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Attorney
By
Attorney
Career Profiles of the Profession
Who?
What?
Primary Practice Area & Subspecialty Fields:
Primary Area: Real estate.
Subspecialties: Commercial leasing and commercial finance
When?
Years in Practice Area:
Since 1986
Years in the Legal Profession:
Since 1986
Where?
Employer:
Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry, PLC
http://www.bccb.com
Size/Sector:
90 attorneys/Private practice
City/State:
Nashville, Tennessee
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Law School:
University of Virginia, 1986 (Armour Law Scholar, Virginia Law Review,
Order of the Coif)
Undergraduate School/Degree:
University of Virginia -B.A. in Philosophy with High Distinction (National Merit Scholar, Echols Scholar, Omicron Delta Kappa, Raven Society)
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Why?
Pluses/Challenges of Practice Area:
Real estate is a tangible area of the law - one can see the results and touch the product. It is generally a “win, win” practice, where both side are usually satisfied at the end of the day.
Core Skills/Key Knowledge Needed in Your Practice Area:
Common sense, ability to learn and understand financial structures, ability to negotiate.
Advice to Lawyers and Law Students Interested in Your Practice Area:
For lawyers – Never be difficult on a transaction without it being absolutely necessary. Real estate attorneys run into each other over and over again, and one never knows if one will need a favor in the future. Other attorneys can be great referral sources for business. For law students – take every business-oriented class you can, including bankruptcy, environmental law, tax and secured transactions.
How?
Career Path to Current Position:
Initial interview at law school. Summer associate position.
Suggested Reading About Your Practice Area:
Friedman on Leases - the leasing bible.
Do not believe what you read in John Grisham’s The Street Lawyer, real estate attorneys are respected members of their firms.
Job Search Techniques Used in Finding Your Position(s):
I started with my current law firm out of law school. I have had many opportunities to change, from corporate headhunters, to in-house offers from clients, to networking opportunities with colleagues, all of which would have been valuable if I had been a job search mode.
Bar Affiliations and Activities:
Member, American Bar Association (Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, Member, Commercial Leasing Group; Member of the Mortgages and Other Debt Financing Committee);
Member, Tennessee Bar Association
Member, Nashville Bar Association
Chair, ABA Real Property Section, Commercial Leasing Committees - Retail Leasing, 2000-present.
Chair, ABA Real Property Section, Commercial Leasing Committees - Insurance and Indemnity, 1998-2000.
Recent Professional Publications:
Author, "Basics of Insurance in Leases," 14 Probate & Property, No. 6, 19 (November/December 2000) (Winner of the 2000 Excellence in Writing Award for Best Practical Use Article).
Contributor: The Commercial Property Lease, Volume III, published by the American Bar Association, Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law (2000).
Recent Professional Presentations: Moderator and Panelist, “The Basics of Insurance in Leasing,” International Council of Shopping Centers Law Conference (Orlando), October 2000
Panelist, “The Three Bears: Troublesome Areas in Retail Leases,” International Council of Shopping Centers - Tennessee/Arkansas Idea Exchange, August 2000.
Panelist, “Fundamentals of Commercial Leasing II - Finding the Alligators in Key Lease Provisions,” ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Section Spring Meeting (Miami), March, 2000
Memorable Career Moment:
1. Being the first woman nominated to run for the board of directors of my firm.
2. Having a client so pleased with my work that they sent me to the Bahamas for 5 days of bonefishing.
Intriguing Interests:
Fly-fishing, gardening, hiking.
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