PHOTO: Courtesy Fried Frank
Valerie Kelly
Real estate partner at Fried Frank
Valerie Kelly is so good at her job that her own firm elected to have her represent them in its most recent lease transaction — which just happened to be one of the biggest office leases signed in D.C. this year.
As a Fried Frank partner, Kelly represents a range of client types — private and public commercial real estate investors and developers, office and retail tenants, investment funds, banks and other financial institutions — on all aspects of commercial real estate in the Washington region.
“As tenants are becoming more committed to going back into the office, my work over the last 12 months continues to be large leasing transactions at trophy office buildings,” Kelly said. “Some of my clients are expanding or are heading back into the office and continuously need more space to meet their needs, while others might be facing some distress from the economy or still dealing with challenges from the pandemic. Either way, it’s important to me to help them problem-solve.”
In one of Kelly’s largest recent deals, she advised landlord Global Holdings on its 95,000-square-foot lease renewal with law firm Foley & Lardner in Georgetown’s Washington Harbour.
Then there’s the deal that’s close to Kelly’s heart on both a personal and work-related note. Kelly worked on the long-term lease renewal for Fried Frank’s own 10-year extension of nearly 103,000 square feet in Lafayette Tower.
“I was really happy to see this renewal through, and it gave me an extra sense of responsibility given it was my own firm I was representing,” she said. “We are an original tenant in the building, since 2010, and it’s been a terrific ongoing relationship with Morgan Stanley and Stream Realty, who are also renovating to include new and upgraded amenities that will continue to benefit our firm and our clients who visit the space.”
Kelly is also actively involved in supporting women in the real estate and legal industries, serving as co-leader of Fried Frank’s Women’s Forum and as a founding member of Fried Frank’s Women in Real Estate group.
