Jessica Welk named 2019 Up & Coming Attorney by Minnesota Lawyer

Medicine’s loss is the law’s gain when it comes to Jessica Welk’s career.

The assistant general counsel with Sherman Associates is being honored as an Up & Coming Attorney, but her law focus wasn’t always a foregone conclusion. When she started college at Middlebury College in Vermont, pre-med was her plan. After earning a degree as a psychology major with a political science/history minor and an internship for a federal judge, “it all just screamed law school,” she said.

So, the Minneapolis native returned home to complete law school at­ the University of St. ­Thomas. After a few years working in a corporate law environment, she realized her career goal of being an in-house counsel and working with real estate when she joined Sherman Associates. Why real estate law?

“I have a personal passion for real estate,” she said. “I love being in-house with a developer and seeing the full, big picture.”

Welk has embraced the fast-paced world of real estate development, according to her nominators, who point out that in the 18 months she’s been with the firm “she’s closed on six refinancing and six asset sales,” the nomination said. “She has negotiated 17 purchase agreements and two development agreements. She has assisted with the settlement of a contract dispute, diverting it from litigation. She is tackling a complex environmental challenge and learning a new area of law in the process.”

In her spare time, Welk takes advantage of the Minnesota weather, enjoying the outdoors with her husband and 2-year-old daughter. Full Article