Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP is pleased to announce that it has appointed Beau Baker and Samuel Zylberberg as co-chairs of the Real Estate Finance Practice . The new appointments showcase the group's commitment to continued growth and enhanced client services nationwide.

"Since joining the firm, both Beau and Sam have demonstrated dedication to their practice, the firm, and the community at-large," said Real Estate Practice Group Chair Eric Rapkin. "Their extensive experience in real estate finance will allow us to further expand upon the offerings we provide to our clients, and their combined leadership will help guide our successful national Real Estate Finance Practice forward."

Beau Baker, Co-Chair of the Real Estate Finance Practice, focuses his practice on real estate capital markets, securitizations, financial services, structured and commercial finance, creditors’ rights, loan portfolio management and servicing, and financial restructuring. He represents traditional and non-traditional lenders in a variety of transactions including warehouse/repo lending facilities, secondary market portfolio and single asset loan sales/acquisitions, joint venture and preferred equity investments, and bank and non-bank mezzanine, bridge, CMBS and life insurance company loan originations. In connection with these originations, Baker oversees the servicing, portfolio management, workout, and related functions and makes it his goal to nurture his client’s valuable relationships with each borrower group.

His significant work includes:

• Representing numerous Wall Street banks in CRE warehouse/repo financing facilities in over 300 transactions with a value of approximately $20 billion.
• Representing one of the nation’s leading private debt funds based in California in the buildout of two lending platforms (one bridge CLO and one CMBS) with a total transaction value of approximately $15 billion and ongoing loan portfolio maintenance work related to the lending platforms.
• Representing a New York based institutional asset manager in loan portfolio/single asset loan acquisitions, strategic debt fund mergers and programmatic JV/preferred equity investments in over 85 transactions with a value of approximately $8 billion.
• Representing an Atlanta based real estate fund in the acquisition and financing of 100 triple net lease properties located in 20 states with a total transaction value of approximately $1.3 billion.

Samuel Zylberberg, Co-Chair of the Real Estate Finance Practice, has more than three decades of national experience in a broad range of real estate transactions. Zylberberg is a leading authority in the representation of financial institutions, private equity funds and real estate investors in real estate financing transactions (including balance sheet, CMBS, mezzanine, preferred equity, construction, multi-asset and multi-state loans), debt restructurings, and joint ventures. He also regularly advises purchasers and sellers in single-asset and multi-asset acquisitions and dispositions of a wide range of commercial properties.

His significant work includes:

• Representing Brookfield Asset Management, Fortress Investment Group, Morgan Stanley, Atalaya Capital Management, Citi and Goldman Sachs, among others, in many billions of dollars of financing (and workout/restructures).
• Representing Atalaya Capital Management in numerous transactions including its construction financing (as lender) and preferred equity investment in a joint venture to construct the flagship Ritz Carlton Hotel in Manhattan.
• Representing Fortress in numerous transactions including in its refinancing (as lender) of a residential/retail tower overlooking Central Park, New York, which will be the tallest residential tower in the United States.

About Akerman

Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized among the most forward-thinking firms in the industry by Financial Times. Its more than 700 lawyers and business professionals collaborate with the world’s most successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and help drive innovation and growth.

Akerman’s national Real Estate Finance Practice represents lenders and borrowers in a broad range of complex real estate financing transactions. The team, which includes former in-house counsel from major multinational banks, is consistently recognized by U.S. News – Best Lawyers, The Legal 500, and Law360 as a national leader in the real estate sector. Akerman represents a number of the nation’s largest financial institutions, institutional investors, investment banks, banking associations, life insurance companies, and developers in a variety of domestic and international matters, from the most sophisticated capital market transactions, to workouts and bankruptcies, to more traditional conventional financings.