Washington, D.C. (April 30, 2014) ─ The last inauguration took place back in 2013, but one parade in the nation’s capital has been going ever since. The march of attorneys to Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP’s Washington, D.C. office continues this week with the arrival of two real estate partners, one from DLA Piper and one from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. MMM, which started 2013 with eight attorneys in the Capital, has now grown its D.C. office numbers to 25.
Wendelin “Wendy” A. White of Pillsbury and Elizabeth “Betsy” Karmin of DLA will establish MMM’s commercial real estate and REIT practice in Washington, D.C. With the move, Ms. White has been named Co-Managing Partner of MMM’s D.C. office and Chair of the D.C. Real Estate practice.
“With Wendy White and Betsy Karmin joining Morris, Manning & Martin, the firm has secured two of the top real estate attorneys in Washington, immediately establishing a strong D.C. real estate practice group with tremendous experience and extensive local relationships,” said Ray Ritchey, Executive Vice President and National Director of Acquisitions and Development for Boston Properties. “We have worked extensively with Wendy and Betsy for many years on important and challenging legal assignments, and we are confident that with the MMM platform, their commitment to exceptional legal service will only be enhanced.”
Ms. White has been a member of the D.C. Real Estate Practice of Pillsbury since 1981. She has represented clients in multiple billions of dollars of deals both locally and nationally. Besides her legal practice, she is deeply involved in the business community. She sits on the boards of Washington Real Estate Investment Trust, Chevy Chase Trust Company, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and the International Women’s Forum (D.C. Chapter), chaired last year’s and will chair this year’s annual Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington’s Youth in Real Estate Awards Luncheon; and is a past president of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) D.C. chapter.
Ms. Karmin is also a past president of CREW D.C. and a figure in the capital’s business scene. She currently serves on CREW’s Board of Directors as Immediate Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee. She is a member of the District of Columbia Building Industry Association and the Urban Land Institute and sits on the boards of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Goodwill of Greater Washington.
MMM has over 60 attorneys in its Chambers-ranked real estate practice, which represents national clients including REITs and multi-family, mixed-use, office, retail, hotel and industrial developers. The firm provides full-service real estate counsel on matters ranging from development, capital markets transactions, environmental issues and litigation.
“MMM has demonstrated a commitment to the real estate industry through both up and down cycles, a true rarity among law firms,” said Ms. White. “It has the depth and breadth of expertise and resources to rival much larger competitors. Although it’s difficult for both of us to leave friends and colleagues, Betsy and I are excited to launch MMM’s D.C. Real Estate Practice, where our clients will continue to receive market leading services at a firm that delivers tremendous value and service.”
Earlier in their careers, Ms. White and Ms. Karmin practiced together in the D.C. office of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge. “This is quite the reunion,” said Earl Segal, Senior Vice President of The Ezra Company. “The well-earned individual reputations of Wendy and Betsy are both exceptionally strong, and working together they will be quite a powerhouse.”
The addition of this partner group builds on significant momentum that MMM has established in D.C., where it has recently recruited multiple laterals to its energy/infrastructure/P3 practice (in February 2014), intellectual property practice (in February 2014), and litigation practice (December 2013). In July 2013, MMM moved into new offices in Washington, D.C.’s Franklin Square.
“Morris, Manning & Martin is wed to real estate. For our second-largest office location and one of the best commercial real estate markets in the U.S., we needed the right talent—and we got it,” said Louise M. Wells, Managing Partner. “Wendy and Betsy will certainly benefit our clients, bringing additional resources, deep connections, and new sources of capital. They are the perfect complement to our leading real estate practice in Atlanta.”
About Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Morris, Manning & Martin (www.mmmlaw.com) is an AmLaw 200 law firm with national and international reach. We dedicate ourselves to the constant pursuit of our clients’ success. To provide our clients with optimal value, we combine market-leading legal services with a total understanding of their needs to maximize effectiveness, efficiency and opportunity. MMM enjoys national prominence for its real estate, corporate, litigation, technology, healthcare, intellectual property, energy & infrastructure, capital markets, environmental, insurance, and timberland & forest products practices. MMM has offices in Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Savannah, Beijing and Washington, D.C. and an alliance with GCN in São Paulo, Brazil.
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Media Contact:
Anne Feinberg
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