Each year, Midwest Real Estate News inducts a new class into its Midwest Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. Lori Pittman Haas, partner and group leader for the real estate practice at the Cleveland office of law firm Ulmer & Berne LLP, is one of those new members. Here is a look at her thriving career.
The clients of Lori Pittman Haas — a partner and group leader for the real estate practice at Ulmer & Berne LLP — depict her as proficient in the resolution of complex real estate issues, finding her business experience particularly valuable when evaluating legal issues from a management and operational perspective.
A top real estate attorney representing buyers and sellers in the acquisition, disposition and development of commercial real estate, Haas also represents commercial property owners and tenants in eminent domain cases and in the financing of development projects utilizing Historic Tax Credits, New Markets Tax Credits, construction financing and conventional financing.
“I enjoy real estate transactions because unlike litigation, it’s not adversarial,” Haas said. “Most parties to a real estate transaction are heading in the same direction and have the same goal, to get the transaction closed.”
Haas has been involved in several complex real estate matters across the Midwest, including assisting the buyer of the iconic 52-story historic Terminal Tower building in downtown Cleveland, creating commercial condominiums for projects utilizing New Markets Tax Credits and managing multi-site portfolio acquisitions in multiple states.
Actively involved in the commercial real estate industry, Haas is a member and past president of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and is a member of several bar associations. She has served on the Planning Committee for the Real Estate Law Institute of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association for many years and is a recurring panelist on the Current Developments panel, which requires her to read and analyze about 80 real estate cases per year. Haas is consistently recognized for her talent and skill by Chambers USA and is named to the Ohio Super Lawyers list and The Best Lawyers in America.
Prior to attending law school, Haas was the real estate manager for a convenience store chain with about 1,000 stores located throughout seven Midwestern states.
“I started out on the business side before I became a lawyer so I am used to communicating with business people in a straightforward fashion,” Haas said. “I have a good understanding of the expectations that clients have when working with outside counsel.”
