Strategic real estate judgment at the moment it matters.
Decision Point Counsel is a law firm for those who require senior judgment and advice in real estate transactions, rather than the customary risk assessment provided by other law firms. The practice accepts a limited number of engagements, each handled personally by Russ Cofano, with the full benefit of his experience as a law firm partner, C-suite executive, and General Counsel.
Every real estate transaction has a decision point — the moment when complexity shows up and there’s still an opportunity to shape the outcome. That’s where independent legal judgment is most valuable, and that’s where Russ Cofano operates.
The engagements may differ. The standard of judgment remains the same.
Each engagement is scoped and taken with an intended result in mind based on its unique variables. In addition to providing senior legal advice, each Decision Point client will also get the benefit of Russ’ approach to making good decisions gleaned over more than three decades of real estate-related work.
Most engagements will be based on a fixed fee, although bounded retainer and hourly engagements may be considered. See Private Inquiry to discuss a specific matter.
Advisory services may include:
High Value/Complex Seller Advisory
Judgment on disclosure strategy, authority, title issues, and transaction structure for sellers of high value property or in cases where standard conveyancing and disclosures present higher risk.
High Value/Complex Buyer Advisory
Judgment on due diligence, form of ownership, negotiation strategies and financing for buyers of high value property or in cases needing a more sophisticated approach.
Co-Owner & Family Property Advisory
Advisory counsel for family members, business partners, or former partners holding property jointly, where the dynamics are relational before they are legal — process discipline introduced early, before positions harden.
Commercial Lease/Sale Advisory
Strategic review of a commercial lease or property purchase and sale opportunities that may commit material operational expense, analyzed as the significant contract it is, not a routine lease or purchase review.
Family Office Real Estate Advisory
A coordinated, transaction-level advisory voice for real property held within a broader wealth structure — engaged on specific matters alongside existing wealth and estate planning professionals, and stepping back when the matter concludes.
Second-Opinion Transaction Review
An independent read on a purchase agreement, disclosure, or contingency decision before it is signed or waived — for clients who already have an agent, lender, and escrow officer, and want someone whose sole obligation is to them.
The engagements above are examples of the types of matters Decision Point Counsel can assist with, not an exhaustive list. If your situation does not fit neatly into one of these categories, reach out — most matters this practice takes on involve some combination of the above.
Moments worth slowing down for.
Before signing a purchase or sale agreement
The moment a second opinion has the most value — while terms can still be changed, not after.
Before waiving inspection
The questions worth asking before a contingency that protects you is removed from a purchase agreement.
Before completing a seller disclosure
What the standard disclosure form does not cover, and where a complex property history requires more care.
Before relying on a preliminary title report
What title exceptions actually mean, explained before they become a surprise at closing.
Before signing a commercial lease or purchase agreement
The clause most business principals miss, and the analysis a decade-long obligation actually deserves.
Before structuring a co-owner sale or buyout
The relational dynamics that matter before the legal ones — addressed while trust between the parties is still intact.
Judgment earned from the principal's side of the table.
Russ Cofano is a Washington-licensed attorney with more than thirty years of experience spanning private practice, General Counsel roles at public and private companies, and CEO and President positions in real estate and proptech. He has sat on the principal's side of complex negotiations — managed boards, guided stakeholders through transactions with real downside, and understood, from the inside, what it means to be the person ultimately responsible when a decision goes wrong.
That experience is not a credential listed in a biography. It is the lens through which every matter this practice accepts is assessed.
As General Counsel at John L. Scott Real Estate, a Pacific Northwest powerhouse, at eXp World Holdings, the parent company of national leader eXp Realty, and at closely held companies, Russ is an expert on how deals get from prospect to the closing table, and everything in between.
From leading a regional title insurance firm, to turning around a troubled proptech company to an eventual sale, to serving as CEO of a state REALTOR® association, Russ made mission-critical decisions that helped each of these organizations to success.
Licensed in Washington State, with a career spanning partnership-level private practice and public and private company leadership.
To inquire about advisory availability, please complete the following.
Every inquiry is treated with full discretion from the point of receipt. Russ personally reviews each submission, typically within one business day.
Please do not include confidential or sensitive transaction details in this form. Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship; that relationship begins only upon execution of a signed Advisory Agreement.