Powell Goldstein Expands in Charlotte

Law firm to actively recruit attorneys in Charlotte to grow North Carolina presence

ATLANTA, Dec. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Powell Goldstein LLP announced today that it has officially opened a Charlotte, North Carolina office with six new attorneys from firms in the Charlotte legal market. This follows Powell Goldstein's expansion last year into Dallas, Texas, another new market for the firm.

Geoffrey R. Maibohm, formerly of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP and Donald ("Donnie") E. Martin, formerly of Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman, LLP, join Powell Goldstein as partners in the new office. Associates Ralph Baldino, D. Scott Rudd and Daniel P. Zellers all come to Powell Goldstein from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, while John W. Oakes, II joined the firm earlier in the year from Alston & Bird LLP.

Powell Goldstein's new office will position the firm to expand its service to Charlotte-based clients and to pursue new opportunities in the Charlotte market. Powell Goldstein will increase its aggressive recruiting efforts in Charlotte, looking to fill its new office location in Suite 3700 at One Wachovia Center, 301 South College Street.

"Powell Goldstein has had a very strong year in 2007, and we are excited to establish a presence in such a dynamic and growing city as Charlotte. Establishing an office in Charlotte positions us for the future and further solidifies our relationship with some of our long-standing clients," said James J. McAlpin, Jr., Powell Goldstein chairman. "Powell Goldstein has one of the largest real estate groups in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S., and we are thrilled to welcome these six attorneys to our firm and our Real Estate and Capital Markets practices. The timing is perfect, and the team is exemplary. We look forward to leveraging their expertise and knowledge of the Charlotte market on behalf of our current and future clients."

The addition of Maibohm and Martin, along with the four newly hired associates, expands Powell Goldstein's existing Real Estate and Capital Markets Practice in the firm's Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Dallas offices. The firm's continued expansion with additional practice groups in the Charlotte office is expected in the near future.

"I am delighted to join a firm whose commitment to strategic growth and focus on client service are at its core. I am particularly excited about the growth of the Capital Markets team and the practice group's commitment to commercial loan servicing," said Geoffrey Maibohm.

"With the addition of Geoff and his team, we believe our Capital Markets Group will be in an excellent position to service the dynamic Charlotte market," added Keith Dunsmore, Capital Markets Practice Group Leader.

"Powell Goldstein's reputation and depth of experience in commercial real estate offer an incredible opportunity to fully entrench ourselves in Charlotte and surrounding markets. I look forward to working alongside the attorneys in the firm's other offices as well as continuing to develop client relationships in the Charlotte region," stated Donnie Martin.

Below are brief profiles of the newly hired attorneys:

Geoffrey R. Maibohm

Maibohm comes to Powell Goldstein from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, where he served as Special Counsel in the Capital Markets Group. He has extensive experience in all aspects of commercial mortgage-backed securities transactions. Throughout his career, he has represented issuers, underwriters, servicers, and subservicers, co-lenders and participants in loans.

Maibohm is a member of the State Bar of North Carolina and the State Bar of New York. He holds a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and was a member of the Syracuse Law Review. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Donnie E. Martin

Most recently, Martin served as a partner at Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman, LLP in Charlotte, where he focused on commercial real estate transactions and represented developers, landlords and tenants in all facets of real estate transactions, including office, mixed-use, residential and retail. Before starting his legal career, Martin practiced as a Certified Public Accountant in Kentucky and specialized in audits of financial and manufacturing corporations. Martin is a member of the State Bar of North Carolina and the State Bar of Kentucky as well as the American Bar Association, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law section. Martin holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky, where he graduated cum laude and was associate editor of the Kentucky Law Journal. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.

Ralph Baldino

Baldino joins Powell Goldstein from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. He is a member of the State Bar of New York and the State Bar of New Jersey.

John W. Oakes II

Oakes joined Powell Goldstein earlier in the year from Alston & Bird LLP. He is a member of the State Bar of North Carolina.

D. Scott Rudd

Rudd most recently practiced in the Capital Markets Group of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. He is a member of the State Bar of North Carolina.

Daniel P. Zellers

Zellers joins Powell Goldstein from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. He is a member of the State Bar of North Carolina.

Powell Goldstein LLP was established in 1909 and has nearly 300 attorneys who provide legal counsel to clients in a wide variety of practices from offices in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Dallas and Charlotte. For more information, visit www.pogolaw.com or call 404.572.6613.