The real estate practice at Dechert LLP is exclusively focused on the finance space where it is frequently engaged in a broad range of multibillion-dollar transactions. Among its core fields of expertise are mortgage and mezzanine loan originations, sales and acquisitions of loan interests, distressed debt and restructuring, preferred equity transactions and CMBS issuances. David Forti is active across New York and Philadelphia, and caters to a client roster of leading issuers, master and special servicers, funds and b-piece buyers; he co-chairs the department and is supported by New York-based mortgage-backed securitization specialist, Laura Swihart, as well as Pennsylvania lawyer Jason Rozes, who is well versed in permanent and bridge loan originations, construction loans, syndications and workouts. Over in North Carolina, Stewart McQueen is particularly focused on CMBS and CRE CLO securitization transactions while in Philadelphia, Ken Hackman is an up-and-coming partner who is engaged by both lenders and borrowers on repurchase facilities, warehouse facilities and single-family rental financings.

At Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, the real estate department is a market leader for an enormous variety of lender and borrower-side finance matters, catering to a client roster of construction, CMBS, portfolio and mezzanine lenders, in addition to property operators and investment firms. Century City-based Jesse Sharf and Erin Rothfuss in San Francisco are co-chairs of the practice and specialize in whole-loan sales, syndications and participations, CMBS lending and structured finance transactions; they also have experience in workouts and foreclosures. Elsewhere in New York, Aaron Beim supports investors with syndicated, securitized, single-lender mortgage and mezzanine loans, while Victoria Shusterman is an expert in construction loans, bridge financing, loan syndications and multi-tranche mezzanine finance. At the more junior end of the partnership, Noam Haberman, also based in New York, focuses on higher risk balance sheet loans, as does Kahlil Yearwood who is in the San Francisco office.

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP is primarily geared toward lender-side representation, supporting clients in myriad lending transactions, including syndicated, construction, mortgage, mezzanine, participating, and convertible. The team is also well versed in balance sheet loans, as well as those purposed for securitization. Moreover, the team is knowledgeable of all forms of collateral including healthcare, multi-family, hotel, shopping centers and regional malls. Of recent note, Bonnie Neuman took leadership of the practice group following the retirement of William McInerney. Neuman's key strengths include loan restructuring, loan servicing and non-performing loan securitizations, in addition to secondary market dispositions of mezzanine and mortgage loans. Neuman heads the practice from the New York office, which also includes special counsel Nicholas Brandfon, a name to note for the financing of office and condominium assets. Holly Chamberlain in Charlotte has experience in preferred equity investments, unsecured loans, workouts and single-family rental bridge facilities.

A ‘practice at the bleeding edge of complex real estate transactions’, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP acts for ‘well-heeled borrowers and the largest institutional lenders’ in mortgage, preferred equity, construction and mezzanine financings, portfolio loans, workouts, CMBS and restructurings. Michael Barker (‘a super experienced, terrific lawyer’) serves as practice chair, a position he has held since the team's establishment in 2010. Barker is supported by the ‘extremely sharp’ Michael Vines, who focuses on commercial loan origination on behalf of syndicate, balance sheet and capital market lenders. Suzanne deVries Decker is another ‘standout’ name with extensive experience in mortgage, mezzanine and preferred equity financings relating to office, hotel, and multi-family assets. Below the partner level, associate Matthew Bettinger is carving out a strong reputation for handling multi-tiered intercreditor agreements. Named lawyers are based in the New York office.

Morrison & Foerster LLP is recognized for its leading reputation for advice on large-scale syndicated term and construction loans that involve multiple forms of debt. Its services also include development, conduit and mezzanine loans, interest rate swaps, net lease financing, and co-lender and intercreditor agreements. Mark Edelstein leads the global real estate department and also serves as co-chair of the distressed real estate group, frequently supporting his clients in bankruptcy, workout and restructuring matters; he operates from New York alongside Christopher Delson, a key contact for securitized, mezzanine subscription and REIT credit facility transactions, as well as debt and equity investments. Over on the West Coast, Los Angeles-based Thomas Fileti (‘one of the smartest and most thoughtful attorneys in the market') is a specialist in the financing of hotels and resorts in addition to credit and master lease transactions pertaining to corporate property. At the more junior end, up-and-coming partner Keith Print, who divides time between Miami and New York, is a star name for multi-family apartment and office building project financing.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP complements its market-leading dirt real estate practice with an experienced finance team, which is proficient in all manner of highly structured loan types, namely construction, development, bridge, mezzanine and securitized. The group also has experience advising on all major asset classes. A key differentiator for the team is its prowess in the sale, purchase and restructuring of mortgage and mezzanine loans secured against single assets and multiple property collateral pools. Chicago-based duo Corey Light and Michael Baum jointly chair the practice alongside Richard Giusto in Miami and Stephen Rabinowitz, a preferred equity specialist, who operates from New York. Farah Ahmed is also integral to the team, particularly in the negotiation of co-lender, intercreditor and participation relationships.

An ‘extraordinarily talented’ real estate finance group, the team at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP handles a caseload consisting of workouts and restructurings, the sale and purchase of real estate debt instruments, secured financings and preferred equity investments, among other matters. The department is proficient in all mainstream asset classes and has recently been increasingly active in the financing of affordable housing, and life sciences and healthcare properties. In New York, Brett Gross focuses on construction, hospitality, securitized and portfolio mortgage lending; he jointly heads the department with Laurie Grasso, also based in New York, and Howard Schreiber who works from the Dallas office.

Jones Day runs a lender-focused finance practice with an expansive geographical footprint, fielding key lawyers throughout the US, who often find themselves working with parallel teams in the firm’s offices in Europe and Latin America. The group is well placed to handle matters across the spectrum of real estate and mortgage finance, from construction, CMBS, syndication and convertible loans through to interest rate swaps and revolving terms. In San Francisco, David Paulson is particularly busy in the areas of hotel, golf resort and shopping mall-related financings; he co-chairs the practice together with Atlanta-based Richard Rosenblatt, who has a track record of handling countless high-value financings in the healthcare, homebuilder, industrial, multi-family, office and student housing sectors.

Under the leadership of New York-based Malcolm Montgomery, Shearman & Sterling LLP is geared to handle an array of structured finance, corporate credit facility and lending mandates. The team represents borrowers and financial institutions in mezzanine, mortgage and asset-based loans and is also well equipped to advise on investment structuring, loan modifications, workouts, restructurings, securitized loans and syndicated financings. The firm is a destination of choice for major domestic, Canadian, Mexican and German banks, REITs, servicers and virtually all forms of investors; a key differentiator is its expert knowledge of Mexico’s real estate market, owing to Montgomery’s experience in structuring and closing local transactions.

The real estate finance department at Arnold & Porter caters to a client roster of investment banks, financial institutions, developers and institutional investors, advising on a broad variety of conventional financing, workout, restructuring, bankruptcy and capital market transactions. The group is based in New York, where key contacts include co-chairs Jeffrey Kapner and Steve Gliatta, a lawyer thoroughly experience in mortgage loans, mezzanine financings and preferred equity investments. Another standout name is Louis Hait, who in addition to supporting lenders on inter-creditor and co-lender agreements, frequently acts for hedge and opportunity funds, and pension plans in preferred equity and common equity joint venture agreements.

Lawyers at Ballard Spahr LLP are experienced in the negotiation, structuring, documentation, closing and servicing of mortgage, development and construction loans in addition to mezzanine, syndicated and securitized lending. The department is home to dedicated CMBS loan origination, private equity and insurance sub-practices, in addition to a distressed real estate team which lends support on restructuring, enforcement, rescue capital and loan sale transactions. Los Angeles-based Siobhan O’Donnell is an expert in both borrower- and lender-side work, catering to a client roster of institutional and investment banks and insurance companies, developers and real estate investment companies. Elsewhere, Thomas Hauser in Baltimore has built a prominent reputation for multi-family, senior living, student housing, biotech and retail-related financings.

At Mayer Brown, Charlotte-based David Saye is among the key contacts for real estate finance, owing to his record of acting for both lenders and borrowers in permanent loan and construction financing. The team has particular expertise in bilateral and syndicated facilities and also has experience in innovative transaction structures.

Milbank is a prominent player in the transactional space where it handles an array of deal-types, from debt, equity and preferred equity structures through to debt-to-equity, structured finance and joint venture models. The team has specialist knowledge of UCC foreclosures and distressed debt workouts which involve CMBS and capital stacks; it is also recognized for its work in the hospitality and gaming space where it supports on debt, equity and joint venture transactions. New York-based Kevin O’Shea leads the department and is an expert in mortgage loans, securitizations, complicated equity investments and mezzanine financings.

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP represents lenders and borrowers in their commercial and mezzanine lending pursuits, directing a high degree of emphasis toward capital markets and structured finance techniques aimed at maximizing investments. Department chair Julian Wise has expertise across senior and multi-tranche mezzanine financings, restructurings and loan acquisitions, in addition to a wealth of experience in co-lender, participation, intercreditor and preferred equity agreements. Seth Henslovitz operates from New York alongside Wise, and is recommended for mortgage financing, workouts and joint venture negotiations. The team is particularly accomplished in matters relating to hotel, residential, retail and industrial assets and enjoys a formidable reputation among alternative investment clients and private equity funds.

The team at Seyfarth Shaw LLP has an ‘exemplary depth of knowledge in real estate finance matters’; its core fields of expertise are permanent, bridge, capital market, portfolio, mezzanine and construction financing, preferred equity sales and loan dispositions and purchases. The team is chaired by New York-based Daniel Evans, primarily focused on the structuring and closing of mezzanine and mortgage loans, as well as Jay Wardlaw, who operates from Atlanta and has a track record in hotel financings. San Francisco-based Robin Freeman frequently acts for healthcare lenders in respect of financings at nursing and assisted living facilities; and Arren Goldman in Charlotte serves as co-chair of the distressed situations department, which lends support on workout and restructuring matters.