With national coverage, Dechert LLP is highly reputed for its expertise in origination of commercial real estate loans including mortgage and mezzanine loans, purchase and sale of participations and B-pieces seeking leverage through repo and other technologies, including CRE CLOs and other securitization solutions. The firm routinely acts for issuers, underwriters and asset sellers in CMBS and standalone securitizations of loans, often advising banks as lender’s counsel. Co-chair of the global practice, David Forti in Philadelphia works alongside New York’s Laura Swihart on complex commercial mortgage-backed securitization transactions, work-outs and foreclosures. Also in New York, Richard Jones is recommended for capital markets and mortgage finance, and Laura Ciabarra for on construction and transitional lending. Stewart McQueen in Charlotte heads the commercial mortgage-backed securities practice. In Philadelphia, Kenneth Hackman is noted for origination and securitization of single-family rental (SFR) loans, repurchase facilities and warehouse facilities. Nitya Kumar Goyal and counsel Victoria Boland are likewise noted for credit tenant lease financing, and mezzanine financings and subordinate debt.

Housing a ‘seasoned bench of attorneys with deep knowledge and a unique command of the real estate finance practice area‘ Morrison Foerster is well-equipped to handle sophisticated financing for hotel, office, condo, industrial, life sciences, student housing, senior living, and residential developments. Construction loans, conventional mortgages, loans involving interest rate swaps, net lease and other credit lease financing, are growing areas of activity. From New York, Mark Edelstein chairs the global real estate group and is an expert in CMBS loan arrangements, mezzanine financing, preferred equity, and complex intercreditor and co-lender agreements. As co-head of the distressed real estate practice, he is also well-placed to advise on debt restructurings and bankruptcies of high-profile real estate companies and developers. Both Edelstein and leader of the US practice, Jeffrey Temple , also in New York, are ‘standout attorneys in the industry‘- Temple’s practice spans all transactional work, and frequently advises on loan restructurings and workouts. For construction financing and securitized lending, Keith Print and of counsel Tushna Gamadia, are the other key New York-based attorneys. In Miami, fellow co-chair, Thomas Fileti is the go-to counsel for REIT clients. 

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP has a strong lender-side advisory practice, focusing on mortgage and mezzanine loans, syndicated, construction, convertible loans, and loans backed by credit and those secured by ground leases. The firm also has a historic record in the CMBS space. Leading the group from New York, Bonnie Neuman is a leading counsel for global investment banks, national and international financial institutions, investors and servicers in domestic and cross-border transaction, notably representing lenders in a $1.04bn mortgage loan secured by a portfolio of 109 select-service hotel properties. In the same office, Nicholas Brandfon is experienced in loan restructuring and bankruptcy-related matters, particularly those involving office, hotel, condominium and retail properties. In Charlotte, Holly Chamberlain’s practice is concentrated on lender representation across the full range of financing of office, retail, hotel, multi-family, industrial and skilled nursing facilities through to single asset as well as multi-state and multi-property transactions.   

Led by a trio of well-respected market figures, Howard Schreiber in Dallas and Laurie Grasso and Brett Gross in New York, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP continues to grow its offering its offering in affordable housing, life sciences and health care sectors. The firm routinely represents secondary market participants in the purchase and sale of real estate debt instruments, as well as advising a domestic and international lenders on financing of office, retail, industrial, hotel, data centers, multifamily and mixed-use properties. It also has significant experience with workouts and restructurings of existing financings, foreclosure on defaulted mortgage and mezzanine loans and the sale of REO properties. Peter Mignone and Matthew Halal are the other key figures in New York, and are recommended for mortgage, mezzanine, hospitality and construction lending.

Jones Day acts for a roster of numerous real estate lenders and its equally strong borrower-side offering, advising on small to multi-billion-dollar transactions across the full spectrum of real estate financings. CMBS and mezzanine loans, mixed debt/financings, and tax-driven financings are key areas of instruction. San Francisco’s David Paulson specializes in lender representation with respect to both the origination and restructuring of construction, secured and unsecured financings and in the participation and syndication of loans, particularly for hotel properties, golf resorts, and shopping malls. He also has a an extensive background in REIT finance, hospitality finance and homebuilder lines of credit. For bilateral and syndicated real estate finance, head of practice Richard Rosenblatt in Atlanta is a sought-after attorney. John Rafkin in Chicago, Michelle Brown in Dallas and Michael Riess in Washington DC are active in the financing of office, retail and hospitality properties.

