Overview
Marissa focuses her practice on finance, real estate and corporate matters, advising clients on complex issues across a broad range of industries and sectors. She represents lenders, sellers, borrowers, issuers, investors, sponsors, agents, and other market participants in sophisticated transactions allowing her to understand competing priorities within a transaction and help clients navigate complex matters efficiently through closing.
She regularly counsels clients across the lifestyle of a deal, working with them to evaluate opportunities, negotiate deal terms, structure transactions and find creative solutions. Marissa has experience across a diverse range of asset classes, with a particular focus on esoteric and real estate-related assets. Her work includes cross-border financings, distressed assets, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), CRE CLOs, securitizations, warehouse lending facilities, equipment financings, real estate financings, capital markets financings, SASB loan originations, commercial mortgage loans, SBA and USDA loans, and other tailored financing arrangements designed to address complex investment and client needs.
Known for her proactive and solutions-oriented approach, Marissa works closely with clients to understand the business objectives driving each transaction. She takes ownership of her matters, anticipates potential challenges and develops practical solutions that help keep deals moving forward. Because the transactions she works on often involve numerous parties and advisors, she places a strong emphasis on communication and responsiveness, helping clients navigate complex transactions while keeping commercial priorities in focus.
Prior to joining Benesch, Marissa built extensive experience advising clients on a wide range of structured finance, real estate finance and corporate transactions. Her background in business brings a distinctive perspective on the commercial considerations that drive complex transactions, enabling her to provide practical legal, solutions-oriented legal advice that aligns with clients’ strategic and business objectives.