JIM GOODRICH

Saul Ewing LLP

Jim Goodrich handles commercial real estate transactions and construction contracts across the United States as a partner at Saul Ewing LLP, representing developers, owners, higher education institutions and major construction companies.

After eight years in litigation, Goodrich whispered in the ears of a couple of partners at the firm that he was interested in trying a transactional practice. A call came in November 2000 asking if he would help a real estate attorney who was buried. He agreed, and after six months assisting with real estate matters, he formally joined the real estate group at Saul Ewing. Self-educating, volunteering to give seminars on real estate topics when he was still a relative newcomer and mentoring from more senior attorneys were a huge part of that transition.

Long-term relationships are a hallmark of his practice. “The first matter from a client is the most difficult one to obtain, as the client needs to take a leap of faith and entrust a matter to a new attorney,” he said, “but the second matter and each successive matter are more rewarding because they confirmed that the client has been happy with the prior work.”

His goals include doing good work for clients, especially on sophisticated deals, being a good partner and mentor and helping develop the next generation of lawyers in Saul Ewing’s real estate and construction practices.

Outside the firm, Goodrich serves on the Board of Directors of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and as a board member of Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake and Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy.

He is an Executive Committee member of the Baltimore District Council of the Urban Land Institute and a Steering Committee member of Higher Education Real Estate Lawyers.

Prior to practicing law, he served in the Peace Corps, teaching English at a secondary school in Gabon, Africa. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Dartmouth College, where he was a member of the jazz ensemble. He continues to play jazz trombone, describing himself as an avid amateur — with emphasis, he notes, on both words.