Baker & McKenzie Adds Real Estate Partner to Securitization Team in New York

New York, NY, April 23, 2003 - Baker & McKenzie announced today that James L. Gregory III has joined the Firm's New York office as a Partner and will focus on commercial real estate finance transactions, originated primarily for various securitization programs.

Mr. Gregory specializes in the representation of institutional lenders in connection with a large range of financings, including multi-state, multi-property loans, cross-collateralized loans and loans for various types of commercial properties, such as commercial buildings, hotels, nursing homes and retail shopping centers.

Mr. Gregory joins a growing securitization team in Baker & McKenzie's New York office, led by Partners Dick Rudder and David Wolin who joined the Firm in 2001 along with Boris Ziser and Gilbert Liu. Ziser and Liu were appointed Baker & McKenzie partners in January 2003. The securitization practice represents investment banking, commercial banking and corporate clients in a broad range of securitization transactions, specializing in cutting edge transactions and including commercial mortgage and asset-backed securitization transactions.

"Jim will work with our prominent securitization team in New York to facilitate our clients' needs in accessing capital markets locally and in other leading financial centers around the world. His addition complements the Global Banking & Finance Group in the areas of structured financing and commercial real estate transactions and we're thrilled to welcome him to the Firm as we continue to pursue talent of his calibre strategically in our New York office," said John Conroy, Chair of Baker & McKenzie's Global Banking & Finance Practice Group and the Firm's U.S. Managing Partner.

Mr. Gregory has represented investment banks, commercial banks and institutional investors in all phases of sophisticated real estate finance, including mortgage originations, multi-state financings, mortgage and asset portfolio purchases and sales, and has had direct involvement with secondary market lending and the securitization process, including interaction with rating agencies, investors and servicers. He is a graduate of New York Law School, magna cum laude, and was an Executive Editor of the New York Law School Law Review. Previously, he was a member of the real estate practice group at Thacher, Proffitt & Wood since 1991.

The New York office of Baker & McKenzie services the legal needs of its clients in both domestic and international aspects of commercial, corporate and securities, banking and finance, insurance and reinsurance, major projects, intellectual property and tax matters. Baker & McKenzie's Global Banking and Finance Practice Group offers a full spectrum of banking and financial services to clients, including in the areas of lending, structured finance and securitizations, off-balance sheet transactions, project finance, capital markets transactions, regulatory advice, global custody, swaps and derivatives, and debt restructuring and workouts.