Steven Fleissig is the College’s representative to the Synergy Group, a group of approximately 20 attorneys from various disciplines, principally in the real estate and lending arenas, that has been brought together through the efforts of the American Bar Association. On Friday, July 31, 2009 a Synergy Group meeting was held among various group members, including representatives of the ABA, ACREL (real estate lawyers), ACMA (mortgage attys), ICSC (shopping centers), ICREW (real estate women) and others. Steven Fleissig appeared on behalf of the College.

The end result of the meeting is that the Synergy Group will continue, perhaps at a somewhat lower visability level than has existed in the past. Many felt that helping the various real estate-related organizations organize their respective calendars was helpful and working together for a common goal – like dealing with the US Treasury regarding rules applying to attorneys handling money for clients – was also worthwhile. Other things, such as jointly-produced seminars and the like, will probably not continue. The general feeling among the participants was that each of the member groups is sophisticated and puts on excellent programs and there was actually no need to overly complicate the process, especially when dealing with the ABA. The next meeting will take place in approximately six months.