Pursley Friese Torgrimson is pleased to announce that seven of its attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers for 2019. Only five percent of lawyers in Georgia are selected as Super Lawyers, and no more than 2.5 percent are named as Rising Stars. Rising Stars are attorneys who are 40 years of age or younger, or who have been in practice for 10 years or less. The complete list of honorees is available today at http://www.superlawyers.com/georgia.   The Pursley Friese Torgrimson attorneys named among Georgia Super Lawyers for 2019 are: Stephanie Friese – Real Estate and Business Litigation Charles Pursley, Jr. – Eminent Domain, State, Local & Municipal and Business Litigation Angela Robinson – Eminent Domain and Land Use/Zoning Julie Sellers – Land Use/Zoning Christian Torgrimson – Eminent Domain and Real Estate   The Pursley Friese Torgrimson attorneys named among Georgia Rising Stars for 2019 are: Christine Norstadt – Real Estate Elizabeth Story – Eminent Domain   Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections for Super Lawyers are made through a rigorous process entailing independent attorney-led research, evaluations and peer evaluations. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement, including verdicts/settlements, transactions, special licenses and pro bono service.   About Pursley Friese Torgrimson LLP Pursley Friese Torgrimson provides commercial real estate legal expertise to real property owners facing challenges involving condemnation/eminent domain, leasing/acquisitions/dispositions, real estate litigation, transportation and zoning/land use. The firm’s business-oriented approach is practical and fiscally responsible in resolving matters that are transactional or involve litigation at trial or alternative dispute resolution. The women-owned, women-managed law firm advocates on behalf of businesses and property owners, corporate real estate executives, real property investors and brokers, landlords, tenants, franchisors/franchisees, property managers and brokers as well as financial lending institutions. For more information, visit...

Christian Torgrimson, founding and managing partner of Pursley Friese Torgrimson, will present at the 2019 ICLE Eminent Domain Seminar in Atlanta, presented by the State Bar of Georgia. Torgrimson’s presentation on February 8, “Pre-Condemnation Negotiations: Statutory Requirements and Potential Consequences,” will address best practices for pre-condemnation negotiations. For more information or to register, please click here. At Pursley Friese Torgrimson, Torgrimson is a nationally recognized eminent domain attorney who advises clients on navigating the complexities of a condemnation. She also represents various property owners and interests, including large and small businesses and mixed-use...

Pursley Friese Torgrimson is pleased to announce partner Julie Sellers was elected as chairman of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission after being appointed to the commission as lawyer in 2016 by the Atlanta City Council. Sellers will serve a one-year term as chair after previously serving as vice chair. The Atlanta Urban Design Commission was established in 1975 as the city agency responsible for developing and administering the city of Atlanta’s historic conservation and urban design activities. The commission is comprised of 11 city residents with a professional interest in historic preservation, appointed by the mayor and Atlanta City Council. Membership includes two architects and an artist, historian, historic preservationist, land developer, landscape architect, lawyer, neighborhood representative, real estate professional and urban planner. As advocates for historic preservation, the Urban Design Commission identifies, nominates and regulates properties designated as historic, landmark or conservation buildings, sites or districts. Any proposed exterior work to a designated property must go before the commission for review and approval, with a goal of ensuring any potential changes to the city’s historic buildings uphold the property’s original design principles and character of the neighborhood. More than 60 properties and 18 neighborhood districts across Atlanta have been protected by the commission, including Fox Theater, the Castleberry Hill neighborhood and the Hurt Building. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead the Atlanta Urban Design Commission and look forward to working with the community and our elected officials to preserve Atlanta’s rich history and protect the integrity of our city’s most significant sites,” said Sellers. “I also bring my legal background to the commission in recognizing there is a balance between the legal rights of property owners and the government’s ability to regulate.” A partner in Pursley Friese Torgrimson’s zoning and land use practice, Sellers has more than 18 years’ experience  navigating zoning regulations and land use issues, approvals, permits and planning. She has extensive litigation and appellate experience representing land owners, developers and builders within the state of Georgia. Sellers earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Florida and her law degree from the University of Florida Frederic G. Levin College of Law. She is an active member of Council for Quality Growth, CREW and Urban Land...

In an article published on Jan. 10, 2018 in the Alpharetta Roswell Herald, partner Julie Sellers discusses Northside Hospital’s proposed medical complex in a growing area of Alpharetta. Sellers is representing the property owner selling the property to Northside Hospital as it seeks approval for a three-story, 60,000 square foot medical office building, a two-story, 20,000 square foot medical office and a three-level parking deck. Occupancy within the complex will be restricted to Northside Hospital and its affiliates, Sellers said. The proposal won unanimous approval Jan. 3 at a meeting before the Alpharetta Planning Commission and will go before Alpharetta City Council this month. For the full article, please click...

In an article published in the Winter 2018 / 2019 issue of NAIOP’s Development Magazine, founding and managing partner Stephanie Friese discusses the importance of developers balancing contracts, intellectual property issues and government involvement when commissioning public art pieces for commercial developments. Friese explains that lawyers are the second-most important group involved due to the need to establish boundaries that balance the rights of all stakeholders. Friese also recommends that developers create a wide circle of advisers that includes key parties such as the art community, neighborhood representatives and legal experts. For the full article, click...

An article published on Dec. 31, 2018 in the Alpharetta Roswell Herald included portions of the Planning Commission presentation by partner Julie Sellers who discussed why the development of 63 for-sale townhomes would be a positive addition to the community. Sellers says, “This area is thriving. I don’t think anyone would ever be able to debate that, but we really have a lack of that missing middle, housing.” To address concerns of adequate parking for the development, she also states that the development plan is not deficient in parking based on the current code requirements. The development site is part of the Liberty Park Village mixed-use community including retail, residential and a medical office building now under construction. For the full article, please click...