John A. Anderson

Partner, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP

Years in current role: 26

What has been your biggest success over the past year?

Continuing to assist the clients of our firm meet their real-estate related goals.

What are your expectations for the next 6-12 months?

Commercial real estate activity will remain very active.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in real estate law?

Speak with your clients frequently in order to clearly understand their goals and concerns with respect to every engagement. Such an understanding will permit you to be both an efficient and effective advocate for your client.

If you could practice one area of law that you haven’t practiced in your career, what would it be and why?

Appellate court practice. During the year after law school, I thoroughly enjoyed my one year clerkship with the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and undertaking the legal research required in appellate cases.

What do you enjoy most about practicing law in the Rochester area?

While my practice typically involves dealing with attorneys from all over the country, I very much enjoy when a transaction involves a local commercial real estate attorney on the other side. When a local attorney is on the other side of any particular matter, it is usually a much more pleasurable experience and I find that achieving the goals for our respective clients is much easier and quicker.