Joan Velazquez

Joan Velazquez is a partner and chair of the real estate department at Ervin Cohen & Jessup. While many lawyers spend time telling their clients what cannot be done, Valezquez is a creative problem solver and proven deal maker who never loses sight of her clients’ business goals. She understands that her job is to mitigate her client’s legal risks while letting them realize the business opportunity in every deal. 

Velazquez represents real estate owners, developers, investors, lenders, contractors and asset managers in connection with a wide range of projects including the acquisition, financing, development, leasing, management and sale of office buildings, industrial parks, shopping centers, low-income projects, mixed-use projects, industrial developments and hotel/resort projects. 

Velazquez is experienced in the formation of partnerships, joint ventures, limited liability companies and arranging complex capital structures including highly leveraged mezzanine financing, subordinated lending arrangements and other creative solutions. Having structured, documented and closed more than $1 billion of financing transactions, she guides clients with distressed properties successfully restructuring existing debt. Additionally, Velazquez’s tax background gives her a competitive advantage when structuring deals so she can increase the net return to her clients. 

These are just a few of the reasons we chose Velazquez as one of the California 2021 Women in Real Estate Award winners. Connect CRE’s Women in Real Estate Awards honor the achievements and inspirational stories of women who have reached respected positions of leadership and play key mentorship roles for others.