Irene M. MacDougall

Irene MacDougall has the all-too-rare ability to bring order, apparent simplicity and focus to complicated financings and development transactions. Her 30-plus years of experience in financial transactions—including commercial, real estate and healthcare lending transactions, real estate development transactions, public finance, and credit-tenant and off-balance sheet financings—enable her to efficiently and effectively manage multi-party, complex transactions to closing. Irene brings this same style to bear when counselling and assisting closely-held businesses.

Having represented all of the various parties in such transactions, Irene has accumulated valuable first-hand insight into the concerns and desires of the myriad of parties involved. Drawing on this insight and her vast transactional experience, she effectively bridges the competing interests of the parties and is often able to greatly streamline the process. Those skills allow her to arrive at a mutually advantageous solution to the issues that arise during complex transactions. Clients rely on Irene’s invaluable counsel and her ability to assemble and work in a team as much as they value her legal knowledge and experience.

In recognition of her work on the Flats East project in Cleveland, Ohio, the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network honored Irene with the 2011 Impact Award. As one of only four national award winners, Irene’s work was recognized in the category of economic impact. For the past four years, Chambers USA, arguably the most prominent, worldwide law firm and attorney ranking publication, has recognized Irene for her work in Ohio real estate. For the past 10 years, Ohio Super Lawyers has recognized Irene and named her to its “Top 50 Women” and “Top 25 Women” lists. Irene has also been named to several editions of Best Lawyers®, another prominent, global attorney ranking publication.

Irene’s family, comprised of spouse, Michael J. Esson and four children—including a set of triplets—has merely honed her unique ability to efficiently arrive at practical solutions to her clients’ issues. Achieving results and working with her clients as a team give her great satisfaction and keep the practice of law fun and exciting. Her family’s legacy of numerous pets and varying extracurricular activities in theater, dance, film, equestrian activities and travel continue to keep Irene’s life fun and exciting.