Law Firm Forms Capital Markets Lending Group

DETROIT-Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, a law firm based here, announcedMonday that James A. Simpson and Katheryne L. Zelenock will join the firm tolead the newly formed Capital Markets Lending Group within the firm’sCommercial Lending Practice.

Simpson and Zelenock return to the practice of law after founding andleading e-Cognita Technologies, a company that develops sophisticatedtransaction management and document automation software for commercialmortgage lenders, lawyers and other third parties involved in the loanclosing process.Prior to forming e-Cognita, Simpson and Zelenock had been heavily involvedin the commercial lending practice, representing large lenders and propertydevelopers across the country.

“Jim and Kathy’s rich experience in the commercial lending area, especiallystructuring lending programs, closing loans, and the sale, pooling andsecuritization of loans in the commercial mortgage backed securities arena,will help broaden our practice on a national basis,” said Steven Palms, amanaging director at Miller Canfield and leader of its Real Estate Group.

Two other professionals, Joseph Wener and Tad Green, who were also withe-Cognita, will join Miller Canfield with Simpson and Zelenock. Wener is anexperienced loan closing attorney who is admitted to practice in Michiganand in Ontario. Green has more than 15 years of experience incommercial mortgage loan servicing, most recently as vice president for CMBSLoan Servicing at Capmark Services LP in Atlanta.

Miller Canfield’s existing lending practice is a multidisciplinary team,including members from the Real Estate Industry Group (which includes morethan 30 attorneys), the Financial Institutions Practice Group, whichincludes approximately 25 attorneys, and its Public Law Group (comprised ofapproximately 50 attorneys). Members of the firm’s Environmental,Bankruptcy, Regulatory, Health Care, Tax, Intellectual Property andLitigation Groups also participate to permit representation on awide-ranging variety of commercial lending matters, as well as enforcementand workout activities.The firm’s representation of lenders includes banks, institutional lenders,finance companies, insurance companies, REIT’s and other lenders.