Legal and business publications are abuzz with news of Steven Kolyer joining Cadwalader as co-head of the firm's CRE CLO practice. The New York Law Journal headline framed his arrival as a testament to Cadwalader’s momentum and success: “Cadwalader, ‘Pacing Ahead’ of Last Year’s Revenue Growth, Hires Sidley Austin Real Estate Pro.”
The announcement comes at a pivotal time for Cadwalader, having just reported first-half 2025 financial performance pacing ahead of the firm’s record revenue results in 2024, in addition to more momentum in two key areas: securitizations, where the firm topped the first-half 2025 league tables, a position it’s occupied for over 25 years; and real estate finance, where the firm has added a number of lawyers since May 2025 and has closed over 20 major deals during the same period. As one of the most active practitioners at the intersection of securitizations and real estate, Steven’s arrival reflects a continued commitment to providing clients with integrated real estate loan origination and related securitization services.
In Bloomberg Law’s “Cadwalader Nabs Sidley Real Estate Partner Following Firm Exits,” Managing Partner Pat Quinn said: “It’s not every day that a ‘hall of fame’ partner joins an industry-leading practice. This is great for our Capital Markets and Real Estate teams and, ultimately, an unbeatable combination for Cadwalader’s clients.”
Steve added: “The securitization bar is a closely knit community, and there’s no greater group of hard-working, client-first lawyers than my new colleagues. We have inspired each other for decades, innovating on behalf of clients, and I can’t wait to join them in continuing this tradition of legal excellence together on the same team.”
In the Commercial Mortgage Alert article, “Cadwalader Nabs CLO Pro From Sidley,” Capital Markets Co-Chair Stu Goldstein stated: “To take someone who has been the primary competition and work with him is a tremendous opportunity for us. We are excited about what this means going forward.” Real Estate Finance head Holly Chamberlain observed: “The real estate origination team has been firing on all cylinders.”
In CityBiz’s “Steven T. Kolyer Joins Cadwalader as Co-Head,” CRE CLO co-head Jeffrey Rotblat commented: “Cadwalader has a leading CRE CLO practice, and bringing on a lawyer with Steve’s breadth of experience is going to help us broaden and expand our practice. It’s a big win, both for our team and for the new and existing clients that will rely on us to execute their strategic transactions.” Jeffrey added in the New York Law Journal that “CRE CLO issuance in 2025 has definitely been much stronger in 2025 than 2024, but it’s important to understand that CRE CLOs are just one of many ways that Cadwalader is servicing the private real estate credit market, and one thing that is for certain is that the private real estate credit market has only one way to go, and that is up.”
In the Investors’ Hangout article, “Cadwalader Strengthens Securitization Practice with Steven Kolyer,” Goldstein highlighted: “Bringing Steve to Cadwalader will both add incredible value to our clients in this space and greatly enhance other ways in which we guide global businesses on related matters in private credit, creditor-side restructurings and back-leverage opportunities.”
Steve’s arrival was also reported in Asset Securitization Report “Kolyer joins Cadwalader as co-head of CRE, CLO practice,” National Mortgage News “Kolyer Joins Cadwalader as Co-Head of CRE, CLO Practice,” ABL Advisor “Cadwalader Adds Securitization Industry Leader Kolyer,” Bloomberg Law “Wake Up Call,” Law360 "Modern Lawyer" and Reuters’ "The Daily Docket."