Sheppard Mullin Lands Seven-Attorney Real Estate Group In New York
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce seven attorneys have joined the firm’s Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental practice group in New York from Venable LLP. Among the group joining are partners Peter G. Koffler, formerly chair of Venable’s New York Real Estate practice group and vice chair of the firm’s national practice, Brian N. Gurtman and Ross A. Honig; special counsel Julia Geykhman, Robert J. Gorzelany and Lee Weiss; and associate Jared Wachtler.
"We enthusiastically welcome Peter, Brian and Ross and their team to the firm," said Guy N. Halgren, chairman of Sheppard Mullin." The firm has a leading real estate practice nationally, and this group significantly enhances our capabilities in New York and nationwide. These highly accomplished attorneys have worked on numerous high-profile, multi-state deals and counsel some of the leading investment management firms in real estate matters. The firm and our clients will benefit greatly from their addition."
Real Estate practice group leader Nancy Scull added, "This turnkey group brings outstanding East Coast real estate credentials to our firm. Their complex commercial real estate experience involving signature acquisitions, sales, leases, development and finance transactions is an ideal complement to Sheppard Mullin’s leading real estate practice."
"Sheppard Mullin’s highly regarded real estate practice has an outstanding reputation and a deep bench of talent," commented Koffler, who will lead the group in New York. "We were extremely excited by the opportunity of expanding the firm’s Real Estate practice in New York. Sheppard Mullin’s global footprint provides an incredible platform to serve our clients, and this strategic move is the perfect fit for us."
Peter G. Koffler
Koffler has more than 30 years of broad-based transactional real estate experience, working on complex and high-profile matters in New York City and nationally. His diverse practice focuses on all areas of sophisticated commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, sales, leasing, sale/leaseback transactions, construction/development, and financings. He frequently advises on complex transactions involving a wide variety of property types including office, multi-family, retail, hospitality and mixed-use properties. His clients include domestic and foreign commercial developers, owners, and operators, as well as several “non-real estate” companies with significant real estate holdings, such as insurance companies, commercial and private banks, mining companies, and pension funds. He works extensively with the structuring and negotiation of complex multi-tier joint ventures, representing the developer/operator partner and the capital partner and/or preferred equity holders. Koffler received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Boston University.
Brian N. Gurtman
Gurtman’s real estate practice is grounded in nearly 20 years of work in the New York City real estate market. He has advised his clients in varying economic situations and guided them in their needs and decisions regarding all aspects of real estate finance, development, acquisition, sales and leasing, and land use matters. Gurtman has also counseled clients with complicated corporate, partnership, and limited liability company transactions involving real estate companies and real estate joint ventures and debt and equity financings. His clients include investors, developers, lenders and owners with real estate transaction needs in New York as well as throughout the United States and the world. His clients also include buyers and sellers of commercial properties, including residential, retail, industrial and office projects. Gurtman received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and a B.S., cum laude, from Yeshiva University.
Ross A. Honig
For nearly three decades, Honig has advised clients on all types of complex real estate transactions throughout the United States with a primary focus on real estate finance. He regularly represents financial institutions, public and private commercial lenders, sellers, and purchasers in real estate transactions, including financings, acquisitions and dispositions. He has particular experience representing commercial mortgage lenders intending to include loans in commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) transactions. In addition to numerous fixed-rate and other permanent loan transactions, he has advised his clients on construction, bridge, and mezzanine loan transactions secured by all asset classes of properties. He has also counseled clients in mortgage loan purchase and sale agreements, as well as loan participations, syndications, and intercreditor agreements. Additionally, Honig advises lending clients on workouts and restructuring of defaulted and non-performing loans. Honig received his J.D. from the Boston University School of Law and a B.A., cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany.
Sheppard Mullin has 100 attorneys based in its New York office. With more than 90 attorneys, Sheppard Mullin’s Real Estate practice has one of the largest, most diverse and experienced real estate and land use practices of any AmLaw 100 firm. The practice and individual practitioners are consistently ranked by Chambers USA and Legal 500 US.