SOPHISTICATED REAL ESTATE COUNSEL

Cousino Law is a boutique real estate law firm that specializes in helping funds, investors, owners, and developers navigate complex transactions, developments, and investments. The team at Cousino Law couples sophisticated transaction negotiation with practical strategic counseling.

OUR TEAM

Betsy Nelson

Associate

Betsy Nelson

Associate
betsy@cousino.law


Betsy supports all aspects of Cousino Law's transactional real estate practice, with particular experience counseling clients with respect to acquisitions, dispositions, retail leasing, and due diligence management. Betsy has vast experience across various areas of law to draw upon and is currently a Professor on the Adjunct Faculty at Loyola Chicago School of Law, where she specializes in education law and policy as well as professional skills development. She has co-authored two books about early childhood education, practiced law in the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Illinois, and taught third grade in Chicago.

Betsy earned her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, her M.A.T. from Dominican University, and her B.A. from the University of Michigan. She enjoys running, cooking, Michigan football, and spending time with her family.

Blair Gould

Partner

BLAIR GOULD

Partner
blair@cousino.law


Since 2014, Blair has counseled and assisted clients in a wide range of commercial real estate transactions throughout Michigan and nationally, including experience with acquisitions/dispositions, financing, leasing, cannabis-related projects, and various facets of development and construction projects. He has worked on transactions involving industrial sites, office buildings, shopping centers, multi-family and mixed-use projects, healthcare facilities, utility transmission facilities, cell towers, as well as multi-asset portfolios, in which he has represented owners, lenders, developers, investors, and municipalities.

Before joining Cousino Law, Blair was an associate with Dykema Gossett P.L.L.C. and then of counsel with Dickinson Wright PLLC. Blair earned his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School and his B.A. in finance from Ohio State University. He is a member of the Real Property Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

In his free time, Blair enjoys golfing, biking, playing on his neighborhood’s beer league softball team, walking his dog Sully, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Chris Atto

Business Manager

Chris Atto

Business Manager
chris@cousino.law


Chris oversees all operational aspects of the firm. Previously, Chris spent more than a decade working in national and international advertising roles in Detroit and Buenos Aires, including as Account Executive and later as a project manager for a Big Three automotive company.

Chris graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor's degree in Communications. He enjoys travel, live music, yoga, and biking.

Dan Cousino

Founder and Partner

DAN COUSINO

Founder and Partner
dan@cousino.law


Dan Cousino has practiced commercial real estate law in Chicago, Detroit, and nationally for over 15 years. In 2016, he founded Cousino Law to focus on representing and advising a distinctive collection of developers, owners, investors, and funds in large-scale, innovative, and complex real estate transactions. Dan's practice spans many areas of law related to commercial real estate and venture formation, with expertise in financing matters, joint ventures and syndicate structuring, acquisitions/dispositions, and leasing. Dan serves as outside general counsel to several large developers and investors and routinely provides critical business counseling in addition to ongoing legal advice.

Since early 2018, Dan and his team have worked closely with developers, fund managers, and their investors to develop organizational structures and documentation to fully benefit from the Opportunity Zone legislation. Dan participates in the Opportunity Zone Early Movers Coalition formed by the Economic Innovation Group, which works to provide guidance to the US Treasury with respect to regulatory codifications aimed at clarifying and enhancing the sparse statutory framework.

Dan was previously a partner at Honigman LLP in Detroit and an associate at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in Chicago, and he earned law and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Michigan. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and as a finalist in Law360's Top Lawyers Under 40, and is regularly invited to participate on panels at industry-related events.

Dan enjoys cooking, music, deliberate living, and time with his family.

Melissa Paddock

Paralegal

Melissa Paddock

Paralegal
melissa@cousino.law


Melissa is Cousino Law’s Senior Real Estate Paralegal. In this capacity, she is engaged in all transactional matters related to the acquisition, disposition, development, leasing, property management and financing closings of commercial real estate investment assets concerning clients corporate and fund activities.

Before joining Cousino Law, Melissa was employed in various Asset Management and Compliance Management roles within Los Angeles-based investment management firms, and prior to the investment management industry, Melissa worked in corporate national law firm settings covering real estate, construction, trust and estates, and creditors rights practice groups.

Melissa received a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in legal studies, and an ABA-approved Paralegal Studies Certificate from Samford University.

Milo Madole

Partner

MILO MADOLE

Partner
milo@cousino.law


Milo is a transactional real estate attorney with a breadth of experience in real estate financing, leasing, and acquisition and disposition matters. In particular, Milo’s practice has a strong focus on real estate development and lending in the City of Detroit and the surrounding area, which typically involves the representation of developers or Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in transactions featuring complex and creative capital stacks and various development incentives. Additionally, Milo maintains an active national commercial leasing practice, having represented landlords and tenants in numerous retail, office, and industrial leasing matters for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining Cousino Law, Milo was a Member at Dykema Gossett PLLC in Detroit. He has been recognized by the Super Lawyers publication as a “Rising Star” attorney in Michigan each year since 2020. Milo earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. in history, magna cum laude, from Kalamazoo College. He is the Past President of the Kalamazoo College Alumni Board and is a former member of the Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees. Milo is also the Chair of the Hamtramck Downtown Development Authority.

Outside of work, Milo is an avid traveler to unique and off-the-beaten-path destinations, a serviceable basketball player, and an improving cook.