Thompson & Knight Boosts Real Estate Capital Markets Practice in New York

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to announce the addition of William M. O'Connor and Evelyn H. Seeler as Partners in the Firm's New York office. Both attorneys serve clients in the Real Estate Capital Markets sector, as well as handling restructuring and bankruptcy matters.

Mr. O'Connor most recently served as chairman of the financial services practice at Crowell & Moring LLP in New York, where he directed a team representing leading financial institutions, special servicers, hedge funds, and real estate opportunity funds. He is a nationally recognized leader in the special servicing of commercial mortgage backed securities and related aspects of loan workouts. Mr. O'Connor is a founding member and chairman of the High Yield Debt and Investment Forum at CREFC, the leading industry trade association for the commercial real estate finance industry.

Ms. Seeler also joins the Firm from Crowell & Moring, where she has represented Wall Street institutions, national and regional banking institutions, and hedge funds for more than 20 years. Her practice focuses on federal and state regulatory issues involving residential and commercial lenders, with particular emphasis on purchasers in the secondary mortgage market. She also has represented the FDIC and the SBA in their receivership capacities.

"We believe the addition of Bill and Evelyn firmly positions Thompson & Knight as a national leader in serving real estate capital markets clients and adds additional expertise to our New York office," says Jeff Zlotky, Managing Partner of the Firm. "We know them well and have several clients in common, and now have an opportunity to broaden our representation of those institutions as well as other clients in this complex and challenging area of practice."

Mr. O'Connor obtained his law degree from Fordham University, where he was articles editor of the Fordham International Law Journal and a member of the Jessup International Moot Court Team. He earned his undergraduate degree from Fordham.  An elected councilman of the Town of Pelham, N.Y., he is a member of the Creditors' Rights Committee of the New York State Bar Association's Commercial and Federal Litigation Section. Mr. O'Connor is a member of the professional ethics committee of the Westchester Bar Association and previously served as editor-in-chief of the Westchester Bar Journal. He also serves as a board member for the Galway University Foundation

Ms. Seeler earned her law degree from St. John's University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond. She is a former member of the Committee for the Provision of Legal Services for Persons of Moderate Means and a former co-chair of the Monday Night Legal Advisory Workshop of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

About Thompson & Knight

Established in 1887, Thompson & Knight is a full-service firm providing legal solutions to public and private companies, governments, and individuals in all areas, including real estate, commercial and tort litigation, finance, banking, securities, mergers and acquisitions, taxation, intellectual property, corporate governance, creditors' rights, labor, white collar defense, and environmental matters, among others. Thompson & Knight has approximately 350 attorneys with offices in Texas and New York and international offices and associations in the Americas, North Africa, and Europe.

For additional information:
Becky S. Jackson
Chief Client Services Officer
214.969.1478

SOURCE Thompson & Knight