Maryland and Washington DC Condominium and HOA Attorneys

Maryland and Washington DC Condominium & HOA Attorneys

The Maryland and Washington DC condominium and HOA attorneys at Cowie Law Group, P.C. provide legal representation and advice to condominium and homeowners associations throughout the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia. We are members of the Chesapeake Region and Washington Metro Chapters of the Community Associations Institute as well as the Delmarva Condominium Managers Association, the Maryland Multi-Housing Association, and the Property Managers Association. Cowie Law Group is not only able to handle the day to day legal matters of governance and business operations that face associations, but are also skilled construction, business and litigation lawyers that represents condominium and homeowners association on a regular basis in complex transactional and litigation matters.

The Maryland and Washington DC condominium and HOA attorneys at Cowie Law Group participate in Community Associations Institute activities designed to promote the interest of condominium associations and HOAs in Maryland, Delaware and Washington DC, including serving on committees and giving and assisting in the preparation of seminars for the Washington Metro and Chesapeake Region Chapters, and have also served as officers member of the Board of Directors of the Community Associations Institute Chesapeake Region Chapter. Cowie Law Group is well regarded for its representation of condominium and homeowners associations in Maryland and the District of Columbia. In addition providing sound legal advice and counsel to condominium association board of directors, the condominium and HOA attorneys at Cowie Law Group, P.C. are known for their ability to handle complex litigation matters, including obtaining a 5.6 million dollar jury verdict in favor of a Maryland condominium association for latent destruction defects discovered in the condominium common elements.

Condominium Attorney Nicholas Cowie has been providing legal advice and representation to condominium associations and HOAs for over 30 years. He is the instructor for the Community Associations Institute course entitled “Resolving Construction Defect Disputes with Developers.” Mr. Cowie often drafts proposed legislation and testifies before the Maryland legislature on matters affecting homeowners and condominium associations. For example, Mr. Cowie drafted and led the effort to obtain passage of the Warranty Reform Legislation that extends warranty periods for Maryland condominium and homeowners associations in Maryland and worked to draft and obtain passage of the laws that strengthened the rights of associations in the transition process. Mr. Cowie is the author of the Maryland Condominium Construction Defect Law Blog and served as trial attorney in a case in which a jury awarded 6.8 million dollars in favor of a condominium association. The Maryland and Washington DC condominium and HOA attorneys at Cowie Law Group, P.C. have extensive experience protecting the rights of condominium and HOA communities since the firm’s inception in 1998.

Cowie Law Group, Maryland and Washington DC Condominium and HOA Attorneys. Maryland Condominium Attorneys and HOA Lawyers. Washington DC Condominium Attorneys and Community Association Lawyers — Nicholas D. Cowie, author of Condominium Legislation, shakes Governor Hogan’s hand at bill signing ceremony.

Developer Transition

Our Maryland and Washington DC condominium and HOA attorneys have extensive experience representing condominiums in litigation disputes and negotiations. We are known for representing newly created/converted condominium associations and HOA board of Directors in Maryland and Washington DC with their transition from developer to unit owner control over the association in the responsibilities that follow. This includes resolving disputes regarding construction defects, warranty claims, payment of developer/declarant assessments/fees, and governance issues that need to be attended to buy the newly elected homeowner-controlled board of directors. Below are links to articles that explain the legal requirements that govern the developer transition process and also contain a “transition checklist” for newly elected homeowner-controlled boards that have assumed control over their association from the developer:

Transition Process for Maryland Condominiums

Transition Process for Maryland Homeowners Associations

Transition Process for Washington DC Condominiums

Community Association Governance and Business Operations

The Maryland and Washington DC condominium and HOA attorneys at Cowie Law Group, P.C. also provide on-going legal advise and representation to our condominium and homeowner associations following the initial transition process developer control. This includes providing legal advise to our community association clients on all aspects of association governance and a daily business operations and representation in such as covenant interpretation and enforcement, assessment collection, construction and contract warranties, and fair housing compliance. We also represent associations in court litigation and administrative proceedings.

The condominium and HOA attorneys at Cowie Law Group provide legal opinions on Maryland and Washington DC law to community associations regarding architectural control, assessments, declaration & bylaw interpretation and compliance, contract negotiation, easements, governance (meetings, voting, proxies, resolutions, etc.), insurance matters, liability and risk avoidance, maintenance, repairs, and replacements, reserve studies and transition studies, rules promulgation & enforcement, and unit owner disputes, litigation and contracts.

Condominium and HOA communities and their associations are in essence businesses. They collect funds, establish budgets, hire contractors and vendors, purchase insurance, and are responsible for the day to day operation of the community as well as the maintenance, repair and long-term replacement of the buildings and grounds. Some of the HOA and condominium legal services offered by our community association law practice include:

Contract preparation, review and negotiation
Declaration and Bylaw Amendments
Collection of Delinquent Assessments
Opinion Letters and Legal Advise
Rules & Regulations Enforcement
Reserve Study Requirements
Transition Deficiency Studies
Drafting Board Resolutions
Voting, Proxies, and Special meetings
Developer Transition Issues
Condominium Lien and Foreclosure Proceedings
Transition Committees
Condominium and HOA Litigation
Construction Defects
Condominium Mechanic’s Lien Actions
Major renovation and repair projects
Architectural Control
Property Disputes and Easements
Condo & HOA Warranties
Tolling Agreements
Statutory Resale Disclosures
Board Meeting Procedures
Condo HOA Open Meetings Laws
Full litigation Services (prosecution and defense)
Vendor payment and performance disputes
Developer Warranty Claims
Resolution of Threatened Lawsuits
Interpretation of Association Governing Documents
Misappropriation of Association Funds
Unit Owner Disputes
Insurance Issues
Board Member Liability and Immunity
Fair Housing Compliance
General Condominium an HOA Governance
Covenant Interpretation and Enforcement

The condominium and HOA attorneys at Cowie Law Group have long-term relationships with accredited condominium association professionals. We educate board members and homeowners on matters involving Maryland and Washington DC condominium law and represent the interest of the community association in reviewing and enforcing governing documents, providing legal opinions to board members, and negotiating contracts with vendors and service providers. The community association lawyers at Cowie Law Group also represents homeowner association communities (HOAs) in matters involving Maryland and Washington DC law.

For more information about our Condominium and HOA law practice in Maryland and Washington DC, please visit our dedicated website (MarylandCondominiumAttorneys.com) or contact a Maryland / Washington DC condominium attorneys and HOA Lawyer at Cowie Law Group to discuss your community association’s legal issues in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Also see our informational packet; “Cowie Law Group, P.C. – Maryland and Washington DC Condo and HOA Law Attorneys Advancing Community Association Interests.”

Maryland and Washington DC condominium and HOA attorneys - Cowie Law Group, P.C.