Background and Education:

Daniel Suchman was born and raised in Miami, Florida, surrounded by a family of real estate brokers, investors and developers.  He graduated from Ransom-Everglades School before attending Vanderbilt University, where he achieved high honors in civil engineering.  Daniel graduated with high honors from University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in building construction.  He received his Juris Doctor degree from University of Miami School of Law, where Daniel served on the Editorial Board of the University of Miami Law Review and was a member of the Bar & Gavel Service Honorary Society.

Legal and other relevant experience:

Over the years, Daniel has represented what to some might seem the opposing interests of development and conservation.  He understands and can advocate effectively the legitimate needs and objectives of both camps.  This is one of the areas in which Daniel is good at helping his clients to avoid needless conflict, and to find win-win solutions when conflict is unavoidable.

Daniel began practice as a real estate associate of what is now the international law firm of Greenberg, Traurig, LLP, where he represented real estate developers and commercial banks and was an authorized signatory for Attorneys' Title Insurance Fund, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company, Chicago Title Insurance Company and Lawyer's Title Insurance Corporation.

Daniel later became a shareholder in the Coral Gables, Florida law firm of Tryson & Suchman, P.A., where he represented real estate developers, business owners, commercial banks, national relocation companies and home buyers and became an agent for Attorneys' Title Insurance Fund and Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company.

Then, for nearly 20 years, Daniel enjoyed a solo practice in which he represented real estate developers, builders, business owners, home owners, and served as real property counsel to attorneys practicing in the areas of estate planning, probate, guardianship, divorce, bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure and other types of litigation.

Daniel’s solo practice also allowed him to pursue his interest in environmental conservation transactions.  In approximately 1989, Daniel became special counsel to the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (in 1991, TNC honored him with their "Conservation Colleague Award", and in 1992 solicited Daniel to serve as Director of their Key West, FL office).  Daniel has also represented (pro bono) clients of the American Civil Liberties Union.

In 1994, Daniel moved to Bainbridge Island, Washington, where he took a sabbatical from the practice of law.  During his sabbatical, he worked as an affordable housing planner for the City of Bainbridge Island, where he wrote the initial drafts of the City’s “mandatory affordable housing” and “affordable housing bonus density” ordinances.

In 1996, Daniel was appointed by Mayor Janet West to serve (for two years) on the Winslow Master Plan Steering Committee.

In 2000, he devoted several hundred hours to the Bainbridge Island Land Trust (BILT), as a volunteer attorney and member of its Projects Committee.

In the Spring and Summer of 2001, Daniel helped organize Trust for Working Landscapes (TWL), a tax-exempt non-profit organization working to save island farmland, preserve and create public access open space and provide affordable housing on Bainbridge Island.  He also helped TWL and the City of Bainbridge Island to acquire the 15-acre Johnson Farm parcel on which TWL conducted its activities.

In Fall of 2001, he participated in drafting the City of Bainbridge Island ordinance creating an $8 million open space bond levy.

From 2001-2003, Daniel worked as a consultant to the Washington Water Trust, a nonprofit organization that acquires water rights for conversion to instream flows for ecological purposes (such as to provide salmon habitat).

In 2002, he authored the formative documents for Bainbridge Island's first "agricultural condominium".

In the Spring of 2003, Daniel was fully admitted to the Washington bar (having already been admitted in Florida and Massachusetts) and returned to the private practice of law.

In 2003, he was also commissioned by the Washington Water Trust to write a chapter for a conservation transactions handbook.

In 2003-04, Daniel represented the owners of one of the largest remaining privately owned tracts of land (112 acres) on Bainbridge Island in a transaction that created 49 acres of protected public open space, while yielding substantial economic benefits to the land owners.

In the Spring of 2007, Daniel retired from the practice of law.

Personal Interests:

When not practicing law, Daniel has pursued his interests and passions in a broad range of activities, including alternative dispute resolution (certified by Florida Supreme Court as a circuit court mediator); community building (founder of Miami Cohousing Group, former resident of Winslow Cohousing Group, former President of Madison Cottages Owners’ Association); sailing (ASA and US Sailing certified); SCUBA (NAUI and PADI certified); flying small airplanes and helicopters (FAA licensed pilot); hiking; bicycling; wood working; music performance (in jazz and rock bands, and a cappella vocal groups); social dance (salsa); portrait photography; and community service.