| Biography | Michael R. Leighton, a Member of the Sills Cummis & Gross Real Estate Department, concentrates his practice on real estate finance including loan workouts and distressed loan purchases. His practice includes counseling real estate developers, hedge funds, real estate investment trusts, lenders, insurance companies, securities dealers, investment advisors and syndicators. He has regularly represented national and publicly held companies in the purchase of real estate across the country, as well as investors funding projects internationally. Mr. Leighton has received an AV Peer Review Rating, the highest rating, for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability by Martindale-Hubbell®.* He has been selected for inclusion in the 2007-2012 editions of The Best Lawyers in America®* published by Woodward-White under Real Estate Law and the 2008-2011 editions of New Jersey Super Lawyers®* published by Thompson Reuters under Real Estate, Business/Corporate and Securities & Corporate Finance. He was also named to Real Estate Weekly's®* 2008 All Stars and was included in 201 Magazine's®* list of Top Lawyers in Bergen County for 2011. Mr. Leighton previously served as Co-Chair of the Real Estate Department of a major New Jersey law firm. Prior to that, he was an associate at Schulte Roth & Zabel. *For ranking methodologies, please see www.martindale.com, www.bestlawyers.com, www.superlawyers.com, www.rew-online.com and www.bergen.com. Representative Transactions o Representation of a borrower in a $300,000,000 note on note financing from a European bank. o Representation of a hedge fund in an $89,000,000 purchase of a discounted note secured by a Florida resort. o Representation of one of the nation's leading private lenders in the funding of national and international loans totaling in excess of $1,000,000,000. o Representation of a Chinese government owned bank in connection with a construction mortgage loan of $1,000,000,000 to be secured by an Atlantic City hotel and resort. o Representation of a hedge fund in the $75,000,000 acquisition of a Hudson River condominium complex. Affiliations Member, New York State Bar Association
- Real Property Law Section
- Committee on Real Estate Workouts and Bankruptcy Authored Articles 3/23/2009, Michael R. Leighton - Title Insurance: Protection or Unnecessary Expense Relevant Events 9/8/2011, Michael R. Leighton - New Jersey MultiFamily Summit 4/27/2011, Michael R. Leighton - Future of NJ's Urban Centers |