Smitha Chintamaneni is a Shareholder and has represented businesses, governmental entities, and individuals in eminent domain, commercial real estate, leasing, taxation, and construction matters for over 15 years.
Notably, she acts as one of the attorneys for the Village of Mount Pleasant surrounding the Foxconn project, where she represents the Village on all eminent domain matters. She has also served as counsel for the Milwaukee County Zoo, as defense counsel for a contractor in connection with construction and defect claims arising out of construction of a Chicago high rise office building, as counsel for Brown County on eminent domain and sales and use tax disputes, and as counsel for numerous landowners, businesses, and governmental authorities on real estate, leasing, zoning, permitting, eminent domain, and property taxation issues. Smitha also acts as outside counsel for several Wisconsin based corporations in their transactional real estate matters.
Her litigation experience includes all aspects of trial in state and federal courts and oral arguments in front of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
In addition to her real estate practice, Smitha has experience in trust and estate disputes involving multiple beneficiaries, high net worth assets, wills and trusts, including acting as a court-appointed Personal Representative for an estate.
Smitha is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law (2021), Litigation – Real Estate (2021), and Real Estate Law (2021). Additionally, Smitha was recognized by BizTimes Media as one of their “2020 Notable Women in Law” and was recognized as a Wisconsin Rising StarSM in the area of General Litigation (2009-2013).
Smitha is an Affiliate Member of Owners’ Counsel of America (OCA) and a member of the Wisconsin Chapter of National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP-Wisconsin), the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. She is also a regular speaker at the Annual Condemnation Appraisal Symposium hosted by the Appraisal Institute. In addition to her practice, Smitha is the former chair of the firm’s Summer Associate Program and Recruiting Committee. She is a member of the Milwaukee Bar Association (Real Property Section, former co-chair), the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Bar Association. Smitha is licensed to practice in Wisconsin and Illinois.
Representative Matters
- Counsel for numerous major counties and municipalities on real estate related matters, including land use, acquisition, permitting, eminent domain, blight, and zoning.
- Defense counsel for a county on the validity of its imposition of a sales and use tax ordinance.
- Successfully obtained judgment in favor of a religious organization client in an eminent domain challenge that was unanimously upheld by the Court of Appeals.
- Litigated and resolved multiple eminent domain and property taxation matters on behalf of landowners and taxpayers.
- Successfully obtained summary judgment for a bank client dismissing TILA claims, which was upheld by the Court of Appeals.
- Represented health care providers and corporations in the resolution of several multi-million dollar construction defect claims prior to trial.
- Counsel for numerous construction companies related to construction contracting and construction disputes.
Representative Presentations and Articles
- “Making Sense of the New Rules After Knick v. Township of Scott: Where Do I Go, What Do I Do?,” Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation National Conference, ALI CLE, Nashville, January 2020
- “Recent Case Studies in Takings Cases,” 16th Annual Condemnation Appraisal Symposium, March 2019
- "What Every County Needs to Know About the Two Condemnation Procedures,” Wisconsin Counties Association Magazine, June 2018
- "Studies of Partial Taking Cases,” 15th Annual Condemnation Appraisal Symposium, May 2018
- “Attorney Client Privilege: Practical Tips for All Attorneys,” Ethics 2017 CLE Seminar, von Briesen & Roper, Dec. 2017
- "Construction Contracting 101,” League of Wisconsin Municipalities Conference, October 2017
- “Reasonably Probable Highest & Best Use: Cost to Cure Issues,” 13th Annual Condemnation Appraisal Symposium, May 2016
Practice Areas:
- Construction Law and Litigation
- Property Tax Assessment
- Eminent Domain and Condemnation
- Tax
- Real Estate Litigation
- Litigation and Risk Management
- Real Estate
- Fiduciary Litigation and Inheritance Disputes
Education:
- Washington University School of Law, J.D., 2003
- Washington University, B.A., 2000
Bar Admissions:
- Wisconsin
- Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
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