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Thomas O'Connor is a partner in the Real Estate Group in the Firm's Business department. He serves as Chair of the Real Estate Group, Co-Chair of the Latin American Real Estate Group and Co-Chair of the Structured Real Estate Investments Group. Mr. O'Connor joined Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman LLP in 1997, which was merged into Cooley LLP in 2006. He is resident in the New York office.
Mr. O'Connor practices in the area of commercial real estate transactions with particular emphasis on real estate finance, acquisitions and sales. He has extensive experience with both the lender and borrower side of real estate lending (including the origination, workout and restructuring of real estate debt). He represents several major institutional lenders and borrowers in originating and restructuring mortgage and mezzanine financing and in structuring preferred equity investments.
In the 1990's, Mr. O'Connor represented several clients in acquiring approximately $2 billion of distressed loans from the Resolution Trust Corporation and restructuring such debt. As a result of such experience, since the current downturn in the market commenced, Mr. O'Connor has again become active in liquidation of distressed assets and in loan workouts and restructurings (including deed- in-lieu transactions) for both lenders and borrowers. Mr. O'Connor also has extensive experience representing clients in the acquisition of debt in the secondary market and the negotiation of complex co-lender, participation and intercreditor arrangements. Mr. O'Connor has represented several major institutions, including UBS, Arbor Realty Trust and Hypo Real Estate Capital Corporation with respect to large commercial real estate financing transactions.
In addition to representing lenders, Mr. O'Connor also represents the Caribbean Property Group, a major owner and developer of commercial real estate in the Caribbean. This includes borrower representation in large securitized and structured loans as well as representation in acquisitions involving complex foreign and local law issues and compliance.
In addition to real estate financing, Mr. O'Connor has represented several real estate equity funds in the acquisition and sale of commercial real estate. In connection with those transactions, he has assisted clients in forming real estate funds and in structuring their ownership and management interests through sophisticated joint venture arrangements.
Prior to joining Cooley, Mr. O'Connor worked in the real estate group of Weil Gotshal for eight years.
Mr. O'Connor earned his J.D. in 1989 from Touro College, where he was Valedictorian and editor of the Law Review. He graduated in 1979 from Clark University with a B.S. in History with honors.
Mr. O'Connor is a member of the British American Business, Inc. and a member of the New York Executive Council's Financial Services Advisory Board. Mr. O'Connor also frequently speaks at industry conferences including Information Management Networks's (IMN) Borrowers' & Investors' Forum on Real Estate Mezzanine Loans and US Real Estate Opportunity and Private Fund Investing Forum.
Mr. O'Connor is admitted to practice in New York.
Education- Touro College
JD, 1989 - Clark University
BS, 1979
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