2021 Women in Commercial Real Estate: Deirdre Robinson, Partner, Robinson & Cole LLP

In the past year, what project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of? Every time I work with my clients to close on a project where new affordable housing units are going to be created I am proud of the work that we do. Whether it’s a public private partnership to bring affordable rental and home ownership units to the Boston waterfront, or new affordable units in downtown Brockton, or the conversion of the old Indian Motorcycle factory in Springfield into safe affordable housing, the impact on the community and the residents who get to live in those communities is priceless. As I say to each of my clients, it’s an honor to be a part of this work.

What is one characteristic you believe every woman in commercial real estate should possess? A desire to learn. Commercial real estate is always changing, it’s one of the aspects that makes working in this field both interesting and challenging. To be successful it’s important to have an ongoing desire to learn, not just so you can benefit your clients, but also so you can be prepared for what is coming up in the future and be ready for the next challenge.

What led you to your current profession? I had always enjoyed real estate and had worked for HUD and affordable housing real estate developers while in college, so when I graduated law school I knew that I wanted to combine my legal experience with my interest in real estate and specifically the area of affordable housing. I have been lucky over the years to work with some of the top affordable housing developers in the country.

What trends will dominate your industry in the coming months? I expect that we are going to see a continued focus on access to quality affordable housing. Housing security really became an issue for so many people during this past year and it was a reminder about how many people don’t have this basic security. I also think that there will be a renewed focus on affordable homeownership as well as creation of new affordable housing.