Theresa McLaughlin

Theresa McLaughlin of Akerman Senterfitt in Fort Lauderdale is a founding shareholder of the office. She leads the real estate practice of the office with 10 attorneys practicing in such diverse areas as retail development and leasing, lending, and land use and procurement.

McLaughlin also founded and chairs Akerman’s retail development and leasing practice group, focusing on the practice of shopping center development and leasing.

Okay, but how did she select real estate law?

“I did a summer clerkship at Holland Knight in 1984,” said McLaughlin. “This was a time when large law firms had very formal clerkships that would rotate you through departments from corporate law and litigation. One reason I liked real estate is that I have a business background. With commercial real estate, that makes an area where I can use my skill set.

“It is a very positive and creative area of law,” she said. “At the end of the process, you have something that is tangible that you can drive by and that the parties are working together to build. All are working toward the same goal.”

In litigation, McLaughlin said, people were very unhappy. The client was unhappy because he had to sue or was being sued. It was never a clear win for anybody, and it was very negative.

She likes to concentrate her practice in shopping center development because it “has a lot of mixed business and legal issues. You are not advising on legal issues only. You are using your 20 years’ experience and giving mixed business-legal advice. It is a more creative area of law than other types.”

Her client list has included many top developers, such as Equity One, Konover South, Master Development and Morgan Real Estate Group. Retail clients have included Sports Authority and Office Depot.

McLaughlin is a Florida certified public accountant and holds both her bachelor’s degree in accounting and her law degree from the University of Florida Law School. She has helped co-workers in the task of juggling home and work, and she mentors students who show an interest in law.

“I like doing stuff like that, especially for women, and have done that with other women in the firm struggling with raising families and dealing with their law practice,” she said.

McLaughlin remains busy. She works between 50 and 60 hours a week. Her husband is a lawyer, so he is very understanding.

“I have a good nanny (for two children in the fifth and eighth grades). I am very organized, and each Sunday evening I make a list of everything and where everyone is going to be during the week,” she said.

“I keep thinking this is the year to slow down — and not hire more people and then have to worry about keeping them busy when things slow down. But I finally made the decision to hire more people because business does not seem to be slowing down,” said McLaughlin. “When you have a niche practice area in a law firm and not that many people work with that specific thing, people will seek you out.”