Mike Withey is a founding partner of Withey Morris, PLC. Detailed and driven, he provides a perspective that considers clients’ immediate and long-term land use and zoning needs. Colleagues describe him as one of the most thorough attorneys, and he is known for his dry wit. Among his many competencies, Mike is extremely accomplished at handling larger, complicated re-zonings, and negotiating the differing development and re-development agreements with municipalities and counties throughout Arizona.

Immediately after graduating from law school, Mike was awarded a clerkship with the Honorable William P. Copple, U.S. District Court of Arizona. Subsequently, he concentrated his practice in land use, zoning and real estate development related matters. Today he serves as counsel to clients and represents development proposals in every municipality in the valley, as well as many of the outlying cities and counties in the state of Arizona.

• University of Arizona, J.D. – Graduated with High Distinction
• Order of the Coif, 1982

• Arizona State University College of Law; Adjunct Professor
• Speaker on zoning and land use issues at numerous seminars throughout Arizona
• Past Board President, Hospice of the Valley
• Past Board Member, Hospice of the Valley

Year after year Mike is included in The Best Lawyers in America® in the specialties of Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate law. The Best Lawyers in America® is regarded as the preeminent referral resource to the legal profession. Inclusion in Best Lawyers® results from an in-depth and exhaustive peer review process, including more than 2.5 million confidential evaluations submitted by the top attorneys in the United States.  Mike has repeatedly been named an Arizona Super Lawyer® by SuperLawyers.com®, a publication of Law and Politics. Based on peer-based nominations, Super Lawyers® conducts a rigorous research process to identify those lawyers outstanding in their profession. Only 5% of the lawyers in any given state are named to Super Lawyers®. (Super Lawyers®’ website, nomination process.)

Jason Morris is a founding partner of Withey Morris, PLC. Experienced and effective, his dynamic presentations at public hearings on behalf of his clients prove that an attorney can be both personable and tenacious. While attending the University Of Arizona College Of Law, Jason was the Managing Editor of the Arizona Law Journal of International & Comparative Law. Jason also spent time as a congressional staff member in Washington, D.C.

Throughout his career, his practice has been exclusively in land use, planning, zoning, and administrative law. His experience in the field includes all levels of entitlement throughout the state. In addition, he is a frequent guest lecturer and expert participating in industry roundtables, media appearances and academic panels. His expertise has been critical to state legislative efforts surrounding land use over the past two decades and his cases include many of the area’s most significant and notable developments. His client list includes several national homebuilders, master plan developers, commercial-industrial land owners, national retailers, and Fortune 100 companies. Jason spends significant time giving back to the community by way of his involvement as State President of the Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs as well as serving as the Mayor’s representative to the City of Phoenix Infill Advisory Board, and the Chairman’s appointment to the Maricopa County Board of Adjustment.

• University of San Diego, B.A., cum laude
• University of Arizona, J.D.

• Valley Leadership – Class XXII
• Chair, City of Phoenix License Appeals Board
• Chair, State Legislative Committee, Valley Partnership
• President, Arizona Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs
• Maricopa County Transportation Advisory Board
• City of Phoenix Development Advisory Board
• City of Phoenix Ad Hoc Committee on Development Process
• City of Phoenix Infill Advisory Committee
• Maricopa County Board of Adjustment
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix Board of Directors

Jason recently was recognized again as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” by the peer-recognition organization, Best Lawyers®, as well as having earned the highest ranking possible (“AV”) by the nationally-recognized evaluation organization, Martindale-Hubbell. Additionally, Jason was recently named a top lawyer in Real Estate:  Zoning/Land Use by Chambers USA which is considered the most trusted worldwide law resource guide.

Jason’s other honors include recognition as an outstanding community leader by the Phoenix Business Journal’s “40 under 40” Issue, and he was honored as one of the “Best of the Bar” by the Arizona Business Journal.

• J.D. 2006, Sandra Day O’Conner School of Law, Arizona State University, Cordova Scholarship Recipient
• B.A. 2002, Brigham Young University, International Studies; Minor in Spanish

• State Bar of Arizona, 2006

• Gilbert Chamber of Commerce Board Member
• Maricopa County Development Task Force
• GCAN Board Member
• Gilbert Leadership Class XX

• Gilbert Mayor’s Proclamation for Bike Safety Awareness
• 20 People to Know in Residential Real Estate, Phoenix Business Journal, June 25, 2021
• “Best Lawyers in America” by the peer-recognition organization, Best Lawyers®
• Phoenix Business Journal 40 under 40, Class of 2017
• People to Know (PTK) – Legal, in the August 2017 and November 2021 issue of AZRE magazine
• Top Newsmaker in Gilbert 2012 by the Gilbert Republic

Lessons Learned from a Land Use Lifesaver, BEX, (September 2020)

Virtual Neighborhood Meeting Provides Glimpse Into Future Business Practices, Attorney at Law magazine (April 2020)

Drafting an Entitlement Team, In Business Magazine of Greater Phoenix (November 2019)

The Pitfalls of Purchasing “Due Diligence in a Box,” Builder’s Exchange (September 2019)

Avoid Common Zoning Headaches, Builder magazine, (January 2019)

Balance Neighborhood Concerns with New or Re-Development, In Business Magazine of Greater Phoenix (May 2018)

Did you check the zoning? Az Big Media (November 2018)

Infill and Adaptive Reuse, Commercial Executive Magazine (2018)

Paying Respect to Our Past While Rebuilding Our Future, Commercial Executive Magazine, Sector Update: Infill (July 2017)

Breathing New Life Into Old Buildings, Commercial Property Executive, (June 2017)

How to MacGyver Your Infill Projects Through the City, AZ Big Media (June 2017)

Adaptive Reuse: Breathing New Life Into Old Buildings, In Business Magazine (April 2017)

Neighborhood Opposition: Faux or Real, Commercial Executive Magazine, Sector Update: Legal (May 2014)

Bill Allison, Of Counsel to Withey Morris, PLC, is a lawyer and urban planner with over 27 years of professional experience.  Bill brings a unique perspective to his land entitlement work with private and public sector clients.  Before joining private practice, Bill spent 13 years working in long range and current planning for the city of Phoenix, serving as the city’s Zoning Administrator from 1997 to 2001.  His municipal experience provides a respectful and insightful understanding of local government and planning that benefit his clients’ projects.  His reputation as a fair, objective and conscientious city planner has continued in his 14+ years of legal work and helped him build and maintain positive relationships with government staff.

Since joining private practice in 2001, Bill has represented clients with projects ranging in scale from one acre to several thousand acres in municipalities and counties from Pima County to Yavapai, Navajo and Apache Counties and across the Phoenix Metropolitan area.  Bill’s successful work covers the spectrum of land use entitlements from pre-annexation negotiations through final zoning and approval of infrastructure agreements.  He helps clients navigate issues with regulatory compliance, historic preservation and conservation district rules.  Bill also handles adoption and amendment of general and comprehensive plans, zoning ordinance provisions, and sign regulations and approvals.  In addition, Bill assists national and local liquor licensees in obtaining and retaining liquor licenses and deciphering liquor license statutes and rules.

Bill is comfortable working with groups large and small to present and negotiate development plans and projects.  With his planning background as a foundation, Bill’s style is to reach agreement when possible and, when it is not, to present strongly his clients’ positions.  This approach serves his clients well.

• Macalester College, B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, J.D. and Master of Urban Planning

• Arizona Forward – Chair
• Phoenix Public Library Foundation – Chair
• Hance Park Conservancy – Executive Vice President
• Actors’ Theatre Phoenix – Vice President
• Phoenix Billboard Study Group – Member

Bill was recently recognized again as one of the “Best Lawyers in America”® for Land Use & Zoning Law and by Chambers USA® for Real Estate/Zoning and Land Use.  He has also earned the highest possible ranking (“AV”) by the nationally recognized evaluation organization, Martindale-Hubbell.

Benjamin Tate is a land use and zoning attorney with Withey Morris, PLC. A second-generation Arizona native with deep roots in the Valley, Benjamin uses his extensive knowledge of development processes in municipalities and counties across the Valley and Arizona to guide developers and property owners through every aspect of real estate development, from land use entitlements and zoning to site plan and design review. 

