Professional and personable in equal measure, Melissa Manna is a seasoned commercial real estate attorney who understands not only the legal issues involved in complex and consequential transactions but also their financial, practical, and strategic implications. Melissa’s well-honed project management skills allow her to deftly handle large portfolios, while her direct and accessible counsel keeps her clients fully and consistently informed about the status of their matters.
With almost a decade of in-house experience serving as counsel for one of the largest independent wireless tower companies in the U.S., Melissa intuitively appreciates her institutional clients’ priorities, pressures, and internal dynamics and knows what they need and expect from outside counsel. She has a keen eye for identifying and addressing risks and provides her clients with the clarifying guidance and insights they need to make informed decisions.
Melissa provides end-to-end representation through all stages of commercial real estate transactions and has particularly extensive experience with retail ground leasing matters. She manages due diligence, negotiates and drafts meticulous transactional documents, and advises and implements comprehensive risk management solutions. Melissa has closed transactions valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, a testament to how she builds trust among multiple stakeholders with often divergent interests, finding common ground and disposing of tangential or inconsequential issues to get deals across the finish line efficiently and expeditiously.
Whether working with internal constituencies or other parties to a transaction, Melissa has proven time and time again her effectiveness at breaking down silos, obtaining buy-in, and providing steady, level-headed leadership that consistently protects and advances her clients’ interests.
