Morton Fisher became a Fellow of ACREL in 1981 and served as the College’s President in 1989. Morty earned his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth and his law degree at Yale University. He led the real estate practice at Frank, Bernstein, Conaway & Goldman before joining Ballard Spahr in 1992, which was a catalyst for the growth of Ballard’s nationally recognized real estate practice. In the early stages of his storied career, Morty worked at Piper & Marbury and spent five years in-house at The Rouse Company. He continued to represent Rouse throughout his career, in addition to TIAA, Connecticut General, New England Life, Trammell Crow Company and Target. In addition to ACREL, Morty chaired the ICSC Law Conference and the ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section.

Portia Morrison became a Fellow of ACREL in 1992 and served as the College’s third female President in 2005. Portia earned her undergraduate degree at Agnes Scott College (where she has served on the Board of Trustees) and her law degree at the University of Chicago. Among her career highlights, Portia chaired the real estate practice at Rudnick & Wolfe and received the Howard Kane Award recognizing her exceptional service to the firm, the legal profession and the public. Portia represented many significant national real estate companies during her accomplished career including Prudential, Pritzker Realty and Hyatt Hotels. In addition, Portia was a long-time chair of the board of the Girl Scouts of Chicago.

Don Siskind is a Founding Fellow of ACREL, having been elected in 1979 and served as the College’s President in 1997. Don received the prestigious Frederick Lane Award in 2004. Don earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania and his law degree at Columbia University. He was one of the leading real estate lawyers in New York City, combining immense legal experience with business knowledge to provide his clients with the advantages of both. His clients included Cadillac Fairview, Olympia & York, and developers of major properties in NYC and around the country. In addition to ACREL, Don chaired the Anglo-American Real Property Institute.

Caryl Welborn became a Fellow of ACREL in 1989 and served as the College’s second female President in 2001. Among her proudest accomplishments at ACREL was the founding of ACREL Cares. Caryl earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford and her law degree at UCLA. Caryl’s practice included all aspects of transactional commercial real estate, specializing in investment structuring. In addition, Caryl was a director of AMB Property Corporation, a public REIT that ultimately became ProLogis, and has been a long-time, active volunteer for the YMCA of San Francisco, serving on its board of directors for many years and as President from 2009-2012.

Bill Dunn is a charter member of ACREL, elected in 1979 and serving as President in 1984. Bill’s contributions to the College and the legal profession were recognized when he received the prestigious Frederick S. Lane Award in 2017. He also has served as Chair of the ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Section. Bill earned his undergraduate degree from Muskingum College and his law degree at the University of Michigan. In addition to being a recognized authority in the area of legal opinions, his practice focuses on infrastructure development; office and commercial acquisitions, development, and leasing; and commercial real estate finance. Bill served as special real estate counsel to the City of Detroit during a period of major redevelopment and investment.

John Hollyfield is a charter member of ACREL, elected in 1980 and serving as President in 1991. John’s contributions to the College and the legal profession were recognized when he received the prestigious Frederick S. Lane Award in 2015. He also has served as Chair of the ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Section and the Anglo American Real Property Institute. John earned his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Texas, and served in the US Navy. His practice focuses on mortgage lending, leasing, development, construction, and joint venture partnerships, among other areas of expertise.

Steve Cowan is a charter member of ACREL, elected with the first class of fellows in 1979. He is also a founder of the California Bar Association’s Real Property Section, and served as Chair of the ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Section. Steve is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard Law School. His practice focused on real estate, finance, real estate fund formations and bankruptcy/workouts, including representation of non-US investors in the purchase, sale and development of US real estate.