How Should CRE Law Be Evolving?

Steve Lieske is a partner at Allen Matkins.lieske

LOS ANGELES—Commercial real estate is often accused of its failure to evolve. In an earlier story, Locke and Lord LLP partner Kathleen Smalley said that much of the industry’s hesitation to move forward derives from its local roots. Smalley had called for uniformity in real estate finance law, sparking a debate in the industry about the evolution of real estate finance law and the need for modernization. While Steve Lieske, a partner at Allen Matkins, took the opposing position, he made clear that Smalley’s novel and forward-thinking perspective was both refreshing and essential for the future of the industry.

“I think that this type of thinking is critical to the future of real estate lending, and I think it is critical to the future and viability of the legal profession,” Lieske tells GlobeSt.com. “We as lawyers and law firms have to look for ways to make the process and the product better for our clients, whether our client is the lender or the borrower.”