How the firm runs

When your lawyer
understands the deal,
the process changes.

One attorney. You’ll never chase me for an update.
Advice measured against your IRR.

§01 · Intake

Every engagement starts with the deal, not just the parcel.

You bring the parcel and your game plan. We work through your deal economics, financing assumptions, and ownership structure. Then we build the legal framework and entitlement strategy, with a realistic timeline for each milestone.

Intake Checklist
  • [01] TMP or parcel address
  • [02] Site plan (even hand-drawn)
  • [03] Acquisition structure
  • [04] Capital stack sketch (equity / debt)
  • [05] Target return (IRR, EM, COC)
  • [06] Critical-path milestone (financing, closing, season)
§02 · Running the entitlement

With counsel on the team,
the dynamic shifts.

County staff are doing their job: protecting the county’s interests. Someone on your team should be protecting your interests. You walk into the pre-app meeting with a strategy, a legally defensible position on likely challenges, and a quarterback who insists on concrete answers and firm timelines.

You work with me directly. We anticipate staff comments instead of reacting to them. Every decision is made based on legality and cost. We build the project narrative for the specific people who will vote on it, frame the case high-level, and keep the conversation on our talking points.

Email and phone. You always know where things stand.

REQUIRED
Comment is backed by the ordinance or statute.
→ Incorporate and move on.
DISCRETIONARY
Staff preference, not a legal mandate.
→ Negotiate against pro forma impact.
VULNERABLE
No legal basis — or weak basis on review.
→ Push back. Escalate if staff insists.
§03 · What you won’t get
✕

Lawyerly overthinking

It shouldn’t take two weeks to get feedback because your lawyer wants to explore hypotheticals with a 0% likelihood of actually happening. I think like a developer, because I am a developer.

✕

Technical details at the sketch stage

A sketch plan is a sketch. Not every question is an engineering question. If the legal framework doesn’t require stamped plans yet, road widths and slope constraints can wait until they’re necessary. Less rework when the plan changes, and a faster path to approval.

✕

Needless legalese in your deal documents

Plain-English operational language, drafted for the operator, not the litigator. Simplicity wins if it’s equally effective to protect your interests.

✕

Unpriced, unchecked plan adjustments

Every requested plan adjustment is tested against the locality’s legal authority and priced. When a request becomes a costly demand the law doesn’t support, I hold the line and I’m ready to escalate.