A problem-solver by nature, Benjamin works with his clients to effectively design and position development projects to anticipate and address potential issues, and leverages his relationships with community leaders, municipal staff, and elected officials to build the consensus that is essential for a successful project. He has been recognized by his peers for excellence in the field of land use and zoning law multiple times, including Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch”, Southwest SuperLawyers “Rising Stars”, and Arizona Commercial Real Estate (AZRE) Magazine’s “Emerging Leaders”.

Benjamin earned his law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in May 2012 and his undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University in 2007 with a double major in economics and political science. Outside of the office, Benjamin likes to cook, ride bikes, and spend time with his wife and two daughters. He is also an avid weightlifter, swimmer, and outdoorsman.

• J.D. 2012, James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona
• B.S. 2007, Santa Clara University, Economics and Political Science

• State Bar of Arizona, 2013
• United States District Court – District of Arizona, 2016

• Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” (2021, 2022)
• Southwest SuperLawyers “Rising Stars” (2022)
• Arizona Commercial Real Estate (AZRE) Magazine’s “Emerging Leaders” (2022)

Alex Hayes is a land use and zoning attorney at Withey Morris, PLC, joining the firm in 2021. Alex is a skilled and highly effective communicator with broad experience developing and influencing public policy.  With over a decade of political and government relations experience, he has a nuanced understanding of how to navigate complex regulatory environments and achieve desired results.

Alex excels at identifying and understanding important details of an issue without losing sight of the big picture. At Withey Morris, he assists clients with all phases of the land use entitlement process.

Alex graduated from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in 2012 where he was a member of the Arizona Journal of Environmental Law and Policy. He is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hiking, trail running, skiing, and fly fishing. He is currently a Board Member with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.

• J.D. 2012, James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona
• B.A. 2008, University of Southern California

• Colorado Bar Association
• State Bar of Arizona

• Colorado Fourteeners Initiative Board Member

Dave Baker, Of Counsel to Withey Morris, PLC, has been a Certified Real Estate Specialist (Arizona Board of Legal Specialization) since 1992 and has over 25 years of experience in Arizona real estate transactions and litigation. He also offers experience in mediating real estate disputes.

Dave has been involved in several high-profile Phoenix-area projects, with services ranging from negotiating leases and drafting commercial documents to litigating real estate-related disputes. Following are representative projects and controversies that illustrate the scope of his real estate practice:

• On behalf of the developer of a major downtown Phoenix hi-rise condominium project, negotiated and documented the financing, formed the homeowner association and created the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs)
• In representing the developer of a major master-planned golf community in the East Valley, performed due diligence, created easements, assisted with entitlements, and resolved numerous title issues
• For a master-planned community in Heber, Arizona, assisted with drainage plan amendments, CC&Rs and complex contractual documents
• Litigated, at the trial level as well the appellate level, the seminal cases involving disclosure requirements under Arizona law for undeveloped land transactions
• Represented developers in the Casa Grande/Eloy area, drafting all contracts and assisting in all land acquisition and planning work for their projects
• Negotiated and documented commercial leases for major tenants in regional shopping centers and power centers

Dave has also represented several Arizona title companies in complex title, easement and transactional disputes and has served as an expert witness in disputes related to title insurance, escrow processes and trustee sales.

• J.D., Arizona State University, 1982
• B.S., Arizona State University, 1979

• Arizona
• U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

• State Bar of Arizona: Real Property Law Section, Sole Practitioner/Small Firm Section

Dave has been recognized for more than the last 25 years as a Certified Real Property Specialist by the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization. He has also been designated as a Superlawyer by Southwest Superlawyers Publications, and as one of the top 5% of lawyers in the Southwest United States for more than 15 years. Dave has enjoyed an AV Preeminent designation by Martindale Hubbell for the last 27 years (under both Peer Review and Judiciary Review); and Dave has been selected by U.S. News and World Report as one of Arizona’s Top Lawyers.

Alex Baker, Of Counsel to Withey Morris, PLC, practices in the areas of real estate transactions and litigation, commercial transactions and litigation, entity formation and estate planning.

He has represented clients in a variety of matters, including commercial transactions, commercial lease negotiations, litigation involving residential and commercial real estate, commercial and residential real estate transactions and financing documentation, limited liability company (LLC) and corporate formation, construction disputes, property tax liens, and property tax appeals.

