Orange County – The Orange County office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP has added William B. Tate II as a partner in its real estate practice. Tate joins K&L Gates from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP.
 
Tate concentrates his practice on commercial real estate, development, and lending transactions, with an emphasis on the acquisition and disposition of commercial, industrial, and multi-tenant real property assets, commercial and industrial leasing, and joint ventures. His clients include real estate developers, manufacturing and distribution companies, foreign and domestic financial institutions, institutional investors, pension funds, family office companies, hospitals, and owners and operators of hotels, office complexes, and assisted living facilities.
 
“We are delighted to welcome Bill to the firm,” said Shannon Skinner, a co-leader of the firm’s global real estate practice. “He expands our California real estate practice and joins a strong West Coast real estate team. His deep experience in acquisitions, financing, development, and leasing across industry segments significantly enhances our offerings to clients around the platform.”
 
In the commercial lending area, Tate advises on secured, unsecured, and asset-based credit facilities, private equity transactions, term loans, and revolving lines of credit for the acquisition, development, and construction of residential housing projects, industrial buildings, business parks, shopping centers, and hotels. He has closed lending transactions involving real property security in numerous jurisdictions throughout the United States.
 
In addition to more than three decades in private practice, he is an adjunct professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law and a frequent speaker on a wide variety of real estate-related and diversity and inclusion issues. Among his speaking engagements, Tate has addressed the Orange County Executive Real Estate Forum; the Orange County Coalition for Diversity in the Law; the Minority Corporate Counsel Association; the Chapman University Fowler School of Law; and the Orange County Korean Bar Association. He is also a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Pallavi Mehta Wahi, K&L Gates’ co-managing partner, United States, and chair of the firm’s global Diversity Committee, commented: “Bringing in diverse lawyers, with varied experiences and viewpoints, will only make our firm and the real estate practice stronger. We welcome Bill to the firm.”
 
Tate’s arrival follows the additions of four other California-based lawyers in the past year, including commercial litigation partners J. David Bournazian and Jonathan Hersey in Orange County and corporate partner Ali Nardali and asset management of counsel David Owen in San Francisco. K&L Gates also welcomed nearly 20 other new partners and of counsel during the first half of 2020, including in the firm’s Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Miami, Melbourne, Paris, Charlotte, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., offices, across practices such as corporate, health care, tax, environment, land and natural resources, asset management and investment funds, IP litigation, government contracts, and investigations, enforcement and white collar.
 
“We’re thrilled that Bill is joining the Orange County office,” said Michael A. Hedge, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Orange County office. “Adding someone with Bill’s capability and client-driven focus makes our office and the real estate practice stronger. Bill’s talents and knowledge of the local market will be a boon to clients across California and our global platform.”
 
K&L Gates’ large and diversified real estate practice advises clients in a variety of real estate investment, land use, planning and zoning, development and construction, financing, leasing, tax, and litigation matters around the world.