Charles Russell

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Charles Russell

Partner; Leader, Commercial Real Estate Practice Group, Harris Beach PLLC

Years in current role: 15

What do you enjoy most about practicing real estate law?

I enjoy the collegiality of working to achieve a mutual goal. Whether it is the purchase and sale of property, a lease, or a from-the-ground-up development, it is refreshing to work with others to push a project forward. Some of the most rewarding projects in my career include those that put people to work or kept them working in the area. For instance, I helped my client put a 100-year-old manufacturing facility back in service after it had been shuttered for several years—enabling my client to fill the former industrial plant with hundreds of high-quality jobs supporting families and small businesses in the area. I also worked on a transaction where my client purchased a 500,000-square-foot facility in the suburbs and relocated its workforce to the facility, keeping these jobs here.

What do you see as the biggest changes in real estate law in the next 3-5 years?

Clearly, we are headed to a digital world. Whether it is the electronic exchange of signatures on documents (DocuSign), electronic recording in the County Clerk’s offices, or remote online notarization laws, the real estate industry is quickly catching up to the technological innovations that exist in many other industries. I foresee a day when transactions can be handled digitally from soup to nuts. That said, I hope that at a minimum we are all able to get together in person to celebrate closings after they occur!

What community organizations do you support as a volunteer and why?

For a decade, I served as a Board Member for the Seneca Waterways Council of the Boy Scouts of America. During my tenure, I also served as the council’s Treasurer. While I am no longer serving on the Board, I continue to serve as the liaison for my firm to the Council and continue to support its fundraising events such as Casting for Character (a fishing derby), 21 Stories for Scouting (a rappelling event where participants climb down from the top of Kodak Tower) and the annual Eagle Scout Dinner (recognizing the hundreds of area scouts who achieve the rank of Eagle Scout each year). I participate in and support this organization because in my youth I was very active in Scouting and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout myself (with the help of my family, fellow scouts and great mentors).