Matt Joe, Holland & Knight, Atlanta (Courtesy photo)

Job Title: Partner.

Current primary practice area: Commercial real estate.

Experience: Holland & Knight, 2007-present.

Education: University of Georgia School of Law, 2007; University of Georgia, 2004.

What drew you to a career in law? I've always been oriented toward thinking like a lawyer. In middle school, I participated in mock trial workshops and “day in the life of an attorney” programs. In high school, I was on the debate team and clerked in a law library. My interest in law really took off when I realized that transactional real estate attorneys combine skills that seem to come naturally to me with business transactions that are exciting, complicated and, hopefully, profitable. I love being a trusted counselor to my clients and a critical part of helping them bring their real estate deals to life.

Have you set a specific goal that you want to achieve in the next year?

I've been trying to delegate significantly more work to our associates than in prior years. This is difficult for me, because I am particular about how I do things, and I like to control my entire practice. But for years I have had more work to do than time to do it, and so leveraging my practice is the natural and necessary next step in my career. We have several amazing associates at my firm who support my practice. They make it much easier for me to loosen my grip and trust that the work will be done right.

What has been your proudest career moment and your biggest hurdle?

In 2010, my firm made the difficult financial decision to shut down the Atlanta real estate group … except me, then a third-year associate. I was an “associate free agent” until 2015, when we again began hiring real estate attorneys in Atlanta (we now have a robust group). This career path is quite different from the prototypical big firm model in which partners take specific associates under their wings. Lucky for me, during that time, I forged strong relationships with, and learned how to practice law from, our 250-plus real estate attorneys throughout the country and the cross-discipline attorneys in Atlanta.