BALTIMORE, MD (6/11/03) –Venable LLP is proud to announce that partner Russell R. "Ronnie" Reno, Jr. will be honored as the first recipient of the"Distinguished Maryland Real Property Practitioner Award"at an awards breakfast on June 13 hosted by the Section of Real Property, Planning and Zoning of the Maryland Bar Association.
The award recognizes the Maryland real estate attorney who best exemplifies the experience, client service, technical skill, integrity, collegiality, and courtesy that all real estate lawyers strive for in their professional lives.
"Ronnie is the role model for all real estate lawyers, and those of us who have had the honor and pleasure of working with him have benefited immensely," said Kevin L. Shepherd, partner and co-chair of Venable’s Real Estate Practice Group. "He is the epitome of what every real estate lawyer aspires to be as a true professional."
Mr. Reno has spent nearly 46 years practicing real estate law. In addition to serving as counsel to a number of Maryland real estate developers, he routinely serves as local counsel to major New York law firms and their clients. Mr. Reno has also published a two-volume treatise on Maryland real estate forms, Maryland Real Estate Forms – Practice. That book has become a model for other real estate books throughout the United States. Mr. Reno has been recognized regularly in The Best Lawyers in America publication. He also has continued to be a driving force behind the state bar’s real estate section’s legislative review committee, bringing his experience to legislative matters affecting Maryland real property law.
In addition to speaking at numerous MICPEL programs and serving as Chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, where he is the chief legal officer, Mr. Reno devotes significant time to this role as a director of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society (1965-present). He served as a trustee of Haverford College (1990-2002) and as a trustee of Goucher College (1978-present). He is also a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
"For good reason, Ronnie is widely known as the "dean" of the Maryland real estate bar. He brings an unsurpassed knowledge of Maryland real estate law and a brilliance to bear on legal issues with uncommon judgment and humility," affirms another of Mr. Reno’s partners at Venable, James D. Wright. "He will undoubtedly be a tough act to follow as a recipient of this inaugural award."
One of the American Lawyer’s top 100 law firms, Venable LLP has attorneys practicing in all areas of corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property and government affairs. Venable serves corporate, institutional, governmental, nonprofit and individual clients throughout the U.S. and around the world from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices in California, Maryland, New York and Virginia. For more, visit www.Venable.com.