As we start a new year, we also welcome a new President and Vice-President to the White House. McMillan Metro also welcomes new leadership this year. Michael Faerber, managing partner of the real estate practice group, was nominated as President of the Firm. Michael has also served on the Executive Committee since 2011 and he and Howard Metro currently serve on the committee in a management capacity. Elyse Strickland has been elected as the chair of the litigation department. We are proud of the talented professionals at our Firm and we look forward to their continued leadership.
Michael’s new role came into fruition from Donna McMillan’s decision to retire at the end of the year. Donna has been with the Firm since 1994, fulfilling many roles for the Firm, including managing the real estate practice group, as well as managing the Firm, as a member of the Executive Committee. While this change is bittersweet since we will miss working with Donna on a daily basis, we value the relationships that she has built with her clients and we are committed to continuing to provide the legal support that her clients have grown to expect from our Firm. We wish Donna well, as she defines her next chapter.
Here is a personal message from Donna McMillan, ”I want to announce formally what I have communicated informally over the last few months to many. I am retiring from the firm and the practice of law. My retirement is not due to COVID, though the virus certainly made it easier in many ways. It is simply time to turn it all over to my more focused and enthusiastic fellow attorneys in the firm, most of whom have been doing much of the heavy lifting lately already. I have confidence not only in their knowledge and ability, but in their attention to detail and their genuine concern for our clients. I have greatly enjoyed my career, both due to the clients for whom I’ve been privileged to work and due to the attorneys, both within the firm and without, with whom I’ve been privileged to work. I couldn’t have asked for better on both counts. Those many years ago, when I yearned for a special area of the law that I could make my own, I couldn’t possibly have imagined how working in real estate with the builder and developer community would fulfill me. It’s been an honor and a privilege and I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of it. While nothing this good is ever really over, it will be different and that in and of itself will be a good thing. I look forward to lifting a glass with you in person once it’s safe to gather again. Thanks for making this a great ride!”