Friedlander Misler

What Friedlander Misler does

Friedlander Misler, PLLC is a privately held boutique law firm founded in 1964 by Jack Friedlander in Washington, D.C., organized as a Professional Limited Liability Company and currently led by Managing Member David M. Astrove. The firm provides legal representation across complex commercial real estate transactions (acquisitions, dispositions, financing, leasing, development, and joint ventures), commercial litigation, bankruptcy, labor and employment, workers' compensation defense, insurance coverage disputes, professional liability defense, corporate and business law, and a specialized hospitality law practice anchored by former Marriott International in-house counsel Steven M. Goldman. Its practice area footprint is documented across twelve core service lines on the firm website, with sub-pages detailing sub-specialties such as creditors' rights, alternative dispute resolution, and sexual harassment litigation.

The firm serves a heterogeneous client base spanning small and mid-sized businesses, large corporations, banks, insurance carriers, public institutions, real estate developers, and hotel owners/operators, with primary geographic concentration in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and additional national reach. Revenue is generated through professional legal fees under typical law firm structures (hourly, flat, and contingency arrangements), with billing cadence of monthly; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led, driven by the firm's 60-year reputation, attorney recognition in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, Lawdragon, Connect CRE, and peer-nominated publications, plus direct relationships and referrals from corporate clients and professional networks. The underlying technology is limited to standard legal practice management and document management systems; there is no proprietary technology product, no AI/ML capability, and no public-facing software offering.

Friedlander Misler maintains a single headquarters at 5335 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., with a team of 11-50 employees. The firm operates independently with no parent company, no external institutional investors, and no disclosed funding rounds. Leadership includes four Principals (David M. Astrove, Deborah G. Astrove, Rebecca Urland Monzi, Amy C. Serafino) and several Members and Senior Counsel, with a deliberate effort to integrate next-generation attorneys (Li Ann Butterfield, Jordan S. Hirn) into the real estate practice. Distributions and marketing are conducted through the firm website, LinkedIn, industry directories, and thought-leadership content on legal topics relevant to real estate and commercial transactions.

Name

Friedlander Misler

Legal name

Friedlander Misler, PLLC

Website

https://fmlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Friedlander Misler is a Washington, D.C. boutique law firm, founded in 1964, that provides commercial real estate, litigation, workers' compensation, and corporate legal services to small and mid-sized businesses, large corporations, banks, insurance carriers, developers, and hospitality clients regionally and nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency Law (BPAHAAAH)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate law
• Commercial litigation services
• Workers compensation defense
• Corporate and business law
• Hospitality law

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: The firm generates revenue through professional legal fees charged to clients for representation in real estate transactions, litigation, employment matters, and corporate law services. Fee structures likely include hourly billing, flat fees for specific matters, and contingency arrangements depending on the type of legal service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Friedlander Misler is a boutique law firm delivering legal representation in complex commercial real estate transactions, commercial and real estate litigation, bankruptcy, general liability and professional liability defense, insurance coverage disputes, labor and employment litigation, workers' compensation defense, corporate and business law, and hospitality law. The firm serves small and mid-sized businesses, large corporations, banks, insurance carriers, public institutions, real estate developers, investors, employers, and hospitality clients across the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and nationally.

Product overview

Friedlander Misler is a boutique law firm offering a unified suite of legal services focused on complex real estate, commercial, employment and litigation matters. The firm provides practice areas including Commercial Real Estate (covering acquisitions, dispositions, financing, leasing, development and joint ventures), Commercial Litigation, General Liability Defense, Workers' Compensation, Corporate and Business Law, and Hospitality Law. The core offering centers on comprehensive legal representation for businesses, financial institutions, and individuals, with particular strength in real estate transactions and commercial dispute resolution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Real Estate Legal Services

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Miles & Stockbridge: Mid-Atlantic law firm with D.C. and Maryland offices serving businesses in real estate, litigation, and corporate matters. Comparable practice mix but a broader full-service model spanning the Mid-Atlantic region.
• Holland & Knight: National law firm with a strong D.C. real estate practice handling complex commercial real estate transactions, financing, and development. Comparable in real estate expertise but much larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Friedlander Misler.
• ArentFox Schiff: Major D.C.-headquartered law firm with a leading real estate practice serving national clients. Comparable in the real estate transactions and commercial leasing space, but operates at a substantially larger scale with national and international reach.
• Whiteford, Taylor & Preston: Mid-Atlantic law firm with offices across the region including D.C., with a strong real estate and litigation practice. Overlapping practice areas in real estate, construction, and commercial litigation, but operates at a larger scale than Friedlander Misler.
• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman: National law firm with a D.C. office and significant real estate finance and development practice serving institutional clients. Comparable real estate focus and institutional client base but at a much larger scale than Friedlander Misler.
• Ballard Spahr LLP: National law firm with a major D.C. office and a real estate practice spanning transactions, finance, development, and litigation. Overlaps with Friedlander Misler in real estate transactions and litigation but at substantially greater scale.
• Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr: Mid-Atlantic-headquartered law firm with significant D.C. presence offering real estate, litigation, and corporate services to a wide range of clients. Comparable practice areas but broader geographic footprint and larger scale than Friedlander Misler's boutique model.

Direct peers

• Offit Kurman: Mid-Atlantic-based law firm with multiple D.C. area offices offering real estate, business, and litigation services to small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable as a multi-office Mid-Atlantic firm with similar practice mix including commercial real estate and commercial litigation.
• Lerch, Early & Brewer: Bethesda, MD-based boutique law firm focused on real estate, land use, and business law for clients in the D.C. metropolitan area. Closely comparable as a Mid-Atlantic real estate boutique of similar scale with overlapping practice areas in commercial real estate transactions and zoning.
• Linowes and Blocher LLP: Bethesda-based law firm with a leading real estate, land use, and community development practice serving the D.C./Mid-Atlantic market. Highly comparable in boutique scale, D.C. metro focus, and concentration on real estate transactions, financing, and development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friedlander-misler-pllc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friedlander Misler