Firm: Stokes Law Group, PLC–a business and real estate boutique
Specialty: Corporate/Commercial Real Estate Leasing and Development
Education: William & Mary/Villanova University School of Law
Family: Herbert, my Yorkie
Jewish Organizations: YAD Cabinet, Nadiv
Favorite Jewish Holiday: Yom Kippur
Most Memorable Personal Jewish Milestone/Life Cycle Event: Meeting a few of the UJFT folks that helped bring my family to the U.S.
Most admired Jewish lawmaker: Henry Kissinger is a favorite of mine, despite being a policymaker rather than a true lawmaker.
What trends are you noticing in your field of expertise?
Caution and cash are the watchwords of the day. Planning for the next 12-36 months has become something of a mystical experience, so many of our clients are recalibrating their cost structures to enlarge their reserves of cash and cash-equivalents. Holding cash has become critical to both fend off drops in revenue, and, conversely, exploit novel opportunities.
Is there a particular Jewish saying or value that you strive to remember in your practice of the law?
“The highest form of wisdom is kindness.” With wonderfully notable exceptions, kindness is something that we see less and less often in the professional world. While, as an attorney, I do not have the luxury of always being kind, I strive—as best as I can—to reach for kindness.