborhood address an extraordinarily complex land use situation involving a large corporation and a public utility and in the face of a lot of political and other pressures negotiated a very favorable outcome for ...each one of the neighbors impacted. Michele is professional, knowledgeable and incredibly responsive. You can tell that Michele also really cares about her clients and spends a great deal of time getting to know the people she works with and develops a deep understanding of the situation to provide the very best outcome. She very carefully took the time to gain a full understanding of what we were facing and as this went along, we found that she gave us options to consider, not just a one size fits all. Her advice continues to be sound and practical. I can also tell that he is also very well respected by her colleagues in the DMV, has a vast network of people to consult with and years of experience in her field and this also helps her obtain the very best for her clients.