Karen O'Malley
Director
Boston
komalley@goulstonstorrs.com+1 617 574 3503Karen O'Malley
Director, Boston
komalley@goulstonstorrs.com+1 617 574 3503Related Expertise
Karen O’Malley is a real estate attorney who represents a diverse range of clients, including large public and private real estate companies, as well as some smaller businesses and non-profits.
Her practice focuses on retail and office leasing within mixed-used properties. In the retail context, she often counsels landlords leasing to national, regional and local tenants, anchor and junior anchor retailers, entertainment facilities and restaurants. In the office context, she represents landlords and tenants in connection with office building leases, including lease arrangements for corporate headquarters and mixed-use developments.
Karen also has extensive experience in all other aspects of real estate practice, including acquisitions, dispositions, development, financing and leasing.
Her projects are often transportation-centered, mixed used projects, including new developments and redevelopments, as well as enclosed malls and lifestyle centers. Karen is also a Co-Chair of the firm's Retail, Restaurant & Consumer Group and Strategic Advisor to the firm's Pro Bono Committee.
Related Representative Matters
WS Development, one of the largest privately held real estate development firms in the U.S., in connection with retail and office leasing across its national portfolio. Karen serves as a strategic legal advisor on leasing transactions, supporting the company’s development and repositioning of high-profile mixed-use properties nationwide, which include a broad spectrum of assets such as major office and life science tenants, high-end luxury retailers, pop-ups, anchor stores, and experiential retail concepts.
Samuels & Associates, a Boston-based real estate development and investment firm known for transforming urban neighborhoods through mixed-use development. Karen advises on retail and restaurant leasing across the firm’s portfolio, including the Landmark Center redevelopment in the Fenway neighborhood and grocery leasing at Continuum in Allston, MA.
Federal Realty Investment Trust, a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in high-quality retail and mixed-use properties, in retail and office leasing at Assembly Row—a dynamic, transit-oriented live-work-play development in Somerville, MA.
A retail chain in the strategic disposition of its property portfolio across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Victim Rights Law Center, the nation’s first nonprofit law center solely focused on sexual assault survivors, through corporate setup, governance, and tax-exempt status, and providing ongoing representation—laying the legal foundation for a pioneering organization that continues to serve the most marginalized with dignity and advocacy.
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Accolades
- Best Lawyers in America® (2024-2026): Real Estate
- CREW Boston Networking Award, 400 Summer Street Project, 2024
Affiliations
- Member, Chief, Advancement for Women
- Member, Georgetown University Law Center Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute (ACLI) Advisory Board
- Member, Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL) Women in the Law Advisory Group
- Member, CREW Boston (formerly NEWIRE)
- Founding Board of Advisors, Victim Rights Law Center
- Member, International Council of Shopping Centers
- Editorial Board, Shopping Center Legal Update, International Council of Shopping Centers
- Member, School Council Advisory Board, Mason Rice Elementary School
- Co-Chair, Pro Bono Committee, Goulston & Storrs
Admissions
- Massachusetts
Education
Northeastern University School of Law ( J.D. , 1994 )
Boston College ( B.A. , magna cum laude , 1991 )