Jon Laria > Ballard Spahr LLP > Baltimore, United States > Lawyer Profile
Ballard Spahr LLP Offices
111 S. Calvert Street
27th Floor
BALTIMORE, MD 21202-6174
MARYLAND
United States
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Jon Laria
![Jon Laria photo](/wp-content/themes/legal-500-main/default-lawyer-profile.jpg)
Work Department
Real Estate
Position
Partner
Career
Jon M. Laria is a member of Ballard Spahr’s Expanded Board, Managing Partner of the firm’s Baltimore office, and a member of the firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. He represents owners, developers, investors, and lenders in all types of commercial real estate transactions, including development, finance, acquisition, and leasing. Jon also has a leading land use and zoning practice and has provided counsel for some of Baltimore’s most prominent development projects. Before becoming an attorney, he was employed by a major Baltimore-based developer, where he engaged in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions.
Jon served on the Transition Teams for Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Comptroller Bill Henry. He chairs the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Commission, charged by the mayor with promoting bicycling and other forms of micromobility as a safe and convenient form of transportation and recreation, and coordinating City agency implementation of the City’s Bicycle Master Plan. He previously served as a mayoral appointee on Baltimore’s Tax Policy Task Force and on the group that developed a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the City.
Admissions
District of Columbia
Maryland
Memberships
Maryland Building Industry Association (MBIA), Chair of the Baltimore City Chapter
American Bar Association
District of Columbia Bar Association
Maryland Bar Association
Bar Association of Baltimore City
Urban Land Institute, full member
International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Johns Hopkins University, past faculty member, Master’s in Real Estate program
Maryland’s continuing legal education program, past instructor, “Advanced Real Estate Transactions”
Ballard Spahr’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council
Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC)
Central Maryland Transportation Alliance (CMTA)
Healthy Neighborhoods, Inc., Vice Chair
Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Commission, Chair
Blue Ribbon Commission on Ethics & Accountability, Baltimore County
Baltimore Jewish Council, past President
Johns Hopkins University, past Trustee
Johns Hopkins Alumni Association, Baltimore, past President
Land Bank Task Force
Live Baltimore, past President
Public Policy Advisory Board of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, past Chair
ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Regional Investment Committee, past Chair
Baltimore City Historical Society
Beth Am Synagogue
Greater Baltimore Committee’s Leadership program, past participant
Lake Roland Nature Council
Maryland Center for History and Culture
Education
University of Maryland School of Law (J.D. 1992, with honors)
Articles Editor, Maryland Law Review
Johns Hopkins University (B.A. 1985)
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Real estate > Land use/zoning
Ballard Spahr LLP’s zoning and land use team covers a wide range of permits and approvals for real estate development projects, advising on matters ranging from subdivisions and zoning variances to environmental permitting, takings, and historical preservation issues. The department also handles complex appellate advocacy and defense of land use approvals. Amy McClain co-heads the team from Baltimore and focuses on affordable housing transactions, while co-head Matthew McClure is based in Philadelphia and emphasizes land use, zoning, and historic preservation matters. In Salt Lake City, Steven Mehr focuses on acquisitions, dispositions, construction, zoning and entitlements of commercial, retail, industrial and resort properties. In Baltimore, Jon Laria recently advised on redevelopments and new mixed-use developments. Based in Philadelphia, Joanne Phillips and Devon Beverly are further names to note.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
Firm Rankings
- Real estate > Land use/zoning
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): municipal
- Finance > Fintech
- Labor and employment > Labor-management relations
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport
- Real estate > Real estate
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Dispute resolution > Financial services litigation
- Real estate > Real estate finance
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense