Prominent Land Use Attorney Debbie Orshefsky Joins Holland & Knight
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (April 21, 2015) – Holland & Knight is pleased to announce that land use and environmental attorney Debbie Orshefsky has joined the firm's Fort Lauderdale office as a partner. Ms. Orshefsky was previously a shareholder and co-chair of the Land Development Practice at Greenberg Traurig.
"Debbie is a tremendous enhancement to our local real estate practice," said Nick Milano, executive partner of Holland & Knight's Fort Lauderdale office. "Real estate development is booming in Fort Lauderdale and throughout South Florida. Debbie's extensive experience working at the intersection of government and real estate will be extremely valuable to clients who are looking at growth."
"My involvement in the Urban Land Institute has put me in close proximity to several Holland & Knight lawyers – both nationally and locally," said Ms. Orshefsky. "I'm happy to be joining such a high-caliber team and look forward to assisting new and existing clients with their development plans."
Ms. Orshefsky practices exclusively in the areas of land development and environmental law. She began her career in Washington, D.C., representing developers and local governments before federal administrative agencies. For the past 35 years Ms. Orshefsky has practiced in Florida, where she has developed an intimate knowledge of the land use planning process and represents private developers and governmental agencies as special counsel. She has broad experience in planning, zoning, subdivision controls, community redevelopment, infrastructure planning and financing. She is consistently recognized as a top attorney in her field by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500, Super Lawyers and the South Florida Legal Guide.
Ms. Orshefsky has been a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) South East Florida/Caribbean District Council since 2002. She served as chair of the council from 2007 to 2009 and currently sits on the organization's executive council. She is also active in ULI at the national level and is a founding member of its Women's Leadership Initiative. She served as president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers from 1981 to 1983.
Additionally, Ms. Orshefsky serves on Nova Southeastern University's Real Estate Development Advisory Board, which is a part of the school's Master of Science Real Estate Degree Program.
With more than 280 lawyers and professionals, Holland & Knight's Real Estate Section is one of the largest of any U.S. law firm. The U.S. News – Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" 2015 guide selected the Real Estate Law and Land Use and Zoning Law practice groups for national first-tier rankings, and awarded metropolitan first-tier rankings in the following markets: Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, Miami, New York City, Orlando, San Francisco, Tampa and Washington, D.C.