Real Estate Finance Lawyer Joins DLA

NEW YORK (January 14, 2013) – DLA Piper announced today that Joseph Philip Forte has joined the firm’s Real Estate practice as a partner in New York.

Forte is a renowned practitioner in the area of complex real estate finance, focusing on the origination, workout and enforcement of portfolio and securitized mortgage loans. His experience includes permanent, bridge and construction mortgage lending, co-lending and participation agreements, loan sales and purchases, loan workouts, foreclosures and restructurings. He regularly advises lenders on mortgage banking, licensing, investment authority and capital markets issues.

“Joe is one of the leading CMBS lawyers in the country and will be a significant addition to our already strong national real estate finance practice at DLA Piper,” said Roger Meltzer, US co-chair of the firm and global chair of its Corporate and Finance Practice. “Joe’s counsel is highly sought after throughout the industry, and we are confident that our clients will benefit from his depth of experience in this increasingly complex sector of the market.”

“Joe has been at the forefront of many major innovations in the real estate finance industry,” said Jay Epstien, co-chair of DLA Piper’s Global Real Estate practice and chair of the firm’s US Real Estate Practice. “His deep market knowledge and experience make him well positioned to provide top-tier counsel to our clients, and his addition will enhance our robust real estate platform in New York and around the world and also build upon our significant global finance presence.”

Prior to joining DLA Piper, Forte served as a partner in the Global Finance & Debt Products Group at Alston + Bird LLP. He is a governor and past president of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council; an active fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and American College of Mortgage Attorneys; a member of the Anglo-American Real Property Institute; and a member of The Real Estate Roundtable’s Real Estate Capital Policy Advisory Committee. He is a frequent speaker on real estate finance issues. Forte received his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and his B.A. from St. Francis College.

DLA Piper’s Real Estate practice is the world’s top-ranked by leading industry research firms and the world’s largest, with more than 500 lawyers, including 175 in the US. Handling some of the most complex, high-profile real estate transactions, DLA Piper provides a full range of real estate services, including acquisitions and dispositions, construction, financing, land use and development, leasing, environmental, insurance, tax, litigation, restructurings and workouts.

About DLA Piper

DLA Piper is a global law firm with 4,200 lawyers located in more than 30 countries throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, positioning it to help companies with their legal needs anywhere in the world. In certain jurisdictions, this information may be considered attorney advertising.