Jody is a proven litigator and land use practitioner, representing private and municipal clients in zoning, Constitutional law, and real estate development matters.
Jody brings a creative and logical approach as an advocate for her clients in Article 78 proceedings, declaratory judgment actions, and appeals in both State and Federal Courts. She has a particular passion for, and has successfully handled, land use and zoning matters that intersect with civil rights, including exclusionary zoning, RLUIPA, and the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
Jody also processes applications on behalf of private developers and landowners to obtain approvals for projects from zoning, planning, and legislative boards. She has significant experience navigating the “Padavan Law,” helping both non-profit and for-profit sponsors of community residences through the siting approval process. She has successfully protected the rights of these homes to be established in residential neighborhoods before Administrative Hearing Officers and the Courts.
Jody serves on the Board of Trustees’ Executive Committee of Congregation Shir Shalom of Westchester and Fairfield Counties. She also is the Consulting Attorney and a Committee Member of the Lewisboro Playground Improvement Corporation. She has previously served on the Small-Midsize Law Firm Advisory Task Force for the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and as an Associate Editor of the Westchester Bar Journal.
Jody received her Juris Doctor, cum laude, and a Certificate in Environmental Law from what is now the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Pace Environmental Law Review. She was also a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Land Use Law Center. Jody holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a concentration in Environmental Studies, from Muhlenberg College.