Leveraging ‘great knowledge in the fields of development and construction‘, Eversheds Sutherland‘s real estate group regularly represent both lenders and borrowers in connection with construction and permanent mortgage loans, which is a key specialty of Atlanta partners Virginia Worthy and Kevin Thomas. In the same office, William Rothschild brings deep experience in CMBS financing and real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC) issues for lenders, servicers, institutional investors, developers and tenants, and routinely represents Microsoft Corporation on various development and data center financing transactions. Over in New York, John Busillo advises on the origination, restructuring, workout, sale and purchase of commercial mortgage loans headed for securitization or previously securitized or held for portfolio. Practice co-heads John Benson and Lisa Rosen, based in Washington DC, likewise focus on securitized commercial real estate loans, affiliated debt products, structured finance and the resolution of non-performing or sub-performing real estate assets. New York associate James Murphy is noted for his work banks and lenders in foreclosure proceedings and managing large foreclosure portfolios. 

McDermott Will & Emery LLP‘s Illinois and California offices have seen significant growth under the leadership of David Wolff in Chicago and Mal Serure in Los Angeles, welcoming Justin Bender to the Chicago office from Kirkland & Ellis LLP in February 2022, and a number of associates to the Los Angeles office. New York-based practice head Keith Pattiz is a recognized practitioner in the hospitality sector, representing numerous owners, operators and developers in their financing management agreements, retail leasing and all financing transactions. Also in New York, Scott Weinberg and David Broderick have extensive experience counselling specialty finance companies and REIT’s in the origination of commercial mortgage loans, mezzanine loans and preferred equity, alongside securitizations, mortgage loan repurchase/warehouse facilities, and syndications.

Bringing deep experience to Arnold & Porter‘s real estate finance group, practice head Steve Gliatta acts on behalf of leading financial institutions and non-bank lenders on first mortgage loans, mezzanine financing, preferred equity investments, and restructurings and workouts, throughout the US. Louis Hait lends his extensive experience in negotiating inter-creditor and co-lender agreements, and acquiring portfolios of performing and non-performing loans, and is also involved in representing hedge funds, opportunity funds, and pension plans that provide mezzanine, preferred equity, and common equity joint venture investments. Co-head Jeffrey Kapner has led numerous workouts and restructurings of complex senior debt, mezzanine financing, construction loans, distressed loans and asset sales. 

Ballard Spahr LLP ‘delivers an excellent blend of thorough knowledge of the law with commercial business savviness’, led by a sizeable national group of real estate and real estate finance experts, which includes Siobhan O’Donnell in Los Angeles; Thomas Hauser and Amy McClain in Baltimore together with Dominic De Simone in Philadelphia. The team is active on structuring, negotiating, documenting, closing, and servicing a broad range of real estate finance transactions, and routinely represent REITs and developers as borrowers in single- and multi-property loan transactions as well as in joint venture and preferred equity transactions. The firm has also expanded its work in the distressed assets and opportunities space.

Known for its nationwide and international capabilities, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner represents regulated banks, debt funds, life insurance companies, private lenders and CMBS lenders in all aspects of commercial real estate finance. The practice also continues to grow its borrower-side offering, with new instructions from developers. In its Irvine office, practice head James Kousoulas specializes in securitized loan transactions, mezzanine financings, secured and unsecured real estate and asset-based borrowing facilities. In New York, regional practice head, Andrew Auerbach and William Campbell are the key contacts.

Chaired by Linda White from Chicago, Dentons is well-known for its international presence and its extensive portfolio of blue-chip clients, from US and non-US borrowers, life insurance companies, through to debt funds, and non-traditional lenders. The same office also houses Steve Davidson, who is an expert in construction and term loans secured by office and retail buildings, hotels, residential and mixed-use projects and vacant land. Elsewhere, in New York, Gary Goodman routinely represents agent banks in syndicated loans. David Hall co-chairs the global practice, also from New York, and acts for banks and institutional investors in relation to commercial real estate loan origination, purchase, sale and servicing.

