Clark Enterprises SVP Becky Owen tells us she always knew she’d be a real estate lawyer growing up in Upstate New York. The biz is in her blood: Her mother owned a construction/real estate company, and after graduating from U Chicago law school, she wanted to get enough real world experience to help run the family business. But she fell in love with DC after working for Shaw Pittman (now Pillsbury) following law school and decided to stick around. A job offer from Clark’s Larry Nussdorf came in ’95, and she’s been with the firm ever since. She handles all legal work (except for the construction side) and created its real estate investment department, which provides developer-level JV equity for deals like the Hine School at Eastern Market and a student housing project near UMD. Bouncing ideas off her friends in the business has steered Becky her whole career, and she says sharing information and comparing notes with others always creates learning opportunities.