Pay It Forward: "You Don’t Need To Change Who You Are, At Your Core, In Order To Be Successful"
"I love of the 'mental aerobics' of complex real estate deals," says Nathalia Bernardo of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel.
Nathalia Bernardo, 43, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, New York City.
Bernardo is a partner at the firm and focuses her practice on a broad range of real estate transactions.
Law school and year of graduation: Boston College, 2004
How long have you been at the firm and when did you make partner? In January 2020, I joined as a Partner. At my prior firm, I made partner in 2015.
Why did you decide to practice law in the real estate industry? I started my career in the corporate department at my prior firm. I joined a few years before the Great Recession during a time when there were more real estate matters than associates to handle them. As a result, I was “loaned out” to the real estate department to help out with the influx of transactions, and I found that I really liked commercial real estate deals, so I switched departments! The rest, as they say, is history.
What do you think was the deciding point for the firm in making you partner? I think it was a combination of my personality (always having a positive attitude and a sense of humor, even if a deal is tremendously stressful) and my ability to connect with clients on both a substantive and personal level.
Describe how you feel now about your career now that you’ve made partner. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience, for sure, and I’ve also been able to devote time to other interests outside the scope of my daily law practice. Beyond the work that I do for professional organizations, I also have two teaching positions as an adjunct professor of law at Cornell University Law School and an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation (GSAPP).
Not only do I really enjoy teaching, but it gives me a chance to step outside of my day-to-day work and think about commercial real estate from a newcomer’s perspective. It’s also great to see my students make connections between coursework and the “real world” – it’s a lot of fun!
What’s the key to successful business development in your opinion and how do you grow professionally while everyone navigating working remotely and in-person? On a business level, I’ve actually been able to participate in many more professional development and business development-focused activities. Attending webinars and networking via Zoom and other virtual platforms has been incredibly easy. I can seamlessly transition between working in my business and working on my business without missing a beat.
Who had the greatest influence in your career that helped propel you to partner in real estate? That’s an easy answer – Bob Wertheimer, a former partner at my prior firm. He and I worked together for 15 years, and we started teaching together when I was a mid-level associate. We always managed to laugh and find ways to enjoy our transactions, even when everyone else was stressed, grumpy or “just trying to get through it.” We both genuinely enjoy what we do, and I got from him my love of the “mental aerobics” of complex real estate deals.
What advice you could give an associate who wants to make partner in real estate? I like to give the same advice that was given to me when I was a junior associate – become indispensable. That means that you’re supporting your team as an enthusiastic contributor, you’re anticipating the next steps on a deal and determining in advance how best to respond, you’re cultivating relationships within the firm and with external clients, and you’re a person that clients and lawyers at your firm actively seek out to work on their matters.
What challenges did you face or had to overcome in your career path and how did it influence your career? One of the most challenging parts of working from home was fighting the monotony. Like most people, I was accustomed to commuting, spending the day with my colleagues, and working out at the gym near my office. When I started to feel that I was in a rut without these normal activities, I found ways to mix things up – I moved rooms within my house and purchased some new home office equipment, I started working out with a trainer via Zoom, and I tried to get even a small amount of fresh air and sunshine every day. None of these things is a cure-all, but collectively, they’ve helped!
Knowing what you know now about your career path, what advice would you give to your younger self? I would stress that you don’t need to change who you are, at your core, in order to be successful. As a junior associate, I would look at some of the partners working on my deals and watch them yell, belittle, and pound their fists on the table when making their points. This made me question if that type of behavior is necessary to be successful in this business – because if that was the case, I thought, I might as well just give up now since I’m never going to be that person. Thankfully, I realized that I can be me and still be successful. I make my points, I get deals done, and there’s no need for blustering.
What lessons, if any, did you learn in 2020/2021 (the years of COVID-19)? I joined Kramer Levin on January 2, 2020. Just as I was getting into a groove and meeting my new colleagues in the office, the entire city (including our office) went remote. My greatest professional accomplishment during these last two years was really a group effort – I’ve been able to integrate into the team in a largely virtual fashion. Some have asked me whether I feel strange, not having spent much in-person time with the attorneys in my group, and I really do not. It’s actually no surprise to me that I feel this way, given that the people at Kramer Levin were a huge part of the reason I was so excited to join the firm. It is truly a special place to practice law.
