Affordable Housing Attorney Gary Downs '85 Joins Nixon Peabody as Partner

September 14, 2010

September 14, 2010, Greencastle, Ind. — Gary P. Downs, a 1985 graduate of DePauw University, has joined the international law firm of Nixon Peabody as partner.  Downs will be based in the San Francisco office and will work within the firm's regulatory & real estate department. He comes to the new post from Pillsbury Winthrop LLP, where he was leader of that firm's public finance practice and co-head of the affordable housing practice.

"With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, Gary has earned the deserved reputation as a ‘go-to' attorney in the affordable housing industry," says Stephen J. Wallace, leader of Nixon Peabody's affordable housing practice. "His arrival significantly expands our affordable housing practice on the West Coast."

An announcement notes, "Downs focuses his practice on affordable housing and commercial real estate. He has a broad range of experience in capital market and real estate transactions, which includes municipal finance matters such as general obligation, community facilities district, assessment district, single and multifamily, industrial development, tax allocation, and certificate of participation issues. Mr. Downs' real estate practice includes tax, joint venture, public-private partnerships, acquisition and disposition, land use, regulatory work, and complex financings. He is active in both HUD and rural housing development transactions."

"With the addition of a talented practitioner such as Gary, we are better able to service our clients' changing needs from the West Coast, especially in the affordable housing and commercial real estate industries," states Paul E. Schrier, real estate & community development partner and managing partner of the firm's San Francisco office. "Gary is a well-respected colleague and will be a tremendous addition to the team."

After receiving a B.A. in history, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from DePauw, Downs earned his J.D. from the University of California's Hastings College of Law.

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