Mark Katz, Arent Fox

DC has the best lawyers in the country (we're not biased at all). To highlight some of the city's best commercial real estate attorneys, we applied extensive use of statistics and the scientific method and bring you our latest installment of the legal minds that help DC's real estate industry thrive. (Check out Part 1 and Part 2.)

As chairman of the firm, Mark balances his real estate practice with managing 350 lawyers. (Each takes up 75% of his time, he smiles.) After attending Oberlin and UVa Law, Mark clerked for US District Court and the Fourth Circuit, then came to DC to "save the world." He started out as a white collar criminal defense lawyer, helping defend Richard Secord in the Iran-Contra hearings. In '87, he turned to real estate--having been exposed to it through his uncle, GC to NY-based Jack Resnick & Sons--and joined Arent Fox. Mark's handled projects like buying a 650-acre Costa Rican peninsula to develop into a luxury resort (repping Steve Case and Revolution), and acquiring a $1.5B EQR portfolio of 27 properties in six states (repping Greystar and longstanding client Goldman Sachs). He reps 1788 Holdings on The Lauren, the Bethesda condo development that includes DC's most expensive condo unit ($10.5M if you've got your checkbook out). Best lessons: Be generous with your time and collaborative with your network. View yourself as a corporation (with stakeholders, a board of directors, and business and marketing plans); continually invest in yourself. Here's Mark with his children and wife, NFL SVP Cynthia Hogan, on a Norwegian glacier.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Washington, D.C. Newsletters
Related Stories

Salesforce Plans Innovation Hub Downtown: The D.C. Deal Sheet

Master Plan Is Underway For Southwest D.C., Chief Federal Planner Says

BXP Execs See Better Returns In Building Offices Than Buying Them

The Las Vegas-Style Sphere Just Outside D.C. Is A Go

The 'Zombie' Building Mirage: How Owners Who Can't Transact Are Stirring The Market

Coffee Shop Signs Lease At Downtown Trophy: The D.C. Deal Sheet

Oliver Carr Jr.'s Firm Sells Alexandria Project To His Son's Company

Bill Barr's Law Firm Expands Footprint In Move To Pennsylvania Avenue

Amazon Ditches Ashburn Data Center Plan, Shifts To Mixed-Use Vision

Bowser Wants To Lock In A $550M Spa Before She Leaves. D.C. Council Members Are Pushing Back

Downtown Conversion Lands Construction Loan: The D.C. Deal Sheet

Fairfax Pays $23M For Innovation Center Site, With Plans For Affordable Housing