News & Resources

Congratulations to Rebecca Urland Monzi, on being named to the National Law Journal’s list of Real Estate/Construction Law Trailblazers. Rebecca was selected in part for her role as a member of the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Montgomery, the largest and most comprehensive provider of behavioral health services in Montgomery County, Maryland, whose services include providing housing through its residential rehabilitation program. When asked what was the genesis of the path that made her trailblazer, Rebecca answered, “I was drawn to Cornerstone Montgomery because I had personal experience with a loved one who struggled with mental health issues. When I saw how Cornerstone approaches these issues holistically and treats clients as human beings, I knew it was a perfect way to use my experience in real estate law to make a difference in someone’s life.” The National Law Journal received a very competitive list of nominations cast in favor of […]

Litigation partners Morris Kletzkin, Thomas Murphy and Lindsay Thompson won a significant recovery in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of the developer of a $58 million luxury hotel property in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. who had been sued by the general contractor tasked with building the hotel. The trial victory for the hotel’s owner against one of the country’s largest general contractors brought an end to years of litigation. “The result of the trial was a total victory for our client,” said Thomas Murphy, Esq. “Though the general contractor had sued the owner for more than $17 million, the Court found that the general contractor was not entitled to anything on its claims. In fact, the Court awarded the owner $1.5 million in damages on its counterclaims and ordered the general contractor to immediately release the $17 million mechanic’s lien it had […]

In an article published by Law360, commercial litigation attorney Thomas Murphy addressed why the acquittal in the recent ”Varsity Blues” trial against defendant Amin Khoury, was not surprising and what attorneys can learn from how each side chose to present the facts during the trial. The federal investigation code-named “Operation Varsity Blues” stemmed from allegations that wealthy celebrities and corporate executives had conspired with insiders at elite universities in an elaborate pay-for-play scheme to gain admission for their children. Tom’s article focuses on the Khoury case, which alleged the defendant’s involvement with securing his daughter’s admission to Georgetown University. Tom explains, “Although most of the individuals charged in the “Varsity Blues” investigation ultimately chose to plead guilty, defendant Amin Khoury was acquitted, and the way his defense team chose to frame the facts in the trial narrative is instructive.” Notably, the defense recognized that there were certain facts it could not […]

Friedlander Misler lawyers Rebecca Urland Monzi, Jennifer Jette and Li Ann Butterfield Watson successfully negotiated a property acquisition and financing on behalf of a client. The acquisition was for a $150,000,000 Class-A multifamily property in Howard County, Maryland. This transaction acted as the 1031 exchange for sale of three different properties in April 2022. It was also structured for the three exchangers to own and operate the property as tenants-in-common. Rebecca, Jennifer and Li Ann also negotiated $86.3 million in financing for the client through a private equity real estate firm. Rebecca Monzi, a Principal at Friedlander, concentrates her practice in real estate development, working with developers, investors and financial institutions. She supports clients in all aspects of the acquisition, development, sale and financing of commercial, industrial and mixed-use property, multi-family housing, affordable housing projects, retail centers, construction lending, mezzanine financing, bridge financing, syndicated loans, securitized financing, and like-kind exchanges. […]

Friedlander Misler partner Jennifer Jette was featured in the law.com Q&A Series “How I Made It” in an article published on July 1, 2022, “How I Made Partner: ‘Make Yourself Irreplaceable. Show Up and Be Dependable,’ Says Jennifer Weissman Jette of Friedlander Misler.” Jennifer joined the firm in 2014 after graduating from Emory Law School, and was named a partner in the real estate and commercial transactions practice in January 2022. Jennifer explains in the article, “I want to help more women infiltrate commercial real estate law. Commercial real estate has forever been very male dominated, and I am excited to see, and also help, more women enter this industry.” She attributes her path to partnership to “a combination of character traits and performance in my seven years as an associate. I worked to make myself irreplaceable, or as close to irreplaceable as possible,” and noted that having a strong […]