Donna J. Pugh is a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP where she focuses on obtaining land use and zoning entitlements on behalf of her retail, health care and corporate clients. With her approach of bridging the gap between client, civic and municipal needs, Ms. Pugh has an exceptionally high success rate of securing necessary approvals for land development projects in the Chicago area.
A consensus builder, Ms. Pugh works to unite property owners, elected officials and community groups to achieve approvals that maximize flexibility of future land use and benefit all involved stakeholders. A member of the firm's Real Estate Practice and Senior Living Industry Team, she was selected for inclusion in the 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 Illinois Super Lawyers® lists. She has also been selected for the list of Leading Lawyers in the area of land use, zoning & condemnation law from 2003-2010 and the 2011 and 2012 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of land use and zoning law. In recognition of her experience, Ms. Pugh has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system.*
Ms. Pugh has extensive experience in securing planned developments, special uses, rezonings, variations, text amendments and other land use approvals for the following project types:
· Retail - including regional shopping malls, grocery-anchored community centers, and retail banks
· Health care - including hospitals, physician office buildings, outpatient treatment centers, and senior living facilities
· Mixed-use development - including projects containing office, hotel, retail, condos, and senior housing
· Public way - including securing approvals for private use of skybridges, tunnels, canopies, signs and others
Ms. Pugh has worked on high-profile land development projects, such as obtaining zoning approvals for the 960,000-square-foot United Center, home to Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks. She obtained approvals for alterations to Water Tower Place to accommodate American Girl, a new flagship retail/restaurant facility. She also obtained all zoning approvals for the original redevelopment (1994) and subsequent redevelopments of the 1.6 million square foot legacy mall Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie, IL.
Geographically, Ms. Pugh focuses her land use practice in Chicago, Cook County, DuPage County, and Will County.
Published Works:
· Co-author, "Beware the Public Way," Real Property, the newsletter of the Illinois State Bar Association's Section on Real Estate Law, Vol. 55, No. 2 (October 2009)
· Co-author, "Hot Topics in Land Use Law: An Analysis of Facility Siting Issues Under Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996," American Bar Association (2000)
· Co-author, "Accessibility Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Laws: A Guide to Enforcement and Compliance," Chicago: American Bar Association (2000)
· Co-author, Judicial Rulemaking: A Compendium. American Judicature Society. Frederick, MD: University Publications of America (1984)
Leadership Positions:
· American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law, past chair (2009-2010, 9,000 members); past chair, Land Use Committee
· Greater North Michigan Avenue Association (GNMAA), secretary; past co-chair, GNMAA Planning & Advocacy Division
· International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), member, Illinois State Committee and Government Relations Committee
· Resurrection Development Foundation, board member
· Saint Joseph Hospital Development Council, chair
· Chicago Land Economics Weekend and Burnham Centennial Celebration, co-chair hosted by Lambda Alpha International, the Honorary Society for the Advancement of Land Economics (October 2009)
· The John Marshall Law School, adjunct professor of land use law
· Lambda Alpha honorary land economics society (Chicago Chapter), past president
· Women in Planning and Development, past president
· Chicago Bar Association, Local Government Committee, past chair
Speaking Engagements:
· "Lean Project Delivery: Construction Techniques that Save Time & Money," Foley & Lardner (February 2011)
· "The Bottom Line on Going Green: Evaluating Sustainable Projects," Foley & Lardner (November 2010)
· "Zoning: Increasing the Likelihood of Success Through Public Outreach," roundtable moderator, ICSC Chicago Deal Making Conference (October 2010)
· "What I Wish I Knew When I Was Chair-Elect...," ABA Section Officers Conference. Ms. Pugh was selected from dozens of past section officers to offer guidance to incoming section leaders. (September 2010)
· "Form-Based Codes," Foley & Lardner (May 2010)
· "Increasing the Likelihood of Success on Obtaining Zoning Approvals," panel moderator at the conference "Hospitals: Meeting Economic Challenges Through Real Estate" sponsored by Foley & Lardner and Irgens Health Care Facilities Group (May 2010)
· "Zoning from a Municipal Perspective," Foley & Lardner (February 2010)
· "Overcoming Challenges in the Zoning Process," The New England Alliance of the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA), Winter Regional Conference & Annual Meeting (January 13-15, 2010, Woodstock Vermont)
· "Writing an Effective and Compelling Bio," Foley and Lardner Business Development Series (December 2009)
· "Legal Update: New Issues for Community Design," a joint meeting of the American Planning Association, Chicago Metro Section, and DePaul University's Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development (November 2009)
· "Secrets to Obtaining Zoning Approvals," Foley & Lardner (November 2009)
· "The Role of the Attorney in the Land Use Process," University of Illinois at Circle Campus (October 2009)
· "Principles of Zoning and Land Use Law," University of Illinois (Champaign) (October 2009)
· "Careers in Real Estate," University of Illinois (Champaign), Rho Epsilon (real estate fraternity) (October 2009)
· "Networking for Success," Foley and Lardner Mentor/Mentee Seminar (June 2009)
· "Shelter from the Storm," Chicago Bar Association, Local Government Committee (June 2009)
· "Planning and Zoning for Successful Downtowns," International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), 2009 Illinois Alliance Program and Midwest Idea Exchange, Chicago, (February 2009)
· "Reading Site Plans," Saint University (December 2008)
· "Key Issues in Land Use and Zoning," Halfmoon Seminar (September 2008)
Ms. Pugh maintains an on-going commitment to pro bono legal services by actively donating time to charitable, educational and not-for-profit organizations. Representative matters are listed below:
· Grace & Peace Community Church
· Youth on the Move
· Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation
· American Seniors Housing Association
· Kenwood Oakland Community Organization
· City of Chicago
· Better Boys Foundation
· League of Women Voters of Illinois
Ms. Pugh received a J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago in 1983 and a B.A. degree from the University of Florida (Gainesville) in 1979, where she majored in political science and minored in environmental studies.
* The Illinois Supreme Court does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law and no award or recognition is a requirement to practice law in Illinois.