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP‘s real estate finance department is headed by New York-based Julian Wise and has an equally-weighted lender and borrower practice. Notably active in commercial and mezzanine lending, Wise and Seth Henslovitz , also in New York, continues to advise Mack Real Estate Group in the financings of 700 North Miami, part of the largest private development underway in Miami, Florida. The group also represents New York landlords, office and retail tenants, in sophisticated lease negotiations.

Seyfarth Shaw LLP ‘goes the extra mile for their clients’ with ‘an uncanny ability to maintain proper perspective when considering risks and obstacles associated with a transaction.’ Capital market loans, including CMBS and CLO financings, health care finance, government-sponsored enterprise lending, mezzanine and A/B tiered structures are among its key areas of work, with the firm also noted for its focus on evolving areas, such as infrastructure investment and construction, data centers, health care, and Delaware statutory trusts, as well as cannabis and opportunity zone funds. Daniel Evans in New York and Atlanta’s Jay Wardlaw co-head the practice.

Concentrating on the property market across the Midwest, Texas and Florida and with several offices across the US, Dickinson Wright PLLC remains sought after for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac multifamily and manufactured housing mortgage loans, and frequently assists Canada-based lenders. Real estate finance partner Katheryne Zelenock co-heads the practice alongside fellow partners, Michael Lusardi who takes charge of the real estate offering. Both are based in Troy. 

Holland & Knight LLP is praised as ‘extremely responsive, efficient, knowledgeable, available, with a very deep bench in real estate finance’. The team stands out for its strong offering in healthcare finance, affordable housing structures, tax-exempt structures, public finance and credits and in real estate capital market transactions. From New York, William O’Connor co-leads the real estate capital markets group, alongside Mark Weibel in Dallas, both specializing on the servicing of CMBS and related aspects of loan workouts. Miami-based Gavin Williams serves as the head of public and charitable services real estate offering. Joe Guay in New York and Vivian de las Cuevas-Diaz in Miami co-chair the national real estate department.

Husch Blackwell LLP‘s practice largely focuses on advising lenders and borrowers throughout the Midwest, West and Mid-South on real estate debt financing, including construction, bridge, mezzanine, term and syndicated loans. Head of practice Dan Bray resides in Denver, and is noted for his expertise in loans secured by multifamily, office, industrial, self storage, resort and retail, and senior housing properties.

McGuireWoods LLP‘ full-service transactional practice represents lenders in the origination and sale of multifamily mortgage loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and recommended for its work in affordable housing deals. From New York, Dennis Mensi represents institutional lenders in originating and servicing of commercial mortgage loans secured by all asset classes, and also advises lenders on servicing of mortgage loans. Craig Harmon in Richmond, Virginia acts for real estate investors in connection with mezzanine loans, A/B notes, subordinated debt and other structured investment arrangements. 

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP represent lenders and borrowers of debt and equity capital in all types of real estate financing transactions. Esteemed figure in the New York market, Caroline Harcourt is widely recognized for her handling of origination, sale and purchase of mortgage and mezzanine loans and the negotiation of intercreditor, co-lender and participation agreements in multitiered debt stacks. In San Diego, Steven Hamilton focuses on restructuring and working out construction, term and permanent loans, lines of credit and letters of credit. Global head of real estate Rachel Horsch in San Francisco is also highly recommended.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has considerably expanded its practice, starting with the expansion of its Los Angeles office which welcomed chair of the west coast office, Misty Sanford, along with partners Karen Lorang and Aimee Contreras-Camua who moved over from Munger, Tolles & Olson in October 2022. New York's Christine Murphy lends her expertise in balance sheet financings, permanent and bridge loan originations, construction loans, and workouts and restructurings. Head of real estate finance, Krystyna Blakeslee ,also in New York, focuses on origination, acquisition and disposition of mortgage loans, mezzanine financings and subordinate debt. National real estate co-chairs Thomas Henry and David Drewes are also highly respected attorneys, based in New York.