About John M. Boehnert

John Boehnert is an attorney, writer and speaker in real estate, land use and environmental law*.

John Boehnert has been involved in most major development projects in Rhode Island since 1980 as well as in most major real estate issues. Over the years he has represented developers, energy companies, multi-national corporations, investors, lenders, non-profit corporations, and state and local governmental entities.

His expertise includes structuring and obtaining permits for sophisticated real estate acquisitions, leasing and development projects, negotiating and obtaining permits for complex Brownfields redevelopment projects, and winning the most significant real estate property rights case before the Rhode Island Supreme Court in over a century.

When a decision by the Rhode Island Supreme Court unexpectedly raised significant questions as to the ownership to hundreds of millions of dollars of real estate located on filled tidal land throughout the State, and legislative efforts to correct the problem proved unavailing, a number of banks, utilities, educational institutions and businesses engaged Mr. Boehnert to seek a resolution to the serious challenge posed to these private property rights. Mr. Boehnert was able to convince the State Attorney General to agree to an expedited procedure for hearing the case, including an unusual direct certification to the Supreme Court by the Superior Court, without a Superior Court hearing or trial, resulting in a definitive decision by the Supreme Court in thirteen months, rather than the normal trial and appellate review time of 3-4 years. That decision resolved the title issues not only for the litigants but also for thousands of other property owners, without the necessity of filing a class action lawsuit, by setting up a title clearing mechanism for the other impacted properties.

John Boehnert is also a frequent writer and speaker on real estate and environmental issues and may well be the most published practicing attorney in Rhode Island. Mr. Boehnert has published well over 100 articles, addressed national conferences on International Submerged Lands, International Coastal Zone Management, coastal permitting and coastal zone management, and land use law, as well as other professional groups on real estate and environmental law issues. He authored a chapter in a book on legal issues affecting the shopping center industry, and his article on the Public Trust Doctrine was published in the William and Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review. For years he has authored a column in the Providence Business News on real estate and environmental issues, and he has contributed articles to the Providence Journal. He also provides in-depth analysis of real estate, land use and environmental law issues on his blog, which is the only one of its kind in the state.

*The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers in the general practice of law. The Court does not license or certify and lawyer as an expert or specialist in any field of practice.

EDUCATION

• Georgetown University, J.D., cum laude
     Law and Policy in International Business Law Journal

• Boston University, B.S., summa cum laude

• London School of Economics

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS (past and present)

• Rhode Island Society of Environmental Professionals
• Rhode Island Bar Association
     Environmental Law Committee
• District of Columbia Bar Association
• American Bar Association
     Estates, Trust and Real Estate
• American Arbitration Association
     Commercial Panel
• American Health Lawyers Association
     Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel
• Rhode Island Bar Foundation
     Trustee
• International Council of Shopping Centers
     Co-Chair, Government Affairs Task Force on Property Rights
• Chicago Title Insurance Company Advisory Council

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES (past and present)

• Providence Foundation
     Board of Trustees
• Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce
     Board of Directors, General Counsel and Executive Committee

BAR MEMBERSHIPS

• Rhode Island
• District of Columbia
• US District Court, Rhode Island

PEER REVIEW RATINGS

Received the highest rating for legal ability and professional ethics since 1994 from the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings.

Listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2006, a recognition based on extensive peer reviews.