2026 Ones To Watch - Rising Stars: Matthew Dulak, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP

“Matt is a superb real estate attorney, combining exceptional legal skills, knowledge, creativity and commercial judgement with equally outstanding people skills and EQ. He has an unwavering work ethic and commitment to his clients, and an unusual ability to negotiate and advocate aggressively while maintaining good will and a strong relationship with adversaries. He is clearly on the path to being a leader of the real estate transactional bar.” 

What inspired you to pursue a career in your industry, and what path brought you to your current role?

My entire family is in the building trades. I’ve always been interested in the built environment, and being a real estate development lawyer was the closest I could come to building without wielding a hammer. I also served in Wisconsin state government after college, rising to chief of staff to the lieutenant governor, and as her main advisor I developed relationships with key stakeholder groups. That experience honed my negotiating, planning, trouble-shooting and team-leading skills and prepared me for my current role, shepherding real estate projects through all stages of development.

What accomplishment or project so far in your career are you most proud of?

We represented CIM Group on the Miami Worldcenter development, among the largest multiblock mixed-use projects nationwide. I started working on this project as a junior associate, and we recently celebrated its sale. We handled everything from negotiating construction and permanent financing to selling parcels to third-party developers to negotiating development agreements and reciprocal easements. Being part of a transformative project that turned a vast underdeveloped tract into a vibrant entertainment, retail, restaurant and housing district has been a defining experience in my career.

One other project that is close to my heart is a pro bono matter representing the Clinton Housing Development Company, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating affordable housing in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. I worked on that project for three years, from site control to closing on permanent financing, and the result is a beautiful building that is serving the local community in essential ways. It is now 100% occupied and provides affordable housing for teachers, firefighters and police officers, so they can actually live in the community in which they work. I live on the same block and it fills me with pride when I walk past it.