2025 Ones to Watch - Rising Stars: Meigan Serle, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

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“Meigan Serle has carved out an incredibly valuable and unique role within our real estate practice. Very few people in the profession have the nuanced understanding of complex condominium structures that she possesses. Her ability to get critical deals over the finish line is truly remarkable. We are a stronger organization because of her and I know I speak for our entire team when I say how grateful we are to have her on our bench.” - Jay Neveloff, Partner, Chair of Real Estate, US, HSF Kramer.

What recent professional milestone or project are you most proud of, and why? For more than a decade, I worked on various aspects of Hudson Yards, the largest private development in U.S. history, and it may not exist without my team’s and my bespoke work. I helped create both a declaration of easements allowing its construction over active railyards and a master property owner’s association for the campus. I wrote the individual condominium documents and offering plans, with a more than $3 billion sell-out, and counseled the sale and lease of more than 2 million s/f of office space. I’m incredibly proud to play such a vital role in bringing this landmark project to fruition.

What’s one challenge you’ve overcome in your career so far, and what did it teach you? No two projects are the same. Whether it’s building a campus over active railyards, selling 94% of a project while retaining developer control, translating New York concepts to markets that have never utilized condominium structures or creating ownership regimes that bring campuses to individually funded components, every day is challenging and exciting. Plus, I’m sometimes the only woman in the room, and rather than being intimidated, my femininity allows me to come at challenges from a unique perspective and present solutions that only a woman can think of.

What is your top advice for someone just starting out in your field? Follow your passion and find your niche. Try your best to find ways to put your personal mark on your work and make it your own. Lean in to your unique personality to set your negotiating and presentation style. Staying true to yourself is powerful. And, most importantly, realize that no matter how big the world may seem, you will run across the same players and people over and over again. Your reputation is formed early and can make or break your future deals.

Who has been pivotal in your professional development, and how have they influenced you? The partners in HSF Kramer’s real estate group. From Jay Neveloff, a dealmaker who has garnered the respect of everyone in the industry, to the late Neil Tucker, who taught me how to stay true to myself through demanding clients and complex deals and to never lose my passion no matter the challenge. And, most importantly, Jonathan Canter, who took a former personal injury lawyer and taught me not just about real estate law but how to fit our clients’ “square peg” goals into the round holes of the condominium act.