Practice will operate from NYC, Westchester, Long Island, Miami, LA, and new Charlotte Location
NEW YORK – April 25, 2022 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, already highly regarded for its national and global real estate industry practice, has raised its game in real estate finance.
Corey A. Tessler, head of Winston & Strawn's global real estate practice, and fellow Winston partner Michael A. Moser, will become Co-Chairs of Greenberg's Real Estate Finance group, joined by a team of four other Real Estate Finance partners from Winston. They will make strategic use of the firm's innovative New York Metropolitan Regional approach, as well as the firm's longstanding strength in New York, Florida, California, Chicago, Texas, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and beyond, and will open an office in Charlotte, NC, the firm's 43rd global location. Additional team members are expected to join in the near future. The new group will be working from the firm’s offices in New York City, White Plains, Garden City, and Bridgehampton, as well as Charlotte, with an expectation that team members will ultimately be present in Miami and Los Angeles as well. The new group joins more than 100 real estate finance attorneys firmwide.
“We do not follow the pack, nor grow for growth’s sake. Our disciplined and strategic approach, together with our core values of respect, trust, empowerment, meritocracy, entrepreneurship and collaboration, allow us to attract talent that values flexibility, innovation, our unique platform, and our laser focus on client service, no matter the market or market conditions,” said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Greenberg Traurig’s Executive Chairman. “We have known Corey and Michael for a long time, and while we are already well known for our strong real estate practice across the United States and globally, this team will take us to another level in real estate finance. We are opportunistic when it comes to growth, adding quality and additional service offerings that fit our strategic direction, not only for today, but for the future.”
In January 2022, the global firm continued its strategic expansion in the New York metropolitan area, and its adaptation to the “new normal,” by opening two Long Island locations, in Bridgehampton and Garden City. In February 2022, the firm established an office in Portland, OR, and in 2020 opened in Salt Lake City at the height of a pandemic.
“We are not simply opening an office in Charlotte, we are creating opportunities for client service and value and working nimbly to adapt to market conditions,” Rosenbaum said.
Corey A. Tessler will be resident in the New York City and Bridgehampton offices. His focus includes developing mortgage conduit/securitization programs for lending institutions across the United States in the hospitality, multifamily residential, retail, and office asset classes. Tessler received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Tufts University.
“Greenberg Traurig’s leadership in anticipating client and market needs, new ways to work and serve clients, its highly respected reputation in the Real Estate sector, its incredible geographic coverage across the United States, including New York, South Florida, and beyond, Europe, and Asia, and uniquely collaborative global culture, led our team to move here to be active participants in the continued strategic growth of the practice and the firm,” Tessler said.
Michael A. Moser and Jarrid Y. King will join in the White Plains office. Major lending institutions often turn to Moser for complex real estate finance transactions, including commercial mortgage loans (construction, bridge, and permanent) and mezzanine loans for all asset classes, loan workouts and restructurings, and the sale and securitization of commercial mortgage loans. He received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University and his B.A. from Yale University. King has more than 25 years of experience assisting clients with real estate finance matters nationwide totaling tens of billions of dollars. King represents lenders, borrowers, and investors in complex financings and structuring debt and equity investments. He also has broad borrower and lender-side loan workout and restructuring experience. He received his J.D. from George Washington University and his B.A. from SUNY-State University of New York. King will join as shareholder.
In the Garden City location, Brian Smetana and Christine Spletzer will join as shareholders. Smetana represents major lending institution clients in connection with senior mortgage and mezzanine loans to finance existing properties, as well as new construction. He also works with clients on structuring and closing syndicated loan transactions and condominium and cooperative property financing. He received his J.D. from St. John’s University and his B.A. from Boston College. Spletzer’s experience includes commercial mortgage loan origination, securitization and servicing programs, mezzanine financing, repurchase facilities and warehouse financing programs, commercial real estate collateralized loan obligations, residential mortgage-backed securities, and other secured lending transactions. Spletzer also has significant experience in structuring loans, and the acquisition and disposition of real estate debt instruments. She received her J.D. from Hofstra University and her B.A. from Adelphi University.
Brian J. Bailey will join as the managing shareholder of the Charlotte office. Bailey represents institutional lenders in connection with the financing of commercial real estate assets, including mortgage and mezzanine financing for hospitality, mixed-use, retail, and other properties throughout the United States. He received his J.D. from St. John’s University and his B.A. from the University of Michigan.
In a similarly strategic move, in March the firm’s London office added internationally renowned real estate finance lawyer Daniyal Ansari as a shareholder. Ansari’s work in real estate finance includes assisting clients with high-profile investment, development, and complex structured debt matters globally. He was previously a senior partner in the real estate finance team at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Real Estate Practice: The Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Practice is a cornerstone of the firm and recognized leader in the industry. The firm’s real estate attorneys deliver diversified and comprehensive counsel for property acquisition and investment, development, management and leasing, financing, restructuring, and disposition of all asset classes of real estate. The team draws upon the knowledge and experience of more than 600 real estate lawyers from around the world, serving clients from key markets in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The group’s clientele includes a broad range of property developers, lenders, investment managers, private equity funds, REITs, and private owners. The firm’s real estate team advises clients on a variety of matters across a broad spectrum of commercial, recreational, and residential real estate, including structured equity and debt and the hybrids.
- Real Estate Finance Capabilities: The scope of the firm’s real estate finance capabilities spans virtually every major income-producing property sector and asset type. The lawyers have experience with a wide range of commercial real estate loans with varying maturities, leverage ratios and debt service coverage ratios, and other financial covenants. The representation also includes purchasers of individual loans or pools of loans secured by real estate or interests in real estate and the resale, restructuring or exercise of remedies under such loans. The team’s multidisciplinary approach, breadth of experience and unique geographic platform makes us especially well-suited to these types of representations.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2400 attorneys in 43 locations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm, often recognized for its focus on philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono, reported gross revenue of over $2 Billion for FY 2021. The firm is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law 100, Am Law Global 100, NLJ 250, and Law360 (US) 400. On the debut 2022 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard, it is a Top 15 firm. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab and net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage. Web: www.gtlaw.com.