Lesley is a practice area assistant in the firm's real estate land use and licensing practice areas. In the real estate land use practice area, Lesley prepares documents for land use entitlements involving large commercial and residential development projects. She performs governmental research in several municipalities across the county obtaining municipal codes to assist the attorneys in performing zoning analysis. She reviews title commitments, surveys and plans for zoning entitlement cases. She coordinates notice requirements including zoning searches, taxpayer information, owners of record, publication in local newspapers and posted notice requirements. She assists attorneys in filing multiple zoning entitlement applications including zoning amendments, planned developments, special uses, variations, public use of right of way, subdivisions and alley and street vacations.
In the licensing practice area, Lesley prepares applications for liquor licenses, public place of amusement licenses, retail food, and business licenses. She meets with governmental officials to propel licenses through the necessary governmental departments. She coordinates the task force inspections with the client and does extensive follow up to ensure that the license is issued in a timely manner. She communicates with clients on a daily basis keeping them informed of the status of their pending license.
In addition to the Land Use Department, Lesley assists in the Real Estate Tax Department. She obtains and analyzes assessment data and prepares forms and supporting documentation. She drafts briefs that are filed with Cook and Lake County Assessor's Office and Cook County Board of Review.