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Jody Kline Honored as LAIGW “Member of the Year” for 2025

Posted November 4, 2025 at 5:15 AM

Land Development, MM&C Happenings, News & Events

Miller, Miller & Canby’s Jody Kline has been honored as the Lambda Alpha International George Washington Chapter (LAIGW) 2025 Member of the Year. The recognition is based upon commitment to Lambda Alpha, and to achievements in land economics and related fields in the private or public sectors, including research and education. Kline was honored at an awards ceremony on October 29 in Washington, DC.

Kline has been a dedicated member of LAIGW since 2000. Over the past two decades, he has demonstrated steadfast leadership and commitment to advancing the organization’s mission of promoting excellence in land economics.

Within LAIGW, Kline has served in several leadership roles, including President (since December 2021), Vice President for Membership, and Communications Officer. His ongoing service has helped strengthen collaboration among professionals in land use, real estate, planning, and related disciplines. Beyond these roles, he has actively participated in local, national, and international LAI gatherings, representing the George Washington Chapter with distinction. He has helped organize joint programs with other chapters and participated in conferences focusing on planning, urban development, and economic growth. Through more than 20 years of active engagement, he has embodied the core LAI values of professional excellence, collaboration, and community service.

Kline is widely recognized as one of the leading land use and zoning attorneys in Montgomery County, Maryland and the greater Washington, D.C. region. As principal and head of the Land Use and Zoning department at Miller, Miller & Canby, he has guided complex development, zoning, and subdivision projects for nearly five decades, ranging from small-scale site projects to large, multi-acre master-planned communities. His counsel has helped shape key growth areas such as Downtown Bethesda, City of Gaithersburg, City of Rockville, White Flint, and Wheaton, achieving outcomes that balance community objectives with economic development.

Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to the land use, planning, and development community in Montgomery County and beyond. He has represented clients in many of the County’s major planning and economic development initiatives, providing expert legal guidance that has helped shape the region’s environment. His areas of specialization include zoning, special exceptions/conditional uses, variances, subdivision, rezoning, annexation, master planning, zoning text amendments, building permits, and related administrative and real estate matters.

His active engagement in professional organizations further demonstrates his leadership. He has served as Secretary, Executive Committee Member, and Chairman of the Administrative Law Section of the Bar Association of Montgomery County, and is also a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the American Planning Association (APA), and the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association (MNCBIA).

Kline has been featured as a “Top Lawyer” in Washingtonian magazine and “Top Attorney” in Bethesda magazine, named a Maryland Super Lawyer every year since 2008, and listed among “Best Lawyers in America” for 16 consecutive years, a testament to his enduring influence and respected expertise in the field of land economics and planning law.

Beyond his professional work, his community stewardship is evident through his pro bono legal service and environmental advocacy. In 2022, he was honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Audubon Naturalist Society (now Nature Forward) for his contributions to environmental protection and responsible development. His lifelong dedication to excellence, mentorship, and civic engagement continues to strengthen the connection between land use law, community development, and environmental responsibility.

About Miller, Miller & Canby
In 2026, Miller, Miller & Canby will celebrate 80 years of serving the legal needs of metropolitan Washington, DC. As one of the oldest law firms in Montgomery County, MD, the firm recognizes that this milestone reflects the relationships built and maintained with our clients, friends and the business community, many spanning multiple generations. The firm maintains its focus on its core areas of practice: Land Use and Zoning, Real Estate, Litigation, Eminent Domain, Business & Tax, Employment and Estates & Trusts Law. The firm’s size allows its attorneys to maintain close contact with clients and have the opportunity to develop and foster trusted, lasting relationships. In all of our practice areas, an overarching concern for quality of product and efficiency of accomplishment assures clients that we strive for true value in legal representation. Miller, Miller & Canby is proud to have maintained this standard of service since the firm’s founding in 1946.

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