Dechert hired Laura Swihart as a partner in the finance and real estate practice and will be based in the firm’s New York office. Swihart was most recently a partner at Winton & Strawn.
Swihart has served as a underwriters and issuers counsel in the commercial real estate (CRE)space. She also recently acted as securitization counsel to Freddie Mac in connection with the GSE's multifamily CMBS program.
She has advised Freddie Mac and other lenders and investors as both seller and purchaser's counsel in regards to whole mortgage loans, participations, B-notes, mezzanine loans and other high-yield CRE financial assets.
Her experience includes the underwriting and issuing of assignments as well as the origination, purchase, sale and financing of financial assets and special situation and enforcement issues.
"We're excited to have Laura join our practice," said Richard Jones, co-chair of Dechert’s finance and real estate group. "She is an experienced and well-regarded structured finance partner in the commercial real estate finance market place, and as we are expanding our CMBS and structured finance capabilities to meet renewed market demand, she will make a huge contribution. She is very smart, a terrific person and fits extraordinarily well into the Dechert culture. We feel very privileged to have her join our team."
"I'm very excited about joining Dechert. I have many friends there and we have done business together for years," Swihart said. "Dechert's FRE platform is a market leading team and I am confident that I can meaningfully contribute to the ongoing growth and success of the Dechert team,"
