K&L Gates Expands Finance Practice with Raleigh Partner Addition

Raleigh - Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Nicholle Allen-Steele as a partner in the finance practice. She joins the firm’s Raleigh office from Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP.

Allen-Steele focuses her practice on real estate finance and development matters, representing commercial real estate developers, telecommunications companies, developers of renewal energy facilities, institutional lenders, and finance companies on matters including acquisitions and sales, commercial development, and financing. She also counsels clients on the various aspects of the wireless infrastructure industry, including advising tower companies, site acquisition companies, surveyors, and title companies, as well as representing infrastructure companies on the negotiation of infrastructure agreements. Allen-Steele also has experience advising on the origination of commercial construction and permanent real estate loans, securitized loans, asset-based loans, negotiating, and documenting. 

She is a member of the Commercial Law Section of the National Bar Association; the Wake County Real Property Lawyers Association; Triangle Commercial Real Estate Women; Urban Land Institute; and the International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. She is also an adjunct professor at NC State University’s SKEMA Business School. 

Stacy Ackermann, co-leader of K&L Gates’ finance practice area, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Nicholle to K&L Gates, where her real estate finance knowledge and experience will be of great benefit to the firm and our clients. Her addition allows us to continue expanding the type of real estate finance offerings for both current and future clients in the Carolinas and across our global platform.”

Allen-Steele’s arrival closely follows the addition of public companies partner Julie Rizzo to the Raleigh office last month. She joins a number of other finance partners arriving at the firm in the past year, including Eugene Yeung in Hong Kong, Marisa Murillo in Chicago, and Richard Hayes in Sydney, as well as restructuring and insolvency partners Brian Kilmer in Houston and Julien de Michele in Paris. They are among the more than 95 partners and of counsel the firm has welcomed since the beginning of 2020.

“Nicholle has been a significant force in our legal community for some time and it is a true honor for her to now be one of my partners,” said A. Lee Hogewood, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Raleigh office. “We are delighted that she has joined K&L Gates, and anticipate a significant expansion of her practice in the Carolinas and across our global firm. Nicholle also brings a wealth of experiences that will enrich our office and our firm immeasurably.” 

K&L Gates’ global finance practice integrates the many disciplines involved in financing and restructuring transactions across markets and industries across the globe. With lawyers in offices across Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America, the practice maintains a balance between buy-side and sell-side representation and represents lenders, borrowers, servicers, collateral managers, trustees, rating agencies, investors, and other participants in a wide array of financing transactions.