Peter M. Friedman has an accomplished and broad real estate practice and is the head of Holland & Knight's Chicago Real Estate Group.
Mr. Friedman represents private and public sector clients in all phases of real estate acquisition, development, zoning, and land use matters. He counsels property owners, tenants, and developers in a variety of real estate and transactional projects.
Mr. Friedman also represents numerous local and state government agencies, municipalities and counties on all aspects of real estate, development, and public law. He represents Lake County, Ill., and serves as Lake Bluff Village Attorney and Assistant Corporation Counsel in Highland Park and Lincolnwood, Illinois. He also serves as General Counsel to the Chicago Association of Realtors and as special outside counsel to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and its Division of Nuclear Safety.
Mr. Friedman counsels private and public sector clients on zoning and land use matters, legislative authority, parliamentary procedure, personnel matters, contract issues and a myriad of other governmental issues. He regularly prepares comprehensive landmark and historic district rules and regulations, zoning and land use ordinances, tree protection regulations, sign regulations, bulk restrictions, personnel policy manuals, franchise agreements, annexation agreements, boundary agreements, tax incentive and abatement agreements, and business district redevelopment plans. Mr. Friedman also has special expertise in environmental law and on industrial revenue bond and general obligation bond financings and refundings.
Mr. Friedman has extensive First Amendment litigation experience. He provides special representation to Lake County, the City of Galesburg, and to the firm’s other municipal clients with respect to the zoning and regulation of adult entertainment establishments. Mr. Friedman has successfully defended the firm’s nationally known model on adult use zoning and licensing regulations against challenges in federal and state courts.
Mr. Friedman has substantial state and federal litigation experience for the firm’s government and private sector clients. He has successfully defended numerous lawsuits challenging local zoning and land use controls and has handled several local government lawsuits involving civil rights, annexation disputes, contract actions and environmental enforcement. Mr. Friedman has argued cases in Federal District and Appellate Courts and at all levels of state court, including before the Illinois Supreme Court.
Mr. Friedman served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Suzanne B. Conlon, judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Prior to that, he worked for five years on the staff and as legislative director for Congressman John Porter (IL-10) in Washington, D.C.