Andrea Saunders Rifenbark

Rifenbark devotes much of her time to buying and selling for public pension funds in deals valued between $50 million and $150 million.

Last year, she represented a pension fund in the negotiation of a joint venture with an operating company to invest in high-quality office and industrial properties in Brazil.

"It's an emerging market," Rifenbark said. "The economy is getting stronger. There is more of a middle class, and people are looking for shopping centers, residential and commercial properties."

She also represented a pension fund in the negotiation of a joint venture with a residential developer to invest in undeveloped land in Canada.

"It was an interesting transaction and involved a lot of negotiation," Rifenbark said. "But whenever you are dealing with other countries - with tax and structuring issues not typical of the United States - you work with local counsel."

These days, Rifenbark said she's been noticing a tendency for investors to take a more hands-on approach to projects.

"A lot of times, you'll have one partner putting the money in and the other doing the leg work and day-to-day operation," she said. "I'm seeing more investors who want more say in the decision making. They want to know what's going on and where the money is going."

These types of relationships, Rifenbark added, often lead to multiple deals with the same parties.

"It's partners having their ear to the ground on other investments," Rifenbark said, "and that's part of being involved in what's going on."

- PAT BRODERICK