Chicago – Cushman & Wakefield announced today that the real estate services firm has expanded service offerings and made strategic new hires contributing to improved client outcomes across the firm’s Dispute Analysis & Litigation Support (DALS) Practice within the Valuation & Advisory group.
“The DALS Practice is experiencing phenomenal demand from clients and the addition of industry-leading talent has bolstered our capabilities,” said Michele Kauffman, Executive Managing Director and Chief Growth Officer, Valuation & Advisory. “Our team now features 12 dedicated DALS practitioners, as well as support from subject matter experts across Cushman & Wakefield’s global platform, which allows us to provide top service to our clients who seek out our comprehensive real estate expertise, experienced team and full support throughout the dispute life cycle.”
In the last four months, the team has added five new hires to support growing client demand. These include:
- Tracy Law, Executive Director, Chris Knight, Senior Director; and Michael Luu, Appraiser, in Dallas
- Christina Thoreson, Executive Director, in Birmingham, and Ashley Donaldson, Appraiser in Atlanta
The DALS team specializes in areas such as expert testimony, real property valuation, damages theory and damages calculations, arbitrations, business and shareholder disputes, partial interest and discount calculations, intellectual property, and machinery and equipment valuation.
The multi-disciplinary approach, which includes: real estate valuation, machinery and equipment valuation, partial interest and business valuation, and trust and real estate expertise, ensures clients receive thorough and knowledgeable guidance through every step of the process.
The continued challenges in commercial real estate values have resulted in increased business with the DALS team for property tax appeals and testimony in various locales throughout the U.S. Property owners, investment teams, lenders and receivers have contacted the DALS team to prepare and defend valuation reports on the fair market value of their property.
“Clients seeking specialized expertise have engaged the DALS teams for projects including decommissioned nuclear power plants, ports, energy/power plants and transmission projects, mines and more. Clients have sought out DALS team members for their experience and knowledge in specialty-use properties beyond the core asset classes,” said Melissa Bach, Executive Managing Director and leader of the DALS Practice. “Our experts are constantly tapped as thought leaders, sharing their knowledge and expertise related to complex real estate issues at industry events coast-to-coast.”
Cushman & Wakefield’s DALS Practice is well-equipped to assist attorneys dealing with a myriad of legal challenges including handling insurance disputes arising from increased natural disasters, managing breaches of contracts from increased asset distress in various sectors, and providing precise valuations and reorganizations for companies facing bankruptcy. Additionally, the practice provides critical valuation expertise for parties gauging litigation strategies and condemnation actions by government agencies.