Addition of Krooth & Altman team creates 200+ lawyer firm offering clients full scope of regional and national finance and real estate services
Miles & Stockbridge, an Am Law 200 firm with offices in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and New York, announced today that it has successfully completed its merger with Krooth & Altman, a preeminent real estate finance law firm in Washington. The merger closed and became effective Dec. 31, 2024.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Krooth & Altman team to Miles & Stockbridge,” said Nancy W. Greene, chairman, president and CEO of Miles & Stockbridge and a real estate finance lawyer. “While the deal was just finalized a few days ago, our integration efforts began much earlier, and we’re already operating in many ways as the stronger, combined firm we are setting out to be. This collaboration enhances our ability to offer an exceptional, full-service finance and real estate practice for our clients and professionals.”
As part of this combination, Miles & Stockbridge launched The Krooth & Altman GSE and HUD Team at Miles & Stockbridge. This national real estate finance team will continue to specialize in financings involving loans originated through programs of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSE), such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“Our merger opens up resources and access for both firms’ finance and real estate clients,” said Melissa A. Johnson, a principal at Miles & Stockbridge and former Krooth & Altman management committee member. “Clients now have access under one roof to this niche experience, a full breadth of finance and real estate legal services and the related practices and resources often needed by clients, including tax, environmental, health care, litigation and bankruptcy. In addition, The Krooth & Altman Team’s construction loan and bridge loan lender representation will be greatly enhanced by Miles & Stockbridge’s core competency in these areas.”
The combined firm has 218 lawyers and approximately 400 total colleagues, including all 31 lawyers and the entire staff from Krooth & Altman. Miles & Stockbridge welcomed all of Krooth & Altman’s partners, including its management committee of Melissa A. Johnson, Sameer Upadhya, David A. Barsky and Jon I. Opert. In addition, 20 paralegals and administrative staff members joined the firm. The lawyers from Krooth & Altman will continue to practice in their current office at 1850 M St. NW in Washington.
Krooth & Altman was founded in 1947 by David Krooth and Norman Altman and was one of the first law firms in the country specializing in legal services relating to the then newly enacted federal programs for supporting housing nationwide.
As a result of the merger, Miles & Stockbridge’s Finance and Real Estate practice has grown to more than 80 lawyers, who cover the full scope of sophisticated real estate representation needed by financial institutions, property owners, commercial developers and national corporate tenants.
“We have closed the books on another very strong year at Miles & Stockbridge and taken another important and exciting step toward the creation of a midsize powerhouse law firm,” said Greene. “Together, we will create new opportunities for our clients and our colleagues and open doors for continued, strategic growth. We are excited to collaborate on future expansion in 2025 by building even deeper benches in finance, government contracts, health care, corporate and litigation, especially in the Washington, Richmond and New York legal markets.”
The merger follows on the heels of Miles & Stockbridge’s May expansion into New York with the opening of a Midtown Manhattan office and 2023 growth news in Richmond, Virginia, including an office expansion — moving into an 11,000-square-foot space in downtown Richmond that more than doubled the firm’s previous office footprint.
About Miles & Stockbridge
Miles & Stockbridge is an Am Law 200 law firm with more than 200 lawyers and offices across Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and New York. The firm’s lawyers help global, national, local and emerging business clients preserve and create value by helping them solve their most challenging problems. The firm, with a highly diversified client base, boasts 12 Chambers-ranked practices including Real Estate, Healthcare and REITs. For more information, please visit the firm’s website, read the news release announcing the merger and follow Miles & Stockbridge on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.
About The Krooth & Altman Team at Miles & Stockbridge
Miles & Stockbridge launched The Krooth & Altman GSE and HUD Team at Miles & Stockbridge with the closing of the firms’ merger on Dec. 31, 2024. This national real estate finance team continues to specialize in financings involving loans originated through programs of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSE), such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and federal agencies, such as the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The lawyers in this highly regarded national real estate finance practice focus on multifamily housing GSE and HUD-approved lender representation with many notable niche areas of expertise, including health care financing and skilled nursing care facilities, affordable housing, taxable and tax-exempt financings, student housing, manufactured housing and DST transactions. They also regularly represent clients on multifamily construction loans and bridge loans. The Team is widely recognized as a “go to” practice by a wide array of prominent banks, mortgage bankers, developers and investors in real estate and mortgage finance activities. For more information, please visit the Team page.
