Remembering Fred Wolf III

Fred Wolf III—a retired Ballard Spahr partner well-known in Baltimore as a preeminent real estate lawyer, esteemed mentor, and dedicated civic leader—passed away peacefully on December 23, 2024, at his home in Dedham, Massachusetts, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 78.

Fred was a longtime Baltimore resident and leader in the City’s legal and business community before moving to the Boston area a few years ago to be nearer to family. He was a Philadelphia native whose father, Fred Wolf, Jr., was a partner at Wolf Block and whose mother, Margery, was active as a community leader.

After earning degrees at Dartmouth College and George Washington University Law School, Fred clerked for Judge Francis Lund Van Dusen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia before settling in Baltimore, the hometown of his wife, Peggy.

Before joining Ballard Spahr’s Baltimore office in 1992 as a founding partner, Fred practiced at Frank, Bernstein, Conaway & Goldman in Baltimore and served as assistant attorney general and counsel to the Maryland Department of Economic and Community Development. At Ballard Spahr, Fred’s prominence rose in Baltimore and nationally through his successful negotiation and closing of a succession of large transactions for major institutional investors. He was widely regarded as a national authority on complex real estate financing transactions and handled some of the largest and most complex deals in Ballard Spahr’s history.

Fred led the Ballard Spahr team that closed a nine-figure financing package in 2010 for development and construction of the Kansas City National Security Campus of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Fred called the massive project—which serves a crucial role in securing the U.S. nuclear arsenal—“remarkable in both size and scope.”

Fred’s contributions as an invaluable mentor to a generation of lawyers were equally important to him and his colleagues as his achievements in law and business.

“Fred was a gentleman’s lawyer, very disciplined but an ardent advocate for his clients’ interests. He had a unique ability to understand and dissect the most complex matters. He could debate the most contested issues while at the same time advance his clients’ positions,” said Thomas A. Hauser, co-leader of Ballard Spahr’s Real Estate Finance Group and managing partner of the firm’s Baltimore office. “He was more than just a lawyer, he was a trusted adviser to those who crossed his path. Fred was not only a longtime partner, but a true mentor and trusted friend. I learned so much from him and am forever grateful.”

Fred was deeply committed to community, including serving three terms as the board chair of the Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital (1980-1983, 2017-2018, and 2020-2022) and as chair of the hospital foundation’s board from 2011 to 2014. Beloved at MWPH, Fred led several transformational efforts there, including the joint venture between the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine. Fred also served as chair of the board of Jewish Family Services and the University of Maryland Hillel, as well as on the board of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore.

He was a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, and a perennial selection of The Best Lawyers in America for real estate law.

“Fred is a big part of the reason that Ballard Spahr’s Baltimore office is known today, in the region and nationally, for both outstanding lawyering and exemplary civic leadership,” said Ballard Spahr Special Counsel Jon M. Laria, a former longtime real estate partner and Baltimore office managing partner. “Not only was Fred regarded nationally as among the very top lawyers in his field, he devoted himself to guiding younger colleagues who have gone on to highly successful legal careers and as leaders for good in the community.”

Fred is survived by his wife of 56 years, Peggy (nee Kaufman); their beloved children, Matthew Wolf (Emily) and Rachel Preti (Brian); grandchildren Winifred and Gabriel Wolf and Thomas and Matthew Preti; and his brother, John Wolf (Mahela).

The family will receive guests at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, 7401 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore, on Friday, December 27, at 12 p.m., followed by a service at 12:45 p.m. Immediately following the service, the family will observe shiva at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation until 4 p.m. Interment will be private.

Contributions in Fred's memory may be made to Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, P.O. Box 412035, Boston, MA 02241-2035, or NewBridge on the Charles Scholarship Fund, 23 Gray Stone Path, Dedham, MA 02026. Please omit flowers.