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Philadelphia Office
1835 Market Street - Suite 1400
Philadelphia
PA 19103
215.569.4092 phone215.568.6603 faxadougherty@klehr.com

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Amanda J. Dougherty

Associate | Litigation | Real Estate and Finance | Real Estate Tax

Biography

Amanda’s dynamic approach to litigation has already earned her a reputation for being an astute, forceful advocate. She began her career as a prosecutor and has since leveraged that experience to successfully litigate a myriad of cases, including state and federal court trials, administrative-level cases and AAA arbitrations. While Amanda has handled matters ranging from multi-million dollar real estate matters to simple collections actions, from international real estate development arbitrations to consumer protection actions, she primarily concentrates her practice on litigation involving real estate issues.

Following her work as a prosecutor, Amanda’s time with the City of Philadelphia Tax Unit gave her invaluable insight into Philadelphia tax and real estate issues, including tax assessment appeals, foreclosure actions, tangled title concerns. Amanda has built upon that foundation and now utilizes her knowledge and expertise to assist private individuals and businesses in the greater Philadelphia area with a variety of real estate matters, including litigation spurred by misrepresentations in real estate deals, tax assessment appeals, condominium assessment disputes and code enforcement issues. Because she is proficient in Mandarin, having earned her Master’s degree in Chinese Law at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Amanda can and has helped native Chinese Philadelphians navigate various legal problems.

Amanda’s time as a prosecutor and as a Philadelphia Law Department City Solicitor gave her both confidence and comfort in the courtroom, so she is not afraid to meet her opponents in court when settlement is off the table. Still, because she understands the time, stress and expense her clients will face in taking a case to verdict, she can sit with clients from the very beginning to help them understand the risks and create a litigation plan that works for them, even if it means settling through a well crafted pre-litigation demand letter.

Amanda regularly updates her blog, Philly Tax Jawn, with posts and discussions dealing with Philadelphia real estate taxes. Amanda is also Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for GALLOP where she works to support and promote Philadelphia’s LGBTQ attorneys through networking and educational events. For instance, Amanda organized and hosted a continuing legal education course in January of 2019 on the intersection of religious free expression and LGBTQ non-discrimination laws.

Outside of her professional interests, Amanda relaxes by running with her dog, watching British television programs, and, occasionally, boxing.

Credentials

Education

Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D. (2011)

Tsinghua University , LL.M., Proficient in Mandarin (2010)

Bryn Mawr College, cum laude (2007)


Admissions

Pennsylvania

Eastern District of Pennsylvania


Boards/Memberships

Member,  International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO)

Member,  Board of Revision of Taxes

Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors,  GALLOP, a non-profit organization committed to the advancement and empowerment of Philadelphia’s LGBTQ Attorneys

Mentor,  Temple University Beasley School of Law OUTLaw mentorship program

Member,  Philadelphia Bar Association

Appointee,  Philadelphia Commission on LGBT Affairs (2017)

Representative Matters:

  • Successfully litigated real estate tax assessment appeals at the trial court, one of which resulted in over $3 million of additional revenue to the client and was successfully defended on appeal to the Commonwealth Court;
  • Successfully represented a client in an international AAA arbitration against a real estate developer who was found to have made numerous fraudulent misrepresentations prior to the subject real estate deal; 
  • Successfully defended several Conservatorship Action claims to keep properties in the hands of their owners for future development; 
  • Represented numerous clients in the construction industry for collections actions;
  • Forced a condominium association to withdraw its complaint against a client medical practice for unlawful condominium assessments; and
  • Led discovery in a UCC dispute for a major publicly-traded corporation.