Providing independent general counsel services to corporations and family offices, designing legal infrastructure, guiding governance and major transactions, and leading outside counsel on specific directives.
Admitted in:
I began in biochemistry anticipating a career in medicine. While my time in emergency departments and at Stanford confirmed my passion for science, it also exposed the systemic flaws burdened by those working within healthcare. During the pandemic, I chose to shift my focus from clinical practice to structural solutions. I pursued a master’s degree in Real Estate and the Built Environment to engage with projects that directly shape local economies. In that environment, I naturally gravitated toward capital structures and risk allocation. Recognizing that every major transaction relies on a framework of contracts and regulation, I turned to the law. Today, I maintain a practice focused on corporate, real estate, and hospitality matters in the community where I was raised. Across these disciplines, my objective remains constant: understanding complex systems and providing clear, practical guidance to the people who rely on them.
Extended Background:
I began my academic path in biochemistry, fully expecting to build a career in medicine. I enjoyed the science: the structure, the detail, and the discipline of understanding how complex systems work. That took me into clinical and research environments, including emergency medicine and time at Stanford, where I saw the practice of medicine at close range.
What I learned there was clarifying. My experience in emergency and hospital settings exposed how strained our health care system is, how poorly it often supports the professionals who keep it running, and how corrosive the workplace environment can become under that pressure. I loved studying medicine and still do, but I did not love how it was practiced inside that system. Several of my attending physicians and professors were candid with me. They told me that my curiosity about policy and systems, and my tendency to focus on the larger structural issues, would be wasted if I stayed confined to a single role in that environment, and that I should think about working on the bigger problems instead. The pandemic only reinforced that message. It forced a clear look at where I could make a long term contribution that matched my skills and values, while still serving the community where I grew up.
That is what led me to real estate. I pursued a masters degree in Real Estate and the Built Environment because it offered a different way to think about impact: projects that shape neighborhoods, create jobs, and commit capital for decades. In that environment I kept asking how the capital structure worked, how risk moved between parties, and why certain business and legal terms were written the way they were. Several of my professors noticed that I paid close attention to the details, the documents, and how these projects fit into the broader economy, and they encouraged me to consider law. At the same time, working on real estate projects made it clear that these decisions reach far beyond a closing table. They determine who can live and work in a neighborhood, which local businesses have a chance to grow, and the overall health of the community.
Law came into focus when I realized how much of each transaction or dispute ultimately turned on the contracts, covenants, and regulatory frameworks behind it. I found myself drawn to the place in the room where structure, strategy, and detail meet: the drafting, the careful review, the negotiation of language. I wanted to be the person who could read those documents closely, see the full picture, and give clients clear, practical guidance they could rely on. That is what took me to law school and into a practice centered on corporate, real estate, and hospitality matters in the same region where I was raised.
Across science, real estate, and law, the common thread has been the same: understanding complex systems, translating them into plain language, and helping people make informed decisions that hold up over time. My goal is to bring that approach to each matter, with a focus on steady, useful counsel for the businesses, individuals, and communities I serve.
Juris Doctor
University of Denver
M.S. Real Estate
University of Denver
B.S. Biochemistry
Minor in Biology
A high-caliber practice built for closely held corporations, family offices, and institutional sponsors demanding distinct, commercially viable counsel.
Serves as primary legal advisor to ownership and senior leadership on corporate structure, governance, and enterprise risk.
Supports the full life cycle of major corporate and real estate transactions, from concept and term sheet through closing and implementation.
Proactive risk management and dispute resolution focused on protecting enterprise value and keeping the business moving.
Core Practice Pillars
Structure & Strategy
Acquisition to Entitlement
Regulatory Compliance
Relationship Security
Operational Compliance
Turnaround Strategy
Selected Drafting & Transactional History
Structure & Governance
Transactional Drafting
Landlord & Tenant Representation
Real Property Instruments
Municipal Compliance
Risk Management & Workplace Matters
Balance in high-altitude environments.
Nikan & Leo