A Phoenix native, Alex earned his law degree and bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University. Alex and his family live in Cave Creek.

• J.D., cum laude, Arizona State University, 2009
• B.S., summa cum laude, Arizona State University, 2005

• Arizona
• U.S. District Court, District of Arizona

• State Bar of Arizona
• Scottsdale Bar Association
• Carefree/Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce

Alex is a two-time Super Lawyers Rising Stars selectee. Rising Stars recognition is for younger lawyers (under age 40, or fewer than 10 years of experience), and selection is limited to just 2.5% of eligible Arizona attorneys.

Additionally, Alex is Lead Counsel Certified in Real Property Matters.

George Pasquel III is a Real Estate & Entitlement Specialist who has been consulting with the firm since 2011. His diverse background in Entitlement, Development, Construction Management, and Architecture provide him with a rare ability to facilitate coordination among all parties in the development process. His wide-ranging project experience encompasses everything from single family homes to multimillion dollar mixed use developments in both Arizona and California. Mr. Pasquel is highly proficient in handling a variety of entitlement needs including rezonings, general plan amendments, stipulation modifications, variances, use permits, special use permits, site plan approvals, construction permits, signage and other land use matters.

• Master of Architecture and Environmental Design. 2002, Arizona State University
• Bachelor Degree in Economics and Business, 1996, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA.
• Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED AP BD+C) Accredited Professional 

• Extensive experience obtaining development entitlements in an assortment of municipalities.
• Author of the first Planned Unit Development (PUD) ordinance adopted by the City of Phoenix City Council.
• Managed various construction trades for a $60M re-development project in Long Beach, CA
• Lead Project Engineer for $15M project in downtown Los Angeles, CA 

• Executive Committee – Valley Forward Association
• Past Chair, Land Use Committee – Valley Forward Association
• Past Member, Young Leaders Group – Urban Land Institute
• Adjunct Professor, Arizona State University, Housing & Community Development
• Adjunct Professor, Arizona State University, School of Public Affairs
• Member – Roosevelt Action Association
• Volunteer – Habitat for Humanity

Hannah Bleam, AICP is a planner specializing in land use, site development, community outreach, and entitlements. Her unique experience in both the public and nonprofit sectors have provided her with a skill set equipped to handle all aspects of the land use and development process. Prior to joining Withey Morris PLC, she held positions with the City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department as the sign section supervisor and a Village Planner for Central City, Encanto, Paradise Valley and North Mountain villages. These positions provided her with extensive knowledge of rezonings, planned unit developments, general plan amendments, text amendments, signage, community outreach, zoning adjustments, form-based codes, and other land use matters. 

• Masters of Community and Regional Planning, 2012, University of Oregon
• BA Political Science & Public Administration, 2009, Elon University

• American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
• Member of American Planning Association and Arizona Chapter 
• 2017-2018 Arizona Chapter of American Planning Association Board of Directors, Director at Large
• Volunteer – McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Trail Steward

Stephanie Watney is a Planner specializing in land use and site development. She provides entitlement and development services to the Firm’s clients ranging from initial due diligence and site evaluation to full entitlement processing (rezonings, stipulation modifications, use permits, variances). Stephanie assists in facilitating site development approvals and also provides clients with support for technical processes, such as land divisions and abandonments of public rights-of-way. Prior to joining Withey Morris PLC, Stephanie worked in the private sector for another large, national law firm, specializing in zoning. More recently, she held a position with the City of Chandler as a City Planner. Stephanie’s experience in both the private and public sectors have provided her with a unique and valuable skill set for facilitating all aspects of land use and site development processes.

• Arizona State University, Master of Urban and Environmental Planning (2015)
• University of Calgary, B.A. Political Science (2013)

• American Planning Association (APA)
• Arizona Planning Association (AZAPA)

Lindy Gosnell joined the firm in 2007.  Her background includes previous employment as a Paralegal and Office Manager for other law practices in Arizona and Idaho. Lindy is responsible for the day-to-day operation and management of the firm including accounting, information technology, human resources, benefits, marketing, and service and equipment contracts. She is also responsible for providing administrative leadership for the office, scheduling firm events and political fundraisers.

• Associates of Liberal Arts & Science, College of Southern Idaho
• Paralegal Certificate, Phoenix Career College