Key Takeaways
- • Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff recruited a 21-lawyer real estate and structured finance team from Reed Smith, led by former global co-chair Jodi Schwimmer and veteran real estate finance lawyer Randy Eckers, bolstering the firm's capabilities across multiple U.S. markets.
- • The Cleveland-founded firm is launching a new full-service office in Miami, with Schwimmer and Eckers as partners based there, while over half the incoming group strengthens Benesch's New York presence, with additional lawyers deploying to Chicago, Delaware, and other locations.
- • The team includes nine total partners and additional professional staff, with phased onboarding between early August and mid-August 2026; three additional partners—Michael Estreicher, AJ Sokoloff, and Amanda Rapp—are already embedded at Benesch in real estate and real estate finance roles.
- • Managing Partner Gregg Eisenberg positioned Miami as a strategic beachhead for expansion, citing existing client relationships, deal flow, and connectivity in the market, with plans to build "substantial" bench strength across all six of Benesch's core practice areas in the new office.
- • The move represents a significant lateral hire that consolidates specialized real estate finance and securitization expertise under one roof, expanding Benesch's competitive positioning in structured real estate transactions.
Summary
Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff announced Monday the arrival of approximately 21 lawyers specializing in real estate and structured finance from Reed Smith, marking a substantial team expansion and geographic diversification for the Cleveland-headquartered firm. The group is led by Jodi Schwimmer, who previously served as global co-chair of Reed Smith's financial industry group, and Randy Eckers, a seasoned real estate finance attorney, both joining as partners and establishing themselves in a newly launched Miami office.
The team composition reflects a multi-market strategy. Schwimmer and Eckers will anchor Benesch's Miami operations, while slightly more than half of the incoming lawyers will augment the firm's existing New York platform. The remainder will distribute across Chicago, Delaware, and other locations. The full contingent comprises nine partners and additional professional support staff, with phased integration scheduled between August 11 and August 18, 2026, though four additional partners are slated to arrive by mid-August. Three partners already at Benesch—Michael Estreicher, AJ Sokoloff, and Amanda Rapp—will work alongside the incoming group in real estate and real estate finance capacities.
Managing Partner Gregg Eisenberg framed the Miami expansion as both opportunistic and strategically intentional. While acknowledging the timeliness of the move, he emphasized that Benesch had already identified Miami as a target market, citing existing client relationships, deal connectivity, and operational infrastructure in the market. Eisenberg stated the firm aims to build "substantial" bench strength in each core market and plans to expand all six of Benesch's principal practice areas within the Miami office, indicating aggressive growth ambitions. Real Estate Practice Group Chair Jeff Wild aligned with this vision, underscoring the firm's commitment to rapid scaling in South Florida.
The lateral hire strengthens Benesch's real estate and structured finance platform at a time when institutional capital continues flowing into real estate transactions. By consolidating the expertise from Schwimmer's former financial industry group leadership role alongside Eckers' deep real estate finance background, Benesch positions itself to compete more effectively for complex securitization deals, real estate financing structures, and sophisticated institutional client work.
The team composition reflects a multi-market strategy. Schwimmer and Eckers will anchor Benesch's Miami operations, while slightly more than half of the incoming lawyers will augment the firm's existing New York platform. The remainder will distribute across Chicago, Delaware, and other locations. The full contingent comprises nine partners and additional professional support staff, with phased integration scheduled between August 11 and August 18, 2026, though four additional partners are slated to arrive by mid-August. Three partners already at Benesch—Michael Estreicher, AJ Sokoloff, and Amanda Rapp—will work alongside the incoming group in real estate and real estate finance capacities.
Managing Partner Gregg Eisenberg framed the Miami expansion as both opportunistic and strategically intentional. While acknowledging the timeliness of the move, he emphasized that Benesch had already identified Miami as a target market, citing existing client relationships, deal connectivity, and operational infrastructure in the market. Eisenberg stated the firm aims to build "substantial" bench strength in each core market and plans to expand all six of Benesch's principal practice areas within the Miami office, indicating aggressive growth ambitions. Real Estate Practice Group Chair Jeff Wild aligned with this vision, underscoring the firm's commitment to rapid scaling in South Florida.
The lateral hire strengthens Benesch's real estate and structured finance platform at a time when institutional capital continues flowing into real estate transactions. By consolidating the expertise from Schwimmer's former financial industry group leadership role alongside Eckers' deep real estate finance background, Benesch positions itself to compete more effectively for complex securitization deals, real estate financing structures, and sophisticated institutional client work.
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