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Habich bucks the trend, practices law his way

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//February 21, 2019//

Habich bucks the trend, practices law his way

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//February 21, 2019//

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Robert Habich - Davis & Kuelthau
Robert Habich –
Davis & Kuelthau

How does a young real estate lawyer go about drumming up business?

Most would assume by knocking on the doors of the biggest developers in town.

But Robert Habich did it in a different way.

The shareholder specializing in commercial real estate at Davis & Kuelthau’s Milwaukee office decided to take the long view early in his career. It’s a choice that has served him well.

Rather than trying to rub shoulders with the biggest fish in the sea, Habich formed relationships with people who he thought were talented and trustworthy. As a result, he has a crop of clients that are different from those that lawyers at similar point in their careers can claim.

“A lot of them weren’t in the position to refer me work when we started doing networking or becoming friends,” he said. “With that, I’ve been able to grow with them. So now they are in the position that they are starting companies or running companies and they have the ability to refer work.”

One of Habich’s most memorable recent deals involved negotiating a lease on behalf of Good City Brewing, a Milwaukee brewery, for a space across from the Fiserv Forum. Sitting on the other side of the table were the Milwaukee Bucks.

“The real estate transactions that I work on, they’re always fun, they’re always challenging. There is always a new twist on every deal that comes up,” he said. “I will say that it’s never boring.”

In part because of advances in technology, the pace of legal practice and the expectations of clients seem to be ever on the rise.

“As a society, for a lot of different reasons, we expect things to be done immediately,” he said. “What used to be something that you would maybe turn in a week, now you’ve maybe got a day or two to turn.”

Joe Tierney IV, Davis & Kuelthau president, has known Habich for nearly a decade and worked with him over the past few years.

Tierney said Habich always puts clients first.

“He’s incredibly diligent,” Tierney said. “We’re excited to have Rob as part of our firm. I’m excited to practice with Rob personally. He practices law the way I believe lawyers should practice law.”

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