Carlton Fields Adds Three Attorneys to Atlanta Office

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

Carlton Fields recently announced that it has added three attorneys in its Atlanta office in the firm’s Real Estate and Finance practice.

Robert Barnes, Lee Lyman and Marci Schmerler will strengthens the firm’s existing team with their breadth of experience in real estate, finance and capital market matters.

  

What

Where

Search Jobs

Wayne Shortridge, Carlton Fields’ Atlanta Office Managing Shareholder was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “I am very pleased that we continue to attract lawyers with the reputations and experiences of Marci, Lee and Bob. Their joining our Atlanta office enhances our Real Estate practice and presence nationally, and we look forward to practicing with them as our Atlanta office continues to grow.”

Ed Lester, the head of Carlton Fields’ Real Estate and Finance Practice Group, was quoted as saying: “We are excited to be growing our practice in Atlanta. The addition of Marci, Lee and Bob to our existing group of lawyers gives us the ideal opportunity to serve and expand our collective relationships.”

Barnes has vast experience in CMBS lending and in matters regarding mezzanine loans, equity investments, borrowing entity structures, defeasance, asset management, loan workouts, and real estate leasing and sales. Before joining Carlton Fields, he served as Managing Director at Cantor Fitzgerald and as General Counsel at Column Financial, Inc., a Credit Suisse company. Barnes received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Duke University and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Lyman is experienced in structuring equity and debt financing for the acquisition, sale, development and construction of multi-state real estate projects; asset management; restructuring; entity formation; and joint ventures and strategic alliances. She also practices in the firm’s Corporate, Securities and Tax practice group. Before joining Carlton Fields, she was counsel at Thompson Hine LLP . Lyman received her B.S. from Florida State University, M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, J.D. from Duke University School of Law and an MCRP from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Schmerler also joins Carlton Fields from Thompson Hine LLP, where she was a partner and head of the firm’s Atlanta real estate practice. At Carlton Fields, Schmerler’s practice focuses on secured and structured financing and acquisition, sale and asset management and leasing of multi-state real estate projects for REITS, portfolio and securitized lenders, banks, life companies, pension funds, and specialty finance funds. She is also experienced in structuring and negotiating joint ventures, handling master and special servicing transactions like workouts and foreclosures, and the set up and management of commercial loan conduit programs for conduit lenders. Schmerler received her B.A. and B.S., both cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania and her J.D., cum laude, from Temple University.

Also per the press release, Barnes, Lyman and Schmerler said that they were impressed by the strength of Carlton Fields’ attorneys and its real estate and finance platform, which encompasses all aspects of distressed debt resolution, real property and whole loan acquisitions, capital markets, development, financing and leasing, as well as asset-based financing and equipment leasing. At the moment, the firm has an estimated 90 lawyers practicing in these areas.

The firm’s Atlanta office especially, as well as the firm in general, are focused on assisting clients with distressed debt and problem loan workouts. The addition of these three attorneys adds to the firm’s robust distressed debt and workout practice as well as engagements relating to the re-emergence of the CMBS origination market.

Greg Null, a Real Estate Shareholder in the firm’s Atlanta office was quoted as saying: “We are pleased that our clients have asked us to play an integral role in helping them navigate this distressed real estate cycle. The talents and experiences of Marci, Lee and Bob give us a great opportunity to continue to meet the needs of our clients and provide creative solutions, wherever they may be on economic cycle, and to grow with them as the economy rebounds.”