Simone M. Freeman, incoming Vice-President, is a partner at Jaspan Schlesinger Narendran LLP. She is an experienced land use and zoning attorney, with an extensive background in public sector/municipal law. Ms. Freeman’s expertise lies in executing public and private development, risk/site analysis, and litigation for public/municipal and private corporations.
Prior to joining Jaspan Schlesinger Narendran LLP, Ms. Freeman was Corporation Counsel for the City of Long Beach where she served as chief legal advisor to the City Council, City Manager, and City Commissioners and Officers, as well as counsel to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Before that Ms. Freeman was a senior attorney for seven years at another prominent real estate, land use and zoning firm, where she represented telecommunication companies and national retail franchises in all aspects of the zoning process, including site analysis, applications, public hearings, permit procurement, project development and governmental and municipal compliance. Ms. Freeman began her career in the Office of the Town Attorney at the Town of North Hempstead where she served as co-counsel to the Town’s Board of Zoning and Appeals; counsel to the Department of Public Works; and Records Access Officer from 2007 to 2013. While serving first as an Assistant Town Attorney, and then as a Deputy Town Attorney, Ms. Freeman regularly advised the Town Board on issues relating to applications for special permits, site plan approvals, changes of zone, and creation and extension of special improvement districts. She also gained extensive experience in all aspects of public bidding and procurement, as well as project development.
Ms. Freeman is currently serving her second term as Vice-President of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, (“WBASNY”), having previously served as WBASNY Treasurer (2020-2022), and is a Past President of the Nassau County Women’s Bar Association. She has been selected as SuperLawyers New York Metro Rising Stars (2015-2019) and is the recipient of the Herald Top Lawyers of Long Island award for Land Use and Zoning (2023); Long Island Business News Top 50 Women in Business award (2022); Maurice A. Deane School of Law Center for Children, Families and the Law; Long Island Outstanding Woman in Law award (2016); and Nassau County Women’s Bar Association Bessie Ray Geffner, Esq. Memorial Award for Outstanding Newly Admitted Attorney (2011).
Ms. Freeman received her J.D. from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, where she was a member of the Family Court Review and Moot Court Association, and received Hofstra Law School’s Pro Bono Certificate, Bronze Level Award for her work in the public sector during law school.