Henry M. Terrell, Esq. Managing Member

A judge 's gavel on top of a wooden table.

Experience​
Managing Member • Real Estate Transactions 
Real Estate Law Offices of Henry M. Terrell & Associates, PLLC


  • Resolving homeowner and residential real property tax assessment and delinquent payments issues and concerns.
  • Resolving commercial and residential deed transfer and recordation tax and exempt transactions recorded at the Recorder of Deeds.
  • Counsel in matters of residential real estate (Purchase/Sale) contracts and real property transfers by Will to heirs and siblings.
  • Provide strategic legal counsel to residential sellers and purchasers, tax lien certificate purchasers and owners of tax sale properties, homeowners and interested parties with special transactional requirements and needs.
  • Provide mediation counsel to property owners in foreclosure and in negotiations for the modification of their mortgages, deeds of trust so as to facilitate the process of home retention and the continued flow of payments between homeowners and banks.
  • Provide third-party representation for homeowners in tax sale and mortgage foreclosures.

Tax Counsel
Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Tax and Revenue


  • Provided legal review and oversight on specific real estate issues as directed by the General Counsel.
  • Provided advice and counsel for real property tax administration issues related to the real property transfer and recordation tax exemptions administered by the Office of the Recorder of Deeds.
  • Assisted the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in protecting significant City revenues from challenges mounted by taxpayers in the Superior and Appellate Courts to preserve material provisions of the law to continue to tax security interests as promulgated under the " Taxing of Security Instruments" legislation resulting in significant short and long term revenue gains for the District of Columbia.
  • Lead Counsel to coordinate input from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and administration staff persons to complete the task of drafting, reviewing and submission for publication the Proposed Emergency and Final Rulemaking for the new tax sale regulations promulgated under 47-1301 of the D.C. Code and adopted to amend the taxation and assessment regulations to Chapter 3 of Title 9 DCMR "Real Property Tax Sales."
  • Provide rules, procedures and guidelines for participants and stakeholders involving millions of dollars of revenues for the District of Columbia.
  • Lead Counsel to coordinate input from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and administration staff persons to restructure and disseminate Revisions of the Estate and Inheritance Tax laws that impacted millions of dollars in revenue collections.

Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia
Office of Chief Financial Officer, Office of Tax & Revenue

  • Responsible for giving official notice of all recordings relating to the right, title and interest in all real and personal property in the District of Columbia; responsible for the administration of the Recordation and Transfer Tax Laws for the District of Columbia as well as for the promulgation of rulemaking with regard to the collection of taxation and the collection of fees required when deeds, mortgages, deeds of trusts, assignments of mortgages and deeds of trust and other required revenue generating documents were filed.
  • In 1991, initiated, researched and conducted an analysis and provided a written report on the Recorder of Deeds document and information management needs entitled, "Revenue Enhancement through Improved Document Management", resulting in the passage of Bill 11-670, the "Recorder of Deeds Recordation Surcharge Amendment Act of 1996" legislation. As a result, this new initiative and vision provided "worldwide" automated access to District of Columbia land records and generated an increase in revenues using new technology by the implementation of the Recorder of Deeds Automation 2000 Lands Records Management System in November 1999.
  • Initiated, instituted and enforced significant transfer and recordation tax compliance measures to maintain the integrity of the recording and the pre auditing process resulting in increased revenue collections and minimal revenue collection losses to the City.
  • Provided leadership and vision in the initiation, implementation and administration of the "Taxing of Security Instruments" legislation responsible for significant increases in Recordation Tax revenues baselined by $50 million in revenues in FY 1995 to a high baseline of revenues of$127 million in FY 1999.

Leadership Governmental Board/Other Organizational Leadership Roles


  • National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks (NACRC) (Former Board Member)
  • District of Columbia Land Title Association (Current Member)
  • Initiated, instituted and enforced significant transfer and recordation tax compliance measures to maintain the integrity of the recording and the pre auditing process resulting in increased revenue collections and minimal revenue collection losses to the City.
  • District of Columbia Real Estate Commission (current Vice-Chairman) Term Expired 2013
  • District of Columbia Historical Records Advisory Board (Past Member) Term Expired
  • Association of Real Estate Law License Officials (ARELLO) Current Board Member

Community Leadership Roles

  • 2700 Block Fort Baker Drive - Past Block Captain
  • Howard University School of Law Alumni of Greater Washington Area- Past President
  • Virginia State University Alumni of Washington, DC - Past President
  • Hillcrest Community Civic Association, Member
  • Washington DC Partners in Homeownership, Member

(Predatory Lending Protections and Mortgage Foreclosure Improvements Action o/2000)

Education & Awards

  • Howard University School of Law, Washington, DC Juris Doctor
  • Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA Bachelor of Arts, Economics
  • Theodore Hagy Award Finalist Supervisor of the Year 1992
  • Certificates and Letters of Appreciation
  • Nominee, the Morris Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Awards for Distinguished DC Government Employees 2001
  • (ARELLO) Commissioner College (Certificate of Completion) 2009