Today marks Summey Orr’s first official day as managing partner at Hartman Simons. The appointment already has been featured in the Fulton County Daily Report. We wanted new and exclusive content for this blog, and Summey was nice enough to answer a few hardball questions.
Can you talk a bit about why this role excites you?
I work with a fun group of people who are very good at what they do. We provide great service to an interesting segment of the business community. Though external factors in commercial real estate and the economy have presented challenges, I have enjoyed working with these people to meet the challenges. We have had to tighten up to weather the storm, but we still have one of the biggest, best, most potent commercial real estate law firms in the country. We have something very special to offer.
Speaking of the economy, what are you seeing in the marketplace?
I’ve been busier, we’ve all been busier, in the past 12 months. Sure, it is not 2005 busy but it is much better than two years ago. Our clients are optimists and they are finding new and creative ways to do things in commercial real estate.
Can you give an example?
Maybe a client who used to buy class A office buildings is now going to invest with the owner of a building to restructure debt on that property. Or maybe a client who used to buy retail centers is now buying debt packages. We are adjusting what we do to work with new players and new concepts in the marketplace, which is interesting.
How will you balance practicing law with being managing partner?
I expect to spend about 75 percent of my time practicing and about 75 of my time managing. Other than the obvious math problem that creates, I am really looking forward to my role and the opportunity to lead Hartman Simons.