About Us
LaFonda Willis, J.D.
LaFonda caught the real estate investment bug, in 2015, when she had her first home constructed in a new development in Washington, D.C., one of the hottest and fastest growing urban markets in the nation. In 2017, LaFonda started law school in the nation’s capital. During law school, LaFonda was exposed to a host of real estate development projects and property and zoning disputes through her participation in the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, at Harvard Law School, and the UDC Law Housing & Consumer Law Clinic. LaFonda also completed externships at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia – Housing Enforcement and Consumer Protection Sections and at the United States Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) – Marketing and Advertising Practices and Enforcement Divisions.
Through these opportunities, LaFonda developed a keen interest in real estate development deals, and property, real estate, and contract law. One of her favorite assignments at the FTC involved international land fraud litigation and some of LaFonda’s favorite classes in law school included Civil Procedure, Torts, Contracts, and Property. In addition to the law degree LaFonda obtained from UDC Law in Washington, D.C., she also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami (FL) School of Business.
Before law school, LaFonda worked directly with Weldon Douthitt, Director of Construction Services and Home Repair at the Economic Opportunity Planning Association (“EOPA”) in Ohio, as did both her father and paternal grandfather before her. In her role with EOPA, LaFonda helped to recruit and hire minority contractors for community revitalization projects and home repair and advocated for the increased participation of minority contractors in public construction projects.
The combination of these experiences and LaFonda’s commitment to investing in people and communities, inspired LaFonda to create Willis Investments, LLC. That is why the mission of Willis Investments is to realize opportunities in real estate to revitalize and enrich communities worldwide.