Colorado Real Estate Journal - December 3, 2014
By third grade, Tom List, managing partner at Moye White LLP, had it all figured out. He was going to be a judge. Or so he wrote in a school essay. And while he dabbled with the idea of being a doctor, like his father, a trip in high school by the premed club to a hospital and his subsequent fainting on tour pushed aside further thoughts of a career in medicine. A good decision, judging by List’s more than 27 years in the industry, in which he averages negotiation of nearly 250 lease transactions annually. A member of the law firm’s real estate section, he also has extensive experience in development, land use and zoning, sales and acquisitions, leasing, eviction, workouts, bankruptcy and financing for a variety of clients, including developers, real estate investment trusts, property management companies, property owners, and condominium and owner associations. “I like to work and I love deals,” said List. “Be it a 1,000-square-foot or 100,000-square-foot deal, the size, it’s meaningless. It is just a number. No matter the size, I give it the same effort, thought and consideration.” It is being able to bring two parties together – whose mutual interest is getting the deal done – that thrills List. “I love when I have a heavily negotiated document, both sides have a vested interest, and it’s my job and co-counsel’s to get the deal done and bring their mutual interest together,” said List, noting this also is the most difficult aspect of his job. His core values of honesty, candor and a sense of service, List believes, aid him in bringing both sides of the table to a successful deal. “I always tell my colleagues that I’m not the best real estate attorney in town,” List admits. “But what sets us apart is our services, our can do, will do attitude. I tell my clients I am available 24 hours. Every client is the most important client. “The best part of my practice, my career, is the relationships I’ve made,” continued List. “Yes, they are clients. But they are also friends, really good friends. And the biggest reward, the best compliment I receive, is when in a social or business situation an existing client refers me to a potential client. “The key to my success is my clients know what they are going to get from me and I meet, beat expectations,” he added. The Colorado native graduated from Cherry Creek High School and attended the University of Oregon before transferring and graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder. He earned his Juris Doctor from CU before starting out in a career in litigation. “A week into my first job after law school, I was in trial. I realized I was not a litigator, I preferred deals.” That decision, coupled with a NAIOP lunch, cemented in List a desire to focus on real estate. However, it wasn’t without temptation. After termination from one firm, he came to a crossroads in his career – law or brokerage. List laughs when thinking about “what might have been” had he accepted the brokerage position with Mike Winn and Tim Richey on their team at Grubb & Ellis years ago. “I decided, though, I wasn’t ready to abandon law,” said List, who joined Hall & Evans LLC in 1995 before forming his own firm, Franke Greenhouse List & Lippitt LLP, in 2001. Three years ago, he left his own firm to join Moye White, where his former firm merged last year. As managing partner at Moye White, List admits he is “kinda the boss” but still practices, and plans to for many years to come, as he relishes the transactions and people in the industry. The opportunity to lead Moye White also has allowed him to give a fresh voice and inject new energy into the firm, he added. Over his career, List hasn’t had one single mentor, but rather tries to learn from all walks of life and be a role model. But he has great respect for John Moye and Ted White and the partners at his former firm. List’s love of learning has included once more harboring thoughts of med school, as he’s over his queasiness. “I’d love to go to school. It would be fun to go back to college. That being said, I love to work and will work another 20 years,” he added. Outside the office, List is an avid golfer and enjoys traveling, his pets, hiking, paddle tennis and spending time with his wife, Amy. They have three college-aged kids, son Sam and tw