John focuses his practice in the area of real estate finance, concentrating on securitized commercial real estate loans, affiliated debt products, structured finance, and resolution of non-performing or sub-performing real estate assets.  More specifically, John has extensive experience with REMIC regulations and their impact on commercial mortgage origination and servicing, commercial mortgage loan servicing, including servicing publicly traded CMBS trusts, as well as legal risk management in entrepreneurial and developing businesses. 

Prior to joining Sutherland, John was Vice President and Associate Counsel for GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation, where he was responsible for legal representation for various GMAC subsidiaries involved in commercial mortgage origination, servicing, brokering and resolution.  John was also responsible for the initial establishment and ongoing legal support for a financial services outsourcing operation in Hyderabad, India, and providing legal support to the GMAC mortgage operations in Tokyo, Japan.   Prior to the acquisition by GMAC of the assets of CapMark Services, L.P., John  was the Principal and Chief Legal Counsel of CapMark Services, L.P. and Chief Legal Counsel for CapMark’s predecessor, AMRESCO  Services, L.P.  In his role as Chief Legal Counsel for CapMark Services and AMRESCO Services, John was responsible for closing in excess of 75 commercial mortgage backed securities transactions representing the acquisition of approximately $80 billion in commercial mortgage servicing rights.

John is an active member of the Commercial Mortgage Securities Association and the Commercial Real Estate Finance Section of the Mortgage Bankers Association.