Cleveland partner Patricia O'Donnell was named a "Leading Lawyer" for 2009 by Inside Business magazine and was profiled in its December 2009 edition.
According to the profile, for a decade, Ms. O'Donnell worked as a secretary for the real estate brokerage firm of Cragin, Lang, Free & Smythe. When she realized she could work the legal system just as well as she worked the phones, she began taking law classes at night. Today, Ms. O'Donnell is one of Cleveland's most prominent real estate attorneys. As a partner at Baker Hostetler, she helped open up the Church Square Shopping Center, rehabilitate the Euclid and Colonial arcades, and currently serves as counsel for Cleveland Metroparks.
Her former bosses at Cragin, Lang, Free & Smythe now come to O'Donnell for advice on real estate investment dealings. Ms. O'Donnell considers the opening of the Church Square Shopping Center, along Euclid Avenue near East 79th Street, one of her greatest accomplishments. "When it opened, it was one of the first inner-city shopping centers in Cleveland. I'm proud of the role I played in starting something very catalystic in the housing there. I think it's really spurred the growth of the whole neighborhood," said Ms. O'Donnell. On Cleveland's recovery chances, she remarked that right now is a terrible time to be a real estate lawyer. "I've never seen anything like it in 27 years. It's absolutely horrible . . . I think everything is cyclical. I suspect it will take Cleveland a longer time to recover than other parts of the country, but I think Cleveland will come back."
The article also included information on Ms. O'Donnell's personal life, noting that she is married to Bruce Gaynor, a partner at Partner, Taft Stettinius & Hollister in Cleveland, who was also named a "Leading Lawyer" for 2009. Ms. O'Donnell's advice for lawyer couples: "Never treat each other like lawyers. Don't use lawyerly skills or lawyerly talk. In fact, don't even talk about your jobs." When Ms. O'Donnell was honored with Cleveland State University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2002, her acceptance speech might have been the all-time best. "I think I just said thank you. I give the kind of speeches I'd like to hear," said Ms. O'Donnell. In addition to her legal work, Ms. O'Donnell is also active in the community, working to rescue animals and serves as a board member of the Zoological Society.
The attorneys named 2009 "Leading Lawyers" were nominated by their colleagues and selected by a jury of peers. Those chosen as "Leading Lawyers" must have received at least one nomination from outside their firm.
Click here to read the full interview with Ms. O'Donnell.