2019 Women in Real Estate: Alana Sliwinski, Troutman Sanders LLP

Name: Alana Sliwinski, Esq.

Title: Associate Attorney

Company Name: Troutman Sanders LLP 

Association/Organization Affiliations (REAL ESTATE ONLY): Member, Board of Directors; Programs Chair (2018-2020); CREW, New York Chapter

What was one of your biggest accomplishments in the last 12 months?
This year, I represented a real estate developer and helped to secure a damages award in excess of $8 million issued from the court after a one-day hearing on damages. The plaintiff was a contractor who abandoned the construction project for a mixed-use office/retail building, filed a lien, and sued the developer. The developer incurred damages due to the delay and defective work, and the Court issued a decision from the bench, awarding our client all of the damages it requested. It was a great result, and the right result. 

What is the best advice you have received, and who was it from?
The best advice I received was from a law school alum who told me the day before I started my first law job that there is no such thing as a draft. 

What books, blogs, podcasts, resources or influencers would you recommend to women?
Secrets of Wealthy Women (Wall Street Journal), How I Built This (NPR) and The Happy Lawyer Project podcasts. 

How do you hold your own in a negotiation?
During negotiations I stay focused on the ultimate goal which is to produce a contract that actually gets signed, embodies the deal, without slowing down the project, and while still protecting my client’s interests. Anyone can draft a contract that no one wants to sign. 

What recent project or transaction are you most proud of? 
Notable projects in 2019 include acting as construction counsel on the transaction for a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project that will transform an iconic destination. Being the lead associate drafting these complex agreements and collaborating with the other stakeholders to make this project a reality has been incredibly challenging and interesting.