Polsinelli PC issued the following announcement on Feb. 24.
Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli announced today the elevation of three respected leaders to new roles in the firm’s expanding Real Estate and Financial Services Department. Kristin M. Walker, a Shareholder in the Denver office, is now Vice Chair of the Real Estate Practice Group, and Vivian C. Grigorians, a Principal in Los Angeles, and Christine Brady Hoag, a Shareholder in Kansas City, are now Real Estate Finance Practice Group Vice Chairs.
“We are very pleased to announce the addition of these three outstanding lawyers to our department leadership team,” said Kraig M. Kohring, Polsinelli’s Real Estate and Financial Services Department Chair. “As we work hard for our clients to meet increased demand across the country, Kristin, Vivian and Christine have been very active leaders of their respective practice teams. They have shown themselves to be strong mentors to our associates, and we are very thankful to have them now serving in broader, formal leadership roles.”
Now home to nearly 300 attorneys, Polsinelli’s Real Estate and Financial Services Department has seen a 19% increase in its roster in the past year alone. The team’s growth reflects both the successful year that just wrapped up as well as the anticipated need for expanded services in these focus areas in the year ahead.
Kristin M. Walker has been with the firm since 2019. Her practice primarily focuses on acquisition and disposition for institutional clients, often involving portfolios of nationwide real estate assets with unique deal structures. Her experience in the field has allowed Walker to identify and craft practical solutions to substantive issues while assisting clients with the proper risk assessment, often under tight time constraints. In addition to her leadership among peers, Walker is regularly commended for the relationships she builds with her clients. Walker’s record of confidently closing acquisitions and dispositions on both large and small scales is a hallmark of her practice, and her clients routinely express their appreciation for her responsiveness, attention to detail, and ability to focus on practical business issues during complicated transactions.
“I am proud to be part of the growth that our Real Estate Practice Group has seen in Denver since I joined Polsinelli, and now I’m eager to work more closely with my colleagues throughout the country to help meet our clients’ needs,” said Walker, who joined Polsinelli in March 2020. “It’s a fascinating time for commercial real estate, and our clients are counting on us more than ever to help navigate the everchanging landscape.”
Since joining Polsinelli in April 2019, Vivian C. Grigorians has consistently grown her successful track recoard of representing institutional lenders, real estate funds, opportunity funds and other real estate investors in a wide array of transactions. Her extensive experience includes mortgage and mezzanine financing, purchase and sale transactions, mortgage origination for commercial mortgage-backed securitization programs, real estate workouts and restructurings, sale-leasebacks, joint ventures and leasing. Grigorians also has an extensive practice representing borrowers and lenders in all aspects of the single family rental transaction lifecycle, including acquisitions and dispositions of bulk single family rental properties as well as the financing of such properties and asset/portfolio management.
“I’m honored to work alongside Christine as Vice Chairs for Real Estate Finance, especially at a time when we’re seeing such remarkable growth on our team,” said Grigorians. “Each of our colleagues is doing outstanding work while keeping exceptional client service front and center, and great things happen when our attorneys’ priorities align so well with the firm’s and our clients’ goals.”
Christine Brady Hoag joined Polsinelli in 2012 and has grown her practice handling a wide variety of commercial real estate finance transactions, including originating, servicing, and restructuring of clients’ real estate loans. Over the years, Christine’s practice focused on the national representation of mortgage loan originators in structuring and documenting real estate loans for securitization in the CMBS industry. She currently concentrates on closing transactions for lenders' floating rate programs secured by properties that generally do not yet qualify for permanent financing.
“So much of the success I’ve had in my career has been thanks to time I’ve spent working with leaders and mentors over the past decade at Polsinelli,” said Hoag. “I’m excited to have earned the opportunity to serve as a leader and mentor for others as their Vice Chair, and to be promoted at the same time as Vivian and Kristin just makes this day that much more meaningful.”
Each a proven leader with their own unique traits and strengths, Walker, Hoag and Grigorians have illustrated similarly strong commitment to associate development and are committed to helping their colleagues and practice groups thrive. Their divergence in background and experience gives them each valuable perspective to bring to the group and its leadership.
Polsinelli recently achieved the Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certification Plus, which measures diversity in law firms and aims to boost diversity in leadership.
Original source can be found here.