Real Estate Law: Commercial & Residential

Note: This is not for CLE. Live webinars are free and open to the public. The recorded program and materials are exclusively for ABA members. Not an ABA member? Join now and get the benefits of membership. 

The Career Choice Series is designed to help you choose your career path. Whether you’re a law student, young lawyer, or transitioning attorney, find out what it’s like to work in various practice areas and the best way to position yourself to get there.

Description & Speakers

Real estate law is a complex type of law that involves transactional and litigation work which requires excellent negotiation and relationship building skills in order to competently represent clients and achieve the governmental approvals sought. Real estate law at its core involves the acquisition or sale of property and the use of the structures on it largely governed by state or local laws. Practicing in real estate law can be very different depending on whether you focus on residential or commercial real estate or both. Residential real estate lawyers protect the rights of the landlords, renters, home/condo sellers or home/condo buyers while commercial real estate lawyers protect the rights of people or entities with the sale or transfer of properties for business use. This often includes negotiating with government bodies to get approval for the type of commercial use of a certain property. They may do transactional work for the sale or purchase of a property, commercial leases, liquor licensing, or zoning issues, or they may litigate disputes over one of these issues.

Two two seasoned real estate lawyers, one residential and one commercial, discuss how they got started in their respective fields, what drew them to those fields, how they have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what you can do to position yourself for a career in real estate law. 

Speakers:

Jeffrey P. Buak, Esq., Of Counsel, Foley & Lardner LLP, Orlando, FL

Charles M. "Casey" Sprock, Esq., Partner, Baldwin & Sutphen, LLP; Bachelor of Professional Studies Instructor, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Moderator:

Skip Horne, Vice President for Engagement, The NALP Foundation, Palm Springs, CA; ABA Career Center Board Member

Sponsors:

ABA Career Center, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section,  Young Lawyers Division and Law Student Division

Video & Handout