Morris, Manning & Martin LLP continued its expansion in Washington D.C. with the addition of Wendy White and Betsy Karmin in its D.C. office this week. White and Karmin have joined as partners in the law firm’s noted real estate practice group. And with their hires, the D.C. office of MMM, which opened with eight attorneys last year, has grown to a strength of 25 attorneys.
Wendelin “Wendy” A. White of Pillsbury and Elizabeth “Betsy” Karmin of DLA Piper are tasked with establishing MMM’s commercial real estate and REIT practice in Washington D.C. Ms. White will be the Co-Managing Partner of the D.C. office of the law firm and Chair of its D.C. Real Estate practice. Earlier in their careers, Ms. White and Ms. Karmin practiced together in the D.C. office of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge.
Speaking on the lateral hires, Ray Ritchey, Executive Vice President and National Director of Acquisitions and Development for Boston Properties, commented, “With Wendy White and Betsy Karmin joining Morris, Manning & Martin, the firm has secured two of the top real estate attorneys in Washington, immediately establishing a strong D.C. real estate practice group with tremendous experience and extensive local relationships.”
Ms. White has been a member of the D.C. Real Estate Practice of Pillsbury since 1981. She has represented multiple billions of dollars of deals for clients both locally and nationally. Besides her legal practice, she is deeply involved in the business community and sits on the boards of various important trusts and business community associations.
like Ms. White, Ms. Karmin is a former president of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) D.C. chapter, and is well known among the business communities of the city. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of CREW as its Immediate Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee. She is also a member of the District of Columbia Building Industry Association and the Urban Land Institute.
Speaking on joining MMM, Ms. White said, “MMM has demonstrated a commitment to the real estate industry through both up and down cycles, a true rarity among law firms … It has the depth and breadth of expertise and resources to rival much larger competitors. Although it’s difficult for both of us to leave friends and colleagues, Betsy and I are excited to launch MMM’s D.C. Real Estate Practice …”