2016 Women in Real Estate: Karen Kozlowski

Karen Kozlowski, Thompson Hine LLP

Name: Karen Kozlowski

Title: Partner

Company Name: Thompson Hine LLP

Email: [email protected]

Years in real estate: 20

Telephone: 212-908-3937

How did you get your start in real estate?

After starting my legal career as a prosecutor in Northern New Jersey and realizing, very quickly, it wasn’t the career I had envisioned, a real estate partner at a mid-size firm in New Jersey hired me on the spot after my first interview with him and the rest is history. I’m forever grateful to him since he changed the trajectory of my entire career.

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of?

CREW and Mortgage Bankers of New York (I’m a member of the Board of Governors for MBANY).

What recent project or transaction are you most proud of?

Last year, I closed my third, very large construction loan on behalf of a NY based lender on a multi-family property in Jersey City, New Jersey. The complex is changing the landscape of that area and these buildings will create a new neighborhood in Jersey City – SoHo West (South of Hoboken and West of New York). To be part of changing an entire community isn’t something that we do day in and day out as real estate attorneys so this transaction is something I will never forgot and will always be proud to have been associated with during my legal career.

Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career and why?

My strongest influence in my career has been my grandmother. She immigrated to this country on her own with 5 children under the age of 12 in tow in the early 1940s. Not only did she have to save for the travel fare and complete the process to gain access to the US, but she did it without any family help. My 5 aunts and uncles have lived incredible lives here in the Unites States due solely to her strength and perseverance. So, while being an attorney certainly can be difficult at times, I look at the life that she led and things she accomplished during a time when it must have been close to impossible which helps me to tackle the most difficult of situations, knowing I can get through them.

What is the best advice you have received and who was it from?

When I was a young lawyer, a senior partner at my firm told me that to truly be a great lawyer you must understand your clients’ needs; not only the task at hand but what they need beyond the task. Part of understanding what they need is understanding their business–realizing the advice, guidance and assistance you can provide to help them either sustain or grow their business. I’m happy to be part of a firm that has a client service pledge and the first promise of our pledge is that “we will know your business.” There are several lawyers who can do the job at hand, but few that really make a difference in a client’s business. That is something that I’ve focused on throughout my career and in growing and building my practice.

How do you empower other women in your workplace?

I am the chair of our firm’s Women’s Initiative (New York chapter) and a mentor to female associates –something I have done throughout my tenure at Thompson Hine and my career. Our Women’s Initiative focuses on attracting, retaining and advancing women by providing a supportive culture that fosters professional growth and leadership. I am proud to be a part of such an important initiative and my involvement is a way for me to give back – I was lucky enough to have a female mentor during the early years of my career, which can be very difficult, and many women either quit or take different paths during those times. All of her guidance and support was invaluable to me throughout the years. So, I am involved in our Women’s Initiative to make sure that my firm and our profession create and facilitate the development of women both within and outside of our firm.