Protecting Property Rights: Land Use Litigation In Southeastern Wisconsin
With more than 140 years of combined legal experience, we help the people of Walworth County and beyond resolve difficult property challenges. At Godfrey, Leibsle, Blackbourn & Howarth, S.C., we know that your land is likely your most important investment. Whether you own a lakefront home, run a family farm or develop commercial real estate, we provide the strong advocacy you need to protect your rights.
Strategically located in the greater Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago metropolitan triangle, our firm has developed a strong network of relationships and an expanded footprint to meet client demands in Wisconsin and across the United States.
Our “bread and butter” work involves land use litigation. We focus on the cases that matter most to our community such as property line disputes, conflicts with neighbors and lakefront access issues.
We Strive To Protect You During Lakefront Disputes And Riparian Rights Challenges
Southeastern Wisconsin offers a unique mix of residential, rural, commercial and recreational land. The property found in Walworth, Rock, Jefferson, Kenosha, Racine and Waukesha counties is some of the most valuable in the country. Because our region is home to so many lakes, understanding how you can use your land and the water next to it is essential.
Most of our work involves protecting the rights of lakefront homeowners and developers. We have extensive experience in the following:
- Riparian and lake rights: We establish and protect your water rights in Wisconsin courts and administrative hearings.
- Pier and dock regulation: Our team handles disputes over pier head ordinances, setback rules and boat slip permits.
- DNR representation: We have represented clients in hundreds of cases before the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This includes technical matters such as the Knitter method for shoreline division.
Our legal team represents a wide variety of clients, from individual lakefront homeowners to large-scale developers. We assist owners of hotels, resorts, golf courses, shopping centers and industrial businesses.
Other Property Challenges We Solve For Our Clients
Beyond our lakefront practice, we provide sophisticated advocacy for a wide range of land use matters. Walworth County is home to many beautiful lakes, including Lake Geneva, Delavan Lake, Lauderdale Lakes, Lake Beulah, Pleasant Lake and Whitewater Lake. Disputes over the use and ownership of this land often involve complex local and state regulations.
We provide help with:
- Zoning and permits: We litigate cases involving municipal zoning, rezones and conditional use permits. We are not afraid to challenge local boards before judges and juries.
- Smart growth challenges: We aggressively challenge municipal “Smart Growth” decisions that unfairly limit the future development of your land.
- Property associations: We assist condo and property owner associations in enforcing rules and restrictive covenants.
- Boundary and fence disputes: We resolve issues involving encroaching buildings, trees and property line markers.
- Environmental and title issues: Our attorneys handle groundwater contamination, toxic waste cleanup, title insurance disputes and eminent domain cases.
- Foreclosure defense: We provide tenacious representation to guide clients through the mortgage foreclosure process.
We also fight unconstitutional restrictions imposed by cities, villages and towns in both state and federal courts.
In Walworth County And Across Wisconsin, We Can Fight For You
Our offices are centrally located in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, and our attorneys have over 140 years of combined experience helping clients successfully resolve all sorts of complex real estate and property rights disputes. We are Wisconsin’s dedicated law firm for real property, real estate and land use litigation.
Contact us today to discuss your land use and property rights issues. Complete our online form to schedule a consultation or call us at 262-422-6607 to schedule by phone.