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I have been an attorney at HCMP since 1982, having arrived in Seattle from the boom town of Buffalo, N.Y., following law school and college on the east coast. As dictated by the then prevailing real estate environment, I spent my first seven years dealing primarily with workout and bankruptcy matters. As the real estate sector of the economy improved, I shifted to transactional work, mostly financing transactions and loan syndications. I have found that, working through some troubled times has given me a great perspective on what's really important when "push comes to shove" in a transaction. My early experience has also proved to be a true resource in handling the restructuring and workout of troubled loans and in advising clients in creating effective strategies for realizing on their security should a loan turn sour. I regularly advise our clients, including a number of financial institutions, in lending, real estate, and related debtor-creditor matters, and supervise attorneys and paralegals providing assistance in the full spectrum of lender services.
In addition to almost 30 years of experience assisting our clients in addressing their legal concerns, I have spent considerable time working with industry and trade groups in ways that have helped me gain a broader perspective on the issues my clients face on a daily basis. Those in the lending industry have even shown enough confidence in my judgment to elect me President of the Seattle Mortgage Bankers Association and an Associate Director of the Washington Mortgage Lenders Association, and I continue to be involved with both organizations on an ongoing basis as Chair of their joint legal-legislative committee.
In September of 2012 I was appointed President (effectively Managing Partner) of our firm.
Representative Matters
- I have worked with a number of lender clients to develop efficient and cost-effective documentation for a wide range of lending activities from individual residential transactions to large commercial projects, have worked through the most complicated of real estate and C & I financings, and have assisted clients with complex troubled loans ranging from large multi-state residential construction workouts to the restructuring of downtown commercial and multi-family project financings. I take pride in my ability to "get the deal done" by working efficiently and in a cooperative manner with all of the parties to a transaction.
- As the economy made its negative turn, I found myself excellently positioned to work through some of the most complex troubled loan scenarios:
- Worked with client to restructure and fully secure a loan portfolio involving over 150 construction loans with a single borrower.
- Assisted numerous lender clients with foreclosures and deeds in lieu involving large development and construction projects where our firm’s strong land use background helped avoid hidden pitfalls.
- Assisted client in assuming lead lender control of large participated development loan funded under warehouse line and shepherded client and non-institutional participants through foreclosure and development process.
- Acted as lead counsel for a borrower group comprised of numerous medical practices in connection with a refinancing of a medical office building requiring management of a host of issues and parties having quite disparate perspectives on the transaction.
- Worked with lender clients as their lending portfolios have grown nationwide and assisting them to function consistently, efficiently, and effectively in each different jurisdiction.
Professional and Civic Involvement
- King County Bar Association (Real Property and Bankruptcy Sections)
- Washington State Bar Association (Real Property and Creditor-Debtor Sections)
- Washington Mortgage Lenders Association; Associate Director.
- Washington Mortgage Lenders Association/Seattle Mortgage Bankers Association; Current Chairperson, Legal/Legislative Committee
- St. Joseph Parish - Lector, Soccer Coach, Choir Member, Homeless Shelter Volunteer.
- St. Joseph School Commission - Commission Member, 2004-2009.
- Seattle Mortgage Bankers Association, Director, 1992, 1995 to 2000; President, 1998-1999.
- Habitat for Humanity Seattle/South King County; Immediate Past President and Board Member.
Articles and Presentations
- Speaker, "Can't We All Just Get Along? The Impact of Master Community Developer Covenants on Builder Financing," Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson, P.S., June 2003.
- Speaker, Ninth Annual WSBA Fall Real Estate Conference, Washington State Bar Association, December 2002.
- Speaker, 9th Annual Real Estate Institute, King County Bar Association, December 2001. Speaker, "Real Estate Financing: The Forms and Formulas for Successful Transactions," Washington State Bar Association, March 2001.
- Chair and Panel Member, "Drafting and Foreclosing Deeds of Trust After the Amendments to the Deed of Trust Act," Washington State Bar Association, October 1998.
Honors/Awards/Unique Recognition
- Chairperson of the Legal Legislative Committee of the Washington Mortgage Lender's Association and Seattle Mortgage Bankers Association, initiating and promoting legislation amending the Deed of Trust Act, which legislation was enacted in 1998, simplifying many aspects of the foreclosure process and clarifying the rights of lenders against guarantors following nonjudicial foreclosure.
- Recognized as a member of "Who's Who in Land Use, Real Estate, and Environmental Law" by Washington Law & Politics
- AV Rating - Martindale-Hubble
Education
- J.D., Harvard Law School, cum laude, 1982
- B.A., Yale University, summa cum laude, 1979
Bar/Court Admissions
- Washington State Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington
Personal
- I love reading, singing, soccer (as a coach, spectator and player), and baseball (as a spectator). As a consequence of our firm's sabbatical program, I have had the opportunity to travel extensively with my wife and three children and continue to take joy from the memories. I take pride in staying involved in my community through numerous volunteer activities, from coaching youth soccer, to spending a night a month overseeing a homeless shelter, to working through Habitat for Humanity helping to build an entire village outside Phnom Penh for people currently living in a dump/landfill.