Carla M. Moynihan

Real Estate Department Chair

Carla is chair of the firm’s Real Estate Department and has over 25 years of transactional experience. Active in her professional community, she is a member of various legal and real estate industry associations, including The Abstract Club, NAIOP Massachusetts, and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Carla is a former adjunct faculty member at the Boston University School of Law, where she taught Contract Drafting. Carla’s been ranked as a leading attorney in Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, Massachusetts Super Lawyers, and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s “Top Women in Law.”

Read more about Carla’s practice here.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?

A: Slow down to make space for reflection and self-awareness – at times I need to remind my older self to take that advice …

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

A: It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them, do not repeat, and even better ask for help when needed.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: There are too many to just name one – I will provide some examples and you will see they are all women who took challenges head on, seemingly without complaint, not for the credit and just did the work:  Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Jody Foster, and Michelle Obama.

Q: If you could say one thing to your idols, what would you say?

A: Thank you for showing me that there are many paths to success for women.

Q: What’s been the best professional decision you’ve made thus far in your career?

A: Joining Sherin and Lodgen in 2015. The firm is a synergistic fit and has provided me with the tools and support to help me to grow my real estate practice/clients/skill set in every manner.

Q: Have you seen the industry change in terms of diversity since you became a part of it? If so, how?  

A: I started in the legal industry thirty years ago in 1990 as an environmental law paralegal at a top law firm in NYC, where I could only wear suits with skirts or dresses. Women – including the female attorneys – were not allowed to wear pant suits until a few years later. At BU Law, the class of 1995 was one of the first to have more women than men graduates. As a woman attorney in real estate – a traditionally male dominated practice area – it was not unusual to be the only female in a meeting or a closing, and during the first few years as a lawyer, to be mistaken for a secretary or paralegal. Just ten years later, I saw a slow but steady increase in women entering the real estate field and taking maternity leave, but returning to practice after 3-6 months whether part-time or full-time – the options were opening up and continued. Today, the ranks of women senior lawyers, whether in-house, in private practice or in the public sector, continues to grow – not as fast as some of us might like – but grow nonetheless. I am excited to not only to be a part of it, but also to help mentor law students and junior attorneys on the import of diversity and ensuring alternative paths to success.

Q: What’s one thing you do outside of work to keep yourself grounded?

A: Drive my teenage son to hockey and baseball practices – nothing says “grounded more” than sitting in a semi-lit parking lot outside a hockey rink or a batting cage for an hour or two at a time in the winter with a fleece blanket for warmth.  Attending the games and cheering him and his teammates on more than makes up for it.