Thomas W. Larkin, Partner

Innovation

"Expertise and flexibility are the keys to what I do. It's about knowing what's important and where there's room for compromise, and having the ability to drop one approach and realize another."

Tom likens himself to a trustworthy travel agent, putting businesses on the road to success. "Frequently I'll say to a client, 'Tell me where you want to go and I'll tell you how to get there," he says.

Tom's strong communication skills also play well with his clients, a range of financial institutions, real estate-related companies and businesses for which he handles everything from mergers and acquisitions and complex real estate matters to loan documentation and commercial leasing. As lead attorney for the Commercial Practice Group at Melchert Hubert Sjodin, Tom supports a culture of innovation.

"When you have multiple parties and competing interests, you need to be adaptive and creative in your approach," he says. "It's important to me that a client walks out knowing more than when he or she walked in."

His expertise includes anticipating potential conflicts and providing the appropriate legal framework. "When you structure a business transaction, you're defining relationships with a view to minimizing the chances for disputes in the future," he says.