Portrait of Gwen Roy-Harrison

Gwen Roy-Harrison

Principal, Practice Group Leader - Landlord Representation, and DEI Committee Co-Chair

Gwen Roy-Harrison’s practice focuses on representing multi-family housing providers, developers, and business owners of all sizes, including litigating residential and commercial landlord disputes. She spends much of her time in court prosecuting and defending cases on behalf of large property management companies, small to medium businesses, and individual owners. Gwen has honed an expertise in The Fair Housing Act (FHA) and The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with respect to housing providers and HUD compliance. She advises and represents clients involved in HUD complaints, state/local discrimination investigations, regulatory compliance, and conducts Fair Housing Act trainings. Gwen has also honed a specialty in resolving disputes for condominium and cooperative associations. Outside of the courtroom, she devotes considerable time to the transactional sphere, including lease review and drafting, non-disclosure agreements, and confidential settlement or general release agreements.

Gwen is frequently conducting virtual and in-person presentations in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia on HUD compliance, FHA training, and best practices for housing providers to avoid a fair housing/discrimination complaint.

    Education

    • University of San Diego School of Law (J.D.)
      • Lead Articles Editor, San Diego Law Review
    • University of Mary Washington (B.S.)

    State Bar Admissions

    • Virginia
    • District of Columbia
    • Maryland

    Professional Affiliations

    • Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in the Law (DC Chapter), Board Member, 2020-present
    • DC Bar Association, Real Estate, Housing and Land Use Section
    • The Barristers
    • Co-Chair, DEI Committee

    Recognitions

    • Named Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Litigation - Real Estate, Real Estate Law (2021-2025)
    • Selected to Maryland Rising Stars® for Real Estate (2023-2027)
    • Selected to Washington, D.C. Rising Stars® for Real Estate (2023)

"The litigation process is often deeply frustrating. Clients turn to me to guide them through the process with fierce determination, an eye for expedient resolution, and the grace and patience to handle any hurdles along the way."

Gwen Roy-Harrison

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Firm Highlights

  • Podcasts
    Artful Donations: Exploring Museum Exchange
    In this episode of The Legal Canvas, host Caryn Keppler welcomes Robert Wainstein and Michael Darling, co-founders of Museum Exchange, the first digital platform dedicated to facilitating art donations to museums and nonprofit institutions across North America. Together, they explore how technology is transforming the way collectors, artists, estates, and cultural organizations connect through charitable giving. Robert and Michael explain the inspiration behind Museum Exchange, the challenges they set out to solve, and how the platform has grown into a network of more than 400 museums. They walk listeners through the donation process—from evaluating artwork and matching donors with institutions to handling logistics, documentation, and tax considerations. Along the way, they discuss the realities of museum collecting, why many donations are declined, and how thoughtful placements can help preserve artists' legacies while expanding access to important works of art. The conversation also explores Museum Exchange's work with living artists, artist estates, hospitals, universities, and smaller regional museums, as well as the launch of the Charis Foundation for the Arts, a nonprofit designed to steward significant collections before placing them with institutions that can best benefit from them. Robert and Michael conclude by sharing their vision for the future of charitable art transactions and how Museum Exchange is helping reshape philanthropy in the arts for generations to come.