The building had been grossly underused since the late 1960s. The former Encanto Boys and Girls Club and its 18,000 potentially valuable square feet essentially gathered cobwebs and dust in a distressed part of San Diego. But how that’s changed, the commercially zoned facility having been bought for $4.2 million last December by a minority-run […]
Features Real Estate
Jen Nichols – Harsch Investment Properties
Growing up as one of seven Black and biracial children in the outskirts of Detroit, Jen Nichols witnessed racism toward her family firsthand, something she’d also experience later as a real estate attorney. In a genetic twist of fate, Nichols never “looked” Black with her green eyes and long, straight brown hair—a far cry from […]
Jessica Norman – Independence Realty Trust Inc.
When Jessica Norman joined Independence Realty Trust in 2013, her early days were focused on supporting the company’s growth—specifically representing the 2-year-old public company in transactional deals to acquire multifamily apartment properties. Now, as IRT’s executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, Norman’s work benefits the public real estate investment trust across the board: culturally, […]
Stefanie Singer – Novogradac & Company LLP
As a young litigator, Stefanie Singer remembers walking into a deposition and people often asking her if she was the court reporter—a question she never witnessed being asked to a man. She also recalls a later challenge of working from home as she tried to balance her career aspirations with her personal obligations; most of […]
Dustin Van Deman – Hines
Not many 10-year-olds growing up in East Texas commit to becoming a lawyer in elementary school, but young Dustin Van Deman was one of them—and he never deviated from his plan. Growing up in the quiet town of Frankston—population 1,209 and home of Frank Beard, the drummer for ZZ Top—Van Deman says he didn’t come […]
Sheryl Kass – Fontainebleau Development
It’s one of the country’s premier real estate development and hospitality groups, Florida-based Fontainebleau Development. And with the executive team eying a wider brand expansion a few years ago, it was critical to expand the in-house legal team. Expertise in real estate finance was a fundamental requirement, and that brought the team’s focus on Sheryl […]
Daniel Podhaskie – General Counsel
Daniel Podhaskie built a career as a litigator in New York City firms, representing real estate investors and developers such as the Trump Organization and Tishman Speyer in addition to financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America. Big names, to be sure, with some big legal victories along the way as […]
Joe Rose – Onni Group
When Joe Rose was asked whether he could create a new legal department for a Canadian development company poised for a significant U.S. expansion, he didn’t have to look far down his resume to prove that he could. Back in 2017, he helped shepherd the successful completion of the largest tourist attraction in Times Square—the […]
Vincent Gautier – PERIAL
Vincent Gautier has an affinity for the word “empowerment.” The term comes up repeatedly in the veteran attorney’s interview with Vanguard—and for good reason. Gautier’s agenda involves not just building a legal team, but unlocking each member’s talents by emphasizing training and individual strengths, rather than limitations. “People should not be judged by their mistakes,” […]
Bill Burding – Orange Coast Title
Homebuying. It’s a process that ranks as one of the most important purchases people make in their lives, and one that can be fraught with difficulty. Bill Burding, general counsel for Orange Coast Title in Santa Ana, never loses site of that event’s significance and what it can mean to a family—even if he does […]
