2023 Ones to Watch Industry Leaders: Laurinda Martins, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Number of years in CURRENT position: 5

3 skills that you use every day in your position: Management; negotiation; problem solving.

Best book, podcast, or app for aspiring leaders: No Rules Rules: Netflix And the Culture of Reinvention, by Reed Hastings, which has an interesting perspective on the importance of talent and culture.

Best advice for new leaders in 10 words or less: Have clear objectives; be thoughtful, flexible and persistent.

What recent accomplishment are you most proud of? I am proud to have led the multi-disciplinary Fried Frank team that advised a client on its recent $3.8 billion acquisition of Watermark Lodging Trust, a non-traded REIT. In addition to extensive due diligence on the target company and its more than 20 luxury hotels and resorts across the country, the transaction involved the assumption of mortgage loans for certain assets and the refinancing of the remaining assets with an approximately $1.8 billion CMBS loan.

What makes this nominee an Industry Leader? “Laurinda is a trusted advisor to some of the biggest commercial real estate players on their most significant projects, including playing a key role in various transactions relating to Manhattan West as well as the ground lease and joint venture for the pending 5 World Trade Center transaction, one of the largest residential projects in the county. She is simply a star.” - Jonathan Mechanic, Chair of Real Estate Department at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP.