Laura Ciabarra > Dechert LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Dechert LLP
Three Bryant Park, 1095 Avenue of the Americas
NEW YORK, NY 10036-6797
NEW YORK
United States
Laura Ciabarra photo

Work Department

Global Finance

Position

Partner

Career

Laura G. Ciabarra, a partner in Dechert’s global finance practice, advises on subordinate lending with an emphasis on mezzanine finance, B-notes and participation interests, and complex intercreditor and co-lender agreements. Ms. Ciabarra regularly represents major real estate funds, banks and other financial institutions on large-scale transactions involving complicated mezzanine and subordinate debt structures. For example, she led the team representing all of the mezzanine investors in the record breaking US$38 billion Blackstone acquisition of EOP and then reprised that role on behalf of the junior mezzanine lenders in Blackstone’s US$26 billion acquisition of Hilton.

Ms. Ciabarra began her career as a bankruptcy attorney and has extensive experience in the creditors rights and debt restructuring areas. She has handled numerous workouts of defaulted loans in which her expertise in the structured finance and subordinate debt markets has been critical to successfully resolving troubled investments.

Ms. Ciabarra represents both lenders and borrowers in various financing activities, and represents large private real estate funds with respect to the development and acquisition joint ventures in the United States and Latin America acting variously as joint venture, acquisition and borrower’s counsel.

Education

  • Yale University, B.A., 1989
  • Yale Law School, J.D., 1992
  • University of Cambridge, Graduate studies
  • The London School of Economics and Political Science, Graduate studies

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Real estate > Real estate finance

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.