Commitment to Clients and Communities
I caught the community development bug in Harvard Law School’s Transactional Law Clinic, where I assisted a local housing co-operative with revamping its organization. As a lawyer-in-training who hailed from a similarly underserved community, that experience left me with an abiding sense of purpose. From then on, I knew that I needed to find roles that allowed me to pursue my interest in transactional work in a way that impacted working and poor folks positively. I get such a sense of fulfillment from seeing the fruits of our team’s labor in developments across the nation and hope to continue to grow as an advocate for my clients by allowing my purpose to inform my daily work.
Career Overview
Current Focus: I joined Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen in 2016 with a desire to engage in as much of the firm’s work as possible. I feel grateful each day for the opportunity to develop a broad and varied practice touching several facets of affordable housing and community development. That I have been able to represent non-profit and for-profit developers, tax credit syndicators, investors, and lenders in disparate residential and commercial transactions involving low income housing tax credits, New Markets Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, state-issued tax credits, grant funds, and local, state, and federal government subsidies and debt vehicles since joining the firm speaks to A&TT’s breadth of experience as well as the strength and diversity of our client base.
Before joining the firm, I worked at UP Development, LLC, an affordable housing developer in Chicago. I focused on early-cycle development issues, including acquisitions, zoning, community engagement, pro forma building, and the assembly of financing applications for various sources. Prior to joining UP, I was a Community Development Fellow at Chicago Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, where I worked on New Markets Tax Credits transactions and assisted community groups in their efforts to secure Community Benefits Agreements in addition to my broader representation of non-profits and small businesses.
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Member, Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development