Zena M Ho

Zena Ho represents banks, non-bank lenders, real estate companies and investment trusts, and private equity funds in complex real estate-related financings. Drawing on extensive experience across asset classes and financing structures, Zena helps clients anticipate and navigate legal, structural, and execution risks throughout the life cycle of a transaction. Her practical, solutions-oriented approach enables clients to address significant issues early, efficiently negotiate and document transactions, and execute deals on time and within budget.

Zena advises borrowers and lenders on financings involving multifamily developments, office and industrial properties, retail centers, condominium and mixed-use projects, and hospitality properties. Her experience also includes representing lenders with loan purchases, workouts, restructurings, and other distressed real estate matters.

Prior to joining Jones Day, Zena represented: a lender in several multimillion dollar financings involving the renovation and repositioning of mixed-use and multifamily projects in Miami, Florida and Queens, New York; a Japanese bank in financings for the development of a Class A office tower with ground floor retail in New York City; a lender in the bridge loan financings for the renovation of hotels operated by a global hospitality company; a Big Four accounting firm in its capacity as court-appointed monitor in the bankruptcy proceedings of a Canadian freight company involving the disposition of its U.S. real estate assets; and a health care company in the acquisition of an approximately 45-property real estate portfolio in Illinois comprising of medical office buildings, hospitals, memory care facilities, and senior living communities.

Zena also represented an investment bank with the real estate aspects of bond purchase agreement financings for the development of a professional basketball arena, renewable natural gas projects, and affordable housing.