MIBW 2016: Danette Davis, partner, Dentons

Growing up, Danette Davis always knew she wanted to be a lawyer, preferably in the business and real estate sector. That’s because she grew up assisting her parents with the family business, Logan Agri-Service Inc. located in Griggsville, Illinois, that supplied crop inputs serving agricultural customers throughout the Midwest.

“I always thought being a business lawyer would be neat since I was always involved in the family business in some way or another,” Davis said.

She went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in finance from Truman State University and attended law school at Saint Louis University, graduating in 2007.

“One thing I really like about real estate law, at least typically, is that everyone is usually really happy at the end,” she said.

Davis’ love of real estate and business law brought her to Dentons in 2010, where she is currently a partner and a member of firm’s real estate practice. In the role, she focuses on complex real estate issues, including development and construction, asset-based lending and commercial leasing.

Since her time at Dentons, Davis has facilitated a number of projects, including a $1.5 billion development of a series of luxury hotels in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for real estate developer ALJREIC, in which she represented the owner and developer in connection with design and construction issues.

Davis also represented the owner and developer dealing with engineering, procurement and construction contracts for a specialty chemical facility in Texas worth an estimated $1 billion.

Most recently, Davis represented Support Dogs Inc., a St. Louis-based organization that provides assistance dogs, on a pro-bono basis for the acquisition, finance and construction of a new facility located on Linpage Place near Maryland Heights.

“The real estate sector is fun in that you get to see new plans and be a part of new projects from the ground up,” Davis said. “It’s fun after the fact, too, because you drive by a project and you’re like ‘Hey, I worked on that.’”

Also in St. Louis, Davis worked on design and construction contracts for the $54 million Mercy Hospital Virtual Care Center facility in Chesterfield, which opened its doors in October 2015.

Another project Davis has been a part of is representing an EB-5 lender in connection with loan tranches to finance construction of mixed-use developments located in California and Arizona. EB-5, a program established in 1990 by the U.S. government, was designed to encourage non-citizens to invest in projects in the U.S. in return for a green card or citizenship, according to Davis.

“I admire the confidence she exudes in the marketplace equally as I admire her passion for her philanthropic endeavors,” Merri Cross, senior manager of business development at Dentons, said. “Our industry continues to evolve, and Dani is definitely one of the people always advocating for women to have a seat at the table.”

Prior to Dentons, Davis, 35, worked at Stinson Morrison Hecker (now known as Stinson Leonard Street) from 2007 to 2010. She worked in transactional real estate, but on a much smaller scale than the work she performs at Dentons, she said.

She started as a managing associate at Dentons in August 2010 and was promoted over the years, making partner in early 2016.

“It’s definitely a transition,” Davis said about becoming partner. “The types of deals that I work with haven’t changed and I have a lot of the same clients, but a new set of expectations.”

When she’s not finalizing real estate deals, Davis is heavily involved in Commercial Real Estate Women St. Louis (CREW), where she served on the board for two years. CREW - St. Louis is a part of the national CREW network, which includes 74 chapters and 8,000 members, about 100 of whom are local.

She is also a member of the board of directors of Support Dogs Inc. and is very active at her church, Salem United Methodist Church in Ladue.

Outside of her work and volunteer activities, Davis, who resides in Town & Country, spends time with her husband and two sons, mostly attending Cardinals games or concerts with her husband.

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2016/08/12/mibw-2016-dannette-davis-partner-dentons.html

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