Atlanta (September 7, 2021) – Howard Hirsch, whose experience includes serving as General Counsel at a large investment management firm that sponsors public and private real estate companies, has joined the Real Estate Capital Markets Group at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP.
Hirsch has closed billions of dollars of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) deals throughout his 20+ year career. He spent more than seven years with Griffin Capital Company and its affiliates, most recently as General Counsel of Griffin Capital and previously as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary to the Board of Directors of Griffin Realty Trust, Inc., a public REIT based in Los Angeles, California. He joins MMM as Of Counsel.
Hirsch has known RECM Group Chair Lauren Prevost and Partner Seth Weiner for years. “That was a big selling point – to work with people I know well and who reflect my values,” Hirsch said. “MMM’s Real Estate Capital Markets Practice reflects my business-first approach. We’re not doing our clients justice if we’re not thinking like a business owner. I know from working with the MMM team on previous deals that they provide that kind of service and advice.”
“Howard is well-known within the REIT and alternative investments industries,” Prevost said. “He’s held prominent leadership positions in industry groups and he’s a frequent speaker at industry conferences - and he’s a great guy to boot. When we heard he was interested in returning to Atlanta, Seth and I immediately got to work to convince Howard that MMM is the best place for him to continue to practice law.”
“Bringing on someone with Howard’s talent is great for the firm,” Weiner added. “He’s a thoughtful, intelligent lawyer and a genuinely good person. He knows everyone in this industry and he’s going to be extremely valuable for expanding our client base. We enjoyed working with him in the past and look forward to collaborating with him on a daily basis.”
As an executive team member with Griffin, Hirsch was heavily involved in Griffin’s business decisions. He also oversaw legal matters related to corporate operations, governance, securities, compliance, employment and intellectual property matters for Griffin and many of Griffin’s sponsored public and private affiliates.
“Howard was a critical piece to Griffin Capital’s amazing growth over the last seven years,” concluded Griffin Capital Chairman & CEO Kevin Shields. “While we hate to see him go, we are excited he has the opportunity to return home to Atlanta and be a part of such a well-respected firm in our industry. We look forward to continuing to have Howard represent us in an external capacity.”
About Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Morris, Manning & Martin (www.mmmlaw.com) is an Am Law 200 law firm with national and international reach. We dedicate ourselves to the constant pursuit of our clients’ success. To provide our clients with optimal value, we combine market-leading legal services with a total understanding of their needs to maximize effectiveness, efficiency and opportunity. MMM enjoys national prominence for its real estate, corporate, litigation, technology, healthcare, intellectual property, capital markets, environmental, international trade, and insurance practices. MMM has offices in Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Savannah and Washington, D.C.
