[ ATTORNEYS ]
JASON BARCLAY MORRIS Partner WITHEY MORRIS, PLC witheymorris.com
Jason Morris is a founding partner of Withey Morris, PLC. Throughout his career, his practice has been exclusively in land use, government relations, zoning, and administrative law. His experience in the field includes all levels of entitlement throughout the state. What professional accomplishment gives you the most pride and what makes it so rewarding? Surprisingly, I derive the most professional pride not from any one case or development — but instead from the people I’ve worked with over the 20 years since founding the firm. I’m proud of the team we’ve assembled at Withey Morris. What do you consider the most surprising fact about you? While I consider myself a true Arizonan, I’m actually from an immigrant family and a firstgeneration American. My family is British and I spent much of my childhood growing up in London.
DARIN A. SENDER President and Founding Attorney SENDER ASSOCIATES senderlaw.com
In 2000 Darin founded Sender Associates, a law firm specializing in zoning entitlements for mixed-use, residential, commercial, and industrial properties. She received her Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law and her architecture degree from Arizona State University. What professional accomplishment gives you the most pride and what makes it so rewarding? I am very proud of all the development projects I have helped go vertical. Everything from assisted living facilities to Union Tempe by Opus and The Local by Forum. I enjoy watching my ASU students graduate and succeed in the real estate industry. What advice would you offer to someone who wants to become successful in commercial real estate? Recognize that you can’t do everything yourself — Surround yourself with a dynamic team of people who share your values. And always take the high road.
ANDREW ABRAHAM President and Shareholder BURCH & CRACCHIOLO
bcattorneys.com
JASON F. WOOD Partner QUARLES & BRADY LLP quarles.com
Jason F. Wood is the Arizona chair of Quarles & Brady’s Real Estate Practice Group, focusing his practice on a wide array of transactional real estate matters locally and throughout the country. In particular, he has significant experience in commercial leasing, acquisitions and dispositions, traditional and off-balance sheet financing, construction contracts, and related issues of municipal and tribal law. What professional accomplishment gives you the most pride and what makes it so rewarding? I have been fortunate enough to be selected by my peers for inclusion in various lists and have been awarded an AV Preeminent rating by MartindaleHubbell, but bringing experience and judgment to bear and helping my clients to profit from opportunities is what gives me the greatest sense of professional accomplishment. What advice would you offer to someone who wants to become successful in commercial real estate? It’s elementary advice to many, but seek out mentors, ask meaningful questions, create goals and never give up on them. 12
PEOPLE AND PROJECTS TO KNOW 2019
Andy Abraham is certified as a Real Estate Specialist by the Arizona Board of Legal Specialization and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Transactions since 2008
and in every edition of Southwest Super Lawyers. In the 2011 and 2014 -2018 editions, Andy was voted among the Top 50 Lawyers in Arizona by his peers. What advice would you offer to someone who wants to become successful in commercial real estate? Focus on getting a deal closed and on the issues that really matter. Don’t waste goodwill, time and your client’s money on issues that really don’t matter in the long run. What do you consider the most surprising fact about you? My first job was scraping gum off the sidewalk at Los Arcos Mall (Pre Skysong). That job kept me in school.
SCOTT J. STEIN Attorney STEIN LAW, PLC // ARIZONA LEGAL OPINIONS steinlawplc.com, arizonalegalopinions.com
Stein is an AV Rated transactional attorney at Stein Law, PLC and has been continually included among The Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Law. His practice is focused on real estate sales, leases and developments as well as loan financings and issuing opinion letters. What professional accomplishment gives you the most pride and what makes it so rewarding? There is a great pleasure in working with my clients through from the initial an entire lifecycle of a development — planning and purchase, to its construction/redevelopment and eventual sale. I relish in my clients’ successes, which are truly my own as well. What do you consider the most surprising fact about you? I am an avid Bruce Springsteen fan having attended countless concerts and even flying across the country last fall to see the Boss on Broadway with my son.