Kinley R. Bray

Kinley Bray is a Member with over 20 years of experience in land use, zoning, and administrative law. Throughout her career, Ms. Bray has skillfully represented developers, institutions, community organizations, and local government entities in all facets of land use and real estate development. Her comprehensive understanding of the intricacies involved in the development approval process and her experience representing stakeholders of every stripe uniquely positions her to guide our clients towards successful outcomes.

Ms. Bray has focused her practice on Anne Arundel County, where she has handled every type of local land use matter and obtained successful outcomes before the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, Appellate Court of Maryland, and the Maryland Supreme Court. Ms. Bray is also a seasoned lobbyist and enjoys advocating for her clients in the legislative arena.

Prior to joining YVS Law, Ms. Bray served as a dedicated advocate for the Anne Arundel County Office of Law, where she represented the Office of Planning and Zoning, the Department of Inspections and Permits, and other agencies for five years. Her tenure with the County provided her with invaluable insight into the decision-making processes, policies, and priorities of local government. Before her time with the County, Ms. Bray ran a thriving land use practice at one of the region’s leading real estate law firms, representing a diverse clientele including developers, individuals, non-profit institutions, and governmental entities before Washington, D.C., and federal land use tribunals.

Ms. Bray holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana and a Juris Doctorate from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and is licensed to practice law in both Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Notable Representations

• Successfully obtaining special exception and variance relief for various commercial and single-family lots.
• Successfully navigating a rezoning case through an adverse ruling by the Board of Appeals, resulting in a favorable outcome after Circuit Court intervention due to the underlying agency’s arbitrary and capricious decision-making.
• Resolving a dispute with the Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake & Atlantic Coastal Bays over variance relief approved by Anne Arundel County, resulting in the ability of a homeowner to reconstruct a 1940s-era cliffside home with modern stormwater management facilities without resorting to litigation.
• Successfully lobbying for a zoning text amendment to update the BRAC/Mixed Use conditional use requirements.
• Delivering a Maryland Supreme Court victory resulting in the appropriate credit of several hundreds of thousands of dollars against impact fees due as a result of developer-funded road improvements that had been denied by Anne Arundel County.
• Serving as Amicus Curiae before the Maryland Supreme Court in the successful defense of a zoning text amendment enacted by Prince George’s County that was challenged by anti-growth activists.