Top Real Estate Lawyers in ZIP 21204 | 11 available

Jacob Rappaport, a lifelong resident of Baltimore, Maryland, attended the University of Baltimore School of Law on the Dean’s Full Tuition Scholarship based on academic merit. Mr. Rappaport graduated in May 2012, Summa Cum Laude, with a Certificate of Concentration in Estate Planning. Upon graduation, Mr. Rappaport was inducted into the Heuisler Honor Society for graduating in the top 10% of his class.. During law school, Mr. Rappaport earned the highest grade in class award in 4 classes (Contracts II, Trusts and Estates, Estates and Gift Taxation, and Estate Planning Workshop), and served as Staff and Associate Editor of the University of Baltimore Law Forum Journal.. Mr. Rappaport joined Levin & Gann, P.A.’s Corporate and Estate Planning Departments in February 2012 as a Law Clerk and became an Associate upon admission to the Maryland Bar in December 2012. Mr. Rappaport became a shareholder (partner) of the first as of January 1, 2019. Mr. Rappaport focuses on Corporate Law, Real Estate Law and Estate Planning, and holds an LL.M. in Taxation.

David K. Gildea, the managing partner of the firm, practices in the area of real estate development, land use and zoning. His practice area includes all jurisdictions in Maryland, with a focus on the Baltimore Metropolitan Area.. Mr. Gildea has represented entities ranging from large federal agencies to NYSE traded homebuilders and REITs to local land developers and retailers in obtaining development and entitlement approvals.  The types of projects Mr. Gildea has been involved in range from large town center mixed-use development, urban redevelopment efforts, large residential developments, hotels, hospitals, medical office buildings, apartment buildings,  multi-story office buildings, grocery-anchored retail centers, retirement communities, home improvement centers, industrial warehouses, fuel service stations, storage facilities, and a vast myriad of other uses.  Mr. Gildea has been involved in many large-scale projects in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area and is knowledgeable about the Growth Allocation process and obtaining approvals in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area.  Mr. Gildea has also been involved in many rezonings and Planned Unit Developments (“PUDs”) throughout the State of Maryland, most notably in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area.. Mr. Gildea has strong relationships with local and State governmental agencies involved in the regulatory/entitlement process.  Mr. Gildea routinely resolves issues involving the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Department of Transportation, particularly with the State Highway Administration (“SHA”).. Mr. Gildea prides himself in working with both governmental agencies and community associations in a collaborative fashion. Mr. Gildea routinely works extensively with various stakeholders prior to commencing the development review process to resolve potential issues at the beginning of the process, rather than at the middle.  As a result, Mr. Gildea has been able to obtain numerous regulatory approvals for projects, while managing to have a small percentage of approvals appealed.  Mr. Gildea works to put projects in the ground, rather than in the courts, and always with a view towards gaining approvals in an expeditious manner.. Mr. Gildea has served on three Transition Teams. In 2002, Mr. Gildea served on Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith's Transition Team as the Chairman of the DEPRM, PDM and DPW Workgroup. In 2006, Mr. Gildea served on Governor Martin O'Malley's transition team as a member of the Environmental Workgroup. Mr. Gildea also served on Attorney General Douglas Gansler's Transition Team as the Co-Chair of the Environmental Workgroup.. Mr. Gildea received his J.D. degree from the University of Baltimore (cum laude), his B.A. degree from Washington and Lee University (cum laude) and his diploma from St. Paul's School for Boys in Baltimore, Maryland (cum laude). After passing the bar, he was the law clerk for the Honorable James T. Smith, Jr. in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.

"Helping People is what it is all about " This has been my belief since I first started in the practice of law over 40 years ago. I tell my clients that they are not paying me to agree with them- they are paying me to help them. Helping means always leveling with the client, tell them as best you can what they are facing and the pluses and minus of actions that could be taken. That's my job, and making a positive difference in people's lives is the goal.. ---. My primary field of practice is Real Estate and Business Law including transactional as well as litigation. Typical matters that I handle are drafting contracts; deeds; mortgages; investment deals and partnerships; I also do quite a bit of litigation regarding real estate disputes; landlord tenant matters; latent defects cases (cases that involve problems experianced by buyers after they purchase a home); partition cases where one owner wants to sell, the other one doesn't; and business disputes both large and small.  I speak nationally on real estate, finance, and fraud matters involving the mortgage and real estate industry.  I speak before audiences as varied as law enforcement, banking and mortgage groups, real estate investment groups, real estate brokerages, and the public.. In addition to the practice of law, I also owned and operated a development company for 37 years which was primarily involved with the purchase of residential properties and then rebuilding the properties so that they were totally new on the interior and competative with new housing. Our company expanded beyond Maryland to Texas and California.  We added real estate brokerage services; property management; and a mortgage and construction division.  I am currently a licensed Real Estate Broker in Maryland and California, and a year ago we opened our first office in China.