Key Takeaways
- • Jones Day hired Tim Swearingen as a partner in its Real Estate Practice based in New York, bringing deep expertise in complex commercial real estate acquisitions, sales, development projects, financings, and cross-border joint ventures across office, warehouse, hospitality, and mixed-use properties.
- • The Swearingen hire represents the latest addition to Jones Day's substantial expansion of more than 30 lawyers in its Real Assets practice over the past 18 months, reflecting strategic growth across multiple U.S. and international offices.
- • Swearingen brings international transactional experience spanning Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with a track record advising both commercial real estate developers and institutional debt and equity investors on sophisticated transactions.
- • Jones Day's Real Assets expansion includes 11 named partners and senior lawyers added across Dallas, New York, Chicago, Washington, and London, signaling the firm's commitment to scaling its real estate and infrastructure capabilities.
Summary
Jones Day announced on June 16, 2026, that Tim Swearingen has joined the firm as a partner in its Real Estate Practice, based in the New York office. Swearingen focuses his practice on complex acquisitions, sales, development projects, financings, and joint ventures connecting commercial real estate developers with debt and equity investors. His experience spans multiple property types—office, warehouse, hospitality, and mixed-use assets—with particular depth in cross-border transactions touching Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
The hire underscores Jones Day's aggressive expansion in real assets capabilities. Over the past 18 months, the firm has added more than 30 lawyers to its Real Assets space, including Rodney Moore and Sam Peca in Dallas; Melissa Billig, Larry Dany, Jarrod Murphy, and Jeff Philp in New York; Melissa Vanderwater in Chicago; Elizabeth Yaeger in Washington; and Nathan Curtis, Michelle Davies, Caroline Gregson, Rob McNabb, and Martin Stewart-Smith in London. This geographic and practice diversification reflects institutional investor demand for sophisticated real estate and infrastructure legal services across multiple jurisdictions.
Brian Sedlak, Co-Leader of Jones Day's Real Estate and Energy Transition & Infrastructure practices, characterized Swearingen as bringing "deep transactional experience across a broad range of commercial real estate asset classes, including complex cross-border acquisitions, joint ventures, and development projects spanning all major property categories." Sedlak emphasized that Swearingen's international background advising both developers and institutional capital providers makes him a "timely addition" to the platform. The timing aligns with sustained institutional interest in commercial real estate investments, particularly in primary markets where cross-border structures and complex financing arrangements remain integral to large-scale transactions.
The hire underscores Jones Day's aggressive expansion in real assets capabilities. Over the past 18 months, the firm has added more than 30 lawyers to its Real Assets space, including Rodney Moore and Sam Peca in Dallas; Melissa Billig, Larry Dany, Jarrod Murphy, and Jeff Philp in New York; Melissa Vanderwater in Chicago; Elizabeth Yaeger in Washington; and Nathan Curtis, Michelle Davies, Caroline Gregson, Rob McNabb, and Martin Stewart-Smith in London. This geographic and practice diversification reflects institutional investor demand for sophisticated real estate and infrastructure legal services across multiple jurisdictions.
Brian Sedlak, Co-Leader of Jones Day's Real Estate and Energy Transition & Infrastructure practices, characterized Swearingen as bringing "deep transactional experience across a broad range of commercial real estate asset classes, including complex cross-border acquisitions, joint ventures, and development projects spanning all major property categories." Sedlak emphasized that Swearingen's international background advising both developers and institutional capital providers makes him a "timely addition" to the platform. The timing aligns with sustained institutional interest in commercial real estate investments, particularly in primary markets where cross-border structures and complex financing arrangements remain integral to large-scale transactions.
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