Legal & Consulting Services

Housing Ecosystem Evaluation & Analysis 

ML&C provides a one of a kind, critical review, analysis and evaluation of the systems, laws, services, stakeholders, financing, housing stock, community resources and related political ecosystem to determine the specific conditions creating displacement, homelessness, or unaffordability in the target city, town, county, area or target population.  

Uniquely informed by significant, direct experience in all related sectors - government, nonprofit, corporate, and community organizing - ML&C brings distinct perspectives to complex issues through its innovative hub consulting model. This dynamic combination of legal, legislative, and consulting services is informed by two decades of direct service, real estate, and systems management work - and the expert Allies ML&C draws into challenging projects and scenarios. ML&C’s consulting program aims to help governments, developers and community groups identify, create, and implement workable strategies to stabilize neighborhoods, address the homeless crises, develop values-driven eviction legal systems, and preserve affordable housing.

Acquisition Without Displacement

ML&C helps current and aspiring owners find ways to complete profitable property transactions - without displacing current tenants. With a real estate culture over-focused on maximizing the profitability of your asset, owners who want to recognize their asset is someone else’s home have few expert options to account for that tension in a sales transaction. ML&C provides a one-of-a-kind perspective on these transactions -bringing both legal and real estate expertise, and experience working closely both with owners/landlords and tenants/stakeholders.

Informed property owners know that any sale of rental property in the current climate can threaten the housing of long-term tenants - especially those with below market rents. ML&C helps owners who want to sell - but are concerned about their tenants - come up with creative ways to capture market value in their sale, and account for their tenants’ - and the community’s - interest.

Values Based Asset Management

Balancing the need to protect your investment with the very human element of asset management, ML&C can help owners meet the needs of special populations of all kinds - all while staying cost-conscious. Values-driven landlords looking to find humane alternatives to eviction to address challenges they face with their senior, disabled, non-English speaking, or other vulnerable tenant are a perfect match for ML&C.

ML&C’s depth of experience representing both tenants and landlords provides a unique, above the fray perspective. For landlords who want a values-driven approach to their overall asset management strategy - or help addressing a one-time issue - ML&C offers innovative approaches to age-old tenant relations issues that always emphasize eviction as a last resort. Developing asset management policies that ensure positive cash flow - and happy, engaged renters - taps on ML&C’s broad experience taking on these issues with a thorough understanding of the high stakes involved for all parties.

Cooperative Housing

Having collaborated with co-ops of all types and styles - from groups that have been living together for decades to groups looking to form a new cooperative housing community - ML&C’s founder is one of the most experience cooperative housing lawyers in California. ML&C’s attorneys have worked closely with members of Limited Equity Housing Cooperatives, LGBTQ Cooperatives, HUD Cooperatives, nonprofit member owned cooperatives, and other unique forms of collective ownership.

Whatever stage your co-op is at - and whatever issue it is facing - ML&C is well-poised to draw from its deep well of cooperative housing experience to ensure your community has a path towards thriving sustainability. As part of this service area, ML&C offers a focus on creative and community driven financing of cooperative projects.

Community Development 

With many developers recognizing that their chance of a successful project increasingly relies on engaging with and addressing the concerns of the community where they want to build, ML&C works to bring true community-centered development into practice. Forged in the fire of San Francisco’s decades-long housing imbroglio, ML&C helps developers of all shapes and sizes bring true double bottom line thinking to their projects.

ML&C also works with groups of tenants working together to address potential displacement or other building-wide issues - especially tenants interested in pursuing creative financing methods to purchase the building where they live. ML&C’s direct experience in tenant organizing and community real estate helps bridge the gap between tenants and landlords - or between owners and buyers - to find practical win-win solutions to difficult situations.

Crisis Management for Small Teams 

The dynamics of small offices - whether they be nonprofit, government, or corporate - means that an issue with one role or team member can impact the entire operation dramatically. ML&C helps new leaders adapt to fast moving situations with high expectations - and helps the teams that support those leaders find their role in the shared enterprise.

Whether it be helping a newly elected legislator get their office up and running, supporting a Chief Executive navigate a challenging corporate or nonprofit environment, or working with a manager to establish a successful office culture in their department, ML&C’s consulting services are tailored to help small teams and their leaders create opportunity out of transition or adversity.