‘They Have Options’: Chicago Title On Why One Partnership Is So Important
The John Marshall Law School trains the next generation of commercial real estate pros through its Center for Real Estate Law, but it doesn't do so in a vacuum. As the institution prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary, we chatted with professor Celeste Hammond and Chicago Title operations manager Michael Lisanti about their rich and productive partnership.
Bisnow: Celeste, can you tell me more about your role at The Center for Real Estate Law?
Celeste: I teach first-year courses including contracts law. I teach several elective courses in commercial real estate law that are part of our LLM program as well. The LLM program is for students who already have law degrees but would like to specialize in commercial real estate.
Finally, we have the MJ degree in real estate law for non-attorney professionals in the real estate industry. I am delighted to share all I learn from the practicing bar with our students.
Bisnow: What role has Chicago Title played in helping the center to thrive?
Celeste: The title company has been involved even before I started teaching here. They’ve been involved since day one. Robert Kratovil was the VP at the company and their senior underwriter. He eventually joined the faculty at John Marshall as a full-time professor and that started our relationship. I learned a lot from Bob while he was on faculty.
Now with the center’s 20th anniversary celebration coming up, Chicago Title is sponsoring it. And that’s no surprise.
Bisnow: Michael, why has Chicago Title dedicated so much time and resources to supporting John Marshall’s Center for Real Estate Law?
Michael: From Chicago Title’s perspective it is important to support the Center and law school community. We want to ensure that law schools here in Chicago continue to cultivate and enrich law talent and we are especially eager to boost those looking to pursue a career in real estate.
Bisnow: Have you brought on board any grads from the center?
Michael: We have several graduates, including Gina Giannelli, our VP and Illinois state counsel who completed the LLM program several years ago. She is also the honoree of the 20th anniversary celebration being held next week.
It’s important to us to know that our hires are in a good place from a real estate perspective. John Marshall’s Center for Real Estate Law provides an excellent education and their graduates are well-equipped to excel in our field.
Their programs, quite frankly, are superb. Why wouldn’t Chicago Title want to support a program like that? It’s not just to hire great talent; we also want to raise the idea that when deciding on a specialization, commercial real estate can be one of them.
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