News

17 Mar 2009

DLA Piper engages former Ernst & Young global real estate head Dale Anne Reiss

Industry Icon to Support Continued Development and Expansion of the World’s Leading Real Estate Practice

Press Release

Reiss, who recently retired from her post at E&Y, but continues as a senior consultant to the firm, will provide strategic counsel surrounding the positioning and development of DLA Piper’s national and global real estate and real estate capital and financial market practices. She will serve as a resource to both DLA Piper lawyers and clients, sharing her expertise gained from decades in the industry to help expand the world’s leading legal real estate practice.

Throughout her career, Reiss has specialized in providing a full spectrum of services to real estate and hospitality companies, advising both private and publicly traded real estate companies on all aspects of development, investment and finance.

“Dale is a titan in the real estate industry, and helped build a truly global real estate practice at Ernst & Young. She brings a lifetime of experience managing complex professional partnerships and knows what it takes to pull together a seamless global team,” said Lee I. Miller, Joint Chief Executive Officer of DLA Piper. “We look forward to leveraging her expertise as we assess opportunities and advise clients in this challenging financial environment.”

“We have worked closely with Dale for nearly two decades. She is a longtime friend of the firm who we know well through transactions, professional associations, and, of course, her presentations at several of DLA Piper’s Global Real Estate Summits,” said Jay Epstien, Co-Chair of DLA Piper’s Global Real Estate practice. “Dale led a diverse global team of real estate professionals at one of the world’s best-known professional service firms. I can’t think of a better fit as we continue to expand the world’s leading real estate practice.”

“I’ve worked with my friends at DLA Piper for many years and got to know them well as both colleagues in business transactions and as a regular participant at the firm’s Global Real Estate Summits, where I’ve been invited to speak,” Reiss explained. “I have tremendous respect for both the firm and its real estate practice. When my long-time friend Errol Halperin from DLA Piper approached me with an opportunity to consult with the firm, I knew it would be a great match.”

In 2007, DLA Piper also announced a strategic partnership with Norman Bobins, former LaSalle Bank chairman and current non-executive chairman of The PrivateBank. Bobins is providing strategic counsel surrounding the development and expansion of the firm’s Banking and Financial Services practice, while also serving as a resource to the firm’s existing clients.

The World’s Leading Real Estate Practice

DLA Piper has one of the largest and most highly regarded real estate practices in the world. With more than 550 real estate lawyers globally – more than 200 in the US alone – DLA Piper offers the advantage of a multidisciplinary approach coupled with targeted experience and market-specific knowledge for the geographic regions where its clients operate. With DLA Piper, clients have access to global resources, regional strength and local delivery.

Offering strategic advice on virtually every aspect of the real estate industry to all types of clients, DLA Piper is recognized as one of the preeminent real estate practices in the world. In 2008, Chambers gave DLA Piper the Award for Excellence in real estate, recognizing the firm as the top real estate practice in the US. The Real Estate group also draws on the collective experience of more than 3,700 lawyers in the firm's 66 offices worldwide.

About Dale Anne Reiss

Dale Anne Reiss recently formed Artemis Advisors, LLC to provide consulting services to Ernst & Young, DLA Piper and other organizations focused on the real estate industry, having recently retired as the Global & Americas Director of Real Estate for Ernst & Young. She is active in an array of civic and industry organizations. Reiss is a member of the board of directors of iStar Financial Inc. and Post Properties, and serves as a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute and the Pension Real Estate Association Board of Directors. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Financial Executives Institute, Institute of Management Consultants, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, The Chicago Network and the New York Forum.

Reiss has a BS in economics and accounting from the Illinois Institute of Technology and an MBA in finance and statistics from the University of Chicago. She is also a certified public accountant.