Cassandra C. Rich

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Special Counsel, Barclay Damon LLP

Years in current role: 4

What has been your biggest challenge over the past year?

My biggest challenge over the past year has been juggling all of my professional, civic and personal responsibilities — a challenge I suspect most busy professionals can relate to!

What are you most excited about for the coming year?

I am thrilled to be involved with the second class of the Monroe County Bar Association (MCBA) Leadership Academy, which was introduced in December 2023 and will wrap up in June 2024. Seeing how much potential Rochester’s young attorneys have is inspiring. Another project that is coming to fruition this year is the Diverse Lawyer Empowerment Initiative, an MCBA Mentoring Program. We plan to match our proteges and mentors in late February and the program will run until February 2025. On a work-related note, it is always wonderful to help clients’ deals come together whether they are buying, selling, leasing, investing, financing, or securing easement rights.

What are the biggest mistakes you see made related to real estate law?

The biggest mistake I see related to real estate law is failure to engage a lawyer. This can lead to title defects or agreements that are not recordable, may not be fully enforceable, or do not address as many scenarios as they could or should.

What is one thing you enjoy more about practicing law since the pandemic?

Since the pandemic, I enjoy the flexibility to occasionally work from home. Sometimes it is to take advantage of the quiet, because I didn’t feel like shoveling my driveway, if I am under-the-weather or because my parents will swing by to have lunch with me. Having a second workstation and comprehensive office protocols in place makes it easy!

What is your favorite thing about the Rochester region?

My favorite thing about Rochester is that my family lives here! I am surrounded by loved ones. I also enjoy that Rochester has so many cultural institutions and civic organizations. There are a lot of good things happening here.

This profile is part of our Power 20 Real Estate Law list for 2024. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at nydailyrecord.com.