Scanna of Stroock considers herself a "go to" person

Name: Karen Scanna Title: Partner Company/firm: Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP Years with company/firm: 15.5 Years in field: 16.5 Years in real estate industry: 16.5 Address: 180 Maiden Lane Telephone: 212-806-6010 Email: [email protected] URL: www.stroock.com Real estate organizations/affiliations: New York City Bar Association; WX, Inc. - New York Women Executives in Real Estate (dinner committee and membership committee); part of Stroock's team as counsel to The Real Estate Board of New York. Stroock advises REBNY on pending legislation at state and local levels, assists in the development of new economic development programs for the industry at large, and provides guidance regarding real estate taxes and assessments. Which project, deal or transaction was the 'game changer' in the advancement of your career during the last 10 years? In 2006, I represented the NY Mets in the construction and financing of Citi Field. Throughout the last decade I have also represented Silverstein Properties in its redevelopment of the World Trade Center site, and this representation culminated in two restructurings, one in 2006 and another in 2010. As both transactions were "public/private" deals involving N.Y.C. and New York State (and, in the case of the WTC, the Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J.), they required a balancing of the goals, risks and rewards of the public and private sectors. What advice would you give to women just starting out in commercial real estate? As with many professions, the vast majority of the players in commercial real estate are men. I often find during the course of my negotiations with female attorneys that they feel they must take on some of the traits more typically thought of as male in order to win a point-that they must be gruff and overly aggressive. I completely disagree with this approach and would instead advise young women to be themselves and focus on presenting well thought out, logical arguments that win on their merits. How do you manage the work/life balance? As my career has advanced, luckily so has technology, allowing me to work at home rather than in the office and spend more time with friends and family. I have gained a bit more flexibility with my time learning to be more efficient and schedule accordingly. Although definitely not foolproof, if I know I have plans on any given weeknight, I will arrive at the office very early in the morning to give myself the best opportunity to accomplish all that must be done. However, achieving the perfect balance is definitely a work in progress. Where would you like to be 10 years from today? Over the first 15 years of my career, I have done a very good job, through hard work of my own and the support of my firm and my partners, to establish myself as a "go to" person in the real estate legal community. I am confident that over the next 10 years I will continue to foster the relationships that I have made and make many more solid connections, resulting in continued professional satisfaction and a thriving practice 10 years from today.