Lisa J. Berns

Attorney At Law / Of Counsel

Lisa J. Berns practices in the areas of real estate, construction, general business contract, lending and finance and corporate law and provides general transactional construction and procurement advice to Missouri and Illinois public school district and higher education clients as well as private clients.  She has extensive experience negotiating a variety of vendor, service, energy savings, and construction contracts for public school district and higher education clients, and has also represented public and private clients in a variety of transactional matters, including the purchase, sale, leasing and construction of public and private institutional properties. She has represented borrowers and lenders in complex financing transactions secured by major properties in Missouri and Illinois, as well as transactions involving asset-based and cash flow loans.  Her practice also has involved the foreclosure of commercial and consumer properties and workout negotiations.  She has represented multiple Fortune 500 clients in the management of their owned and leased properties on a nationwide basis.  She has also assisted public school district and higher education clients with charitable giving and not-for-profit related matters, and has also assisted education clients with procurement and public works compliance.

Prior to joining the Firm, Lisa practiced with the law firm of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP for twelve years, the last four as a Partner.

Education

J.D., Washington University School of Law, 1992

• Articles Editor, Washington University Law Quarterly
• Order of the Coif

B.A. Newcomb College of Tulane University, 1989

• Graduated summa cum laude
• Phi Beta Kappa

Professional Affiliations

• The Missouri Bar Association
• Illinois Bar Association
• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

Selected Publications and Presentations

• Real Estate Purchase and Sale Transactions; The Process Begins: Tying Up the Property, Sterling Education Services, April 8, 2004
• Title Search: The Process in Missouri; Permitting and Governmental Issues, Lorman Education Services, November 9, 2004
• The Fundamentals of Successful Office and Retail Leasing in Missouri: Lender Issues and Particular Lease Issues, National Business Institute, March 21, 2005