About Mark A.
Mark A. Lara built his legal foundation on a mix of classroom study and city practice. He earned a B.A. from DePaul University in 1996. He went on to study at The John Marshall Law School, where he completed his J.D. and later pursued an LL.D. in Real Estate Law. Those academic years set the stage for a career that moves between public service, private practice and the business side of real estate.
Lara began his legal work in municipal law. In 2008 he served as a law clerk and lawyer in the City of Chicago Department of Law. That early exposure gave him day-to-day experience with government process, ordinances and the kinds of disputes municipalities handle. He left city hall to start his own firm in 2010, opening Lara Legal, where he handled a range of matters for individual and business clients.
His career path includes a spell in real estate brokerage. In 2014 he joined Berkshire Hathaway Home Services as a broker associate. That period in the private sector expanded his view of transactions, property markets and client counseling outside the courtroom. He returned to law practice and worked at Fornaro Law in 2018. The next year he joined Goldstine, Skrodzki, Russian, Nemec and Hoff, Ltd. as an associate lawyer and remains on the firm’s roster.
The throughline in Lara’s résumé is real estate. His academic work in real estate law, combined with hands-on brokerage experience and municipal practice, gives him multiple angles on property questions. He handles transactional work and represents clients in disputes that arise from those transactions. His municipal background also informs zoning and regulatory matters that often overlap with real estate cases.
Colleagues describe him as practical and detail-oriented in client files. He has handled matters for buyers, sellers, developers and small businesses. He also brings experience running a small practice, which shapes how he approaches case management and client communication. He maintains professional memberships in local legal associations and participates in the bar-related activities available to him.
Today he practices as an associate at Goldstine, Skrodzki, Russian, Nemec and Hoff, Ltd., where his work centers on real estate transactions, related litigation and regulatory issues affecting property owners and developers.
