Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP (K&L Gates) welcomes partner Andrew Petersen to the firm’s banking and finance group. Petersen will be joined by two associates. All three join the firm from Dechert LLP.

Petersen focuses his practice on real estate financing, advising lenders on secured and structured domestic and international debt, including corporate restructuring. He has experience in both U.S. and European secondary loan markets, acting for high-yield investors purchasing subordinated CMBS pieces, loan tranches, notes and mezzanine loans. His experience also includes acting for loan originators advising on CMBS origination through to securitization.

Tony Griffiths, K&L Gates’ London Administrative Partner, said: “Securitisation and structured finance is a complementary discipline to our existing strengths in finance and real estate. To recruit Andrew, who has published the leading work on European CMBS, is a tremendous step forward for our banking and finance group in London and worldwide and will enhance the firm's fast-growing securitisation, structured finance and banking capabilities.”

The hiring of Petersen’s team follows the September 2006 addition of Trevor Beadle, who also joined K&L Gates from Dechert.