Arnold & Porter Continues West Coast Expansion with New Real Estate Partner, Rhys Hefta, in Seattle
SEATTLE, March 9, 2026 — Arnold & Porter announced today that Rhys Hefta, a lawyer with over 15 years of experience in Seattle, has joined the firm’s Real Estate practice as a partner, resident in Seattle.
The firm’s Seattle office serves as a hub for regulatory, litigation, and transactional work across key practices, including real estate, as well as class actions, complex commercial litigation, corporate transactions, employment disputes, technology transactions, and healthcare and hospital matters. With Rhys’ arrival, Arnold & Porter’s team in the heart of downtown Seattle has increased to 36 attorneys and staff since opening the office in July 2025. Building on this steady and purposeful growth, the firm expects to continue expanding its team in the region.
Pallavi Mehta Wahi, Arnold & Porter Chair of Western U.S. Strategic Growth and head of the Seattle office, said: “Rhys is an excellent lawyer with deep experience and strong credentials. He has grown an impressive practice in real estate financing focused on sophisticated transactions for lender and borrower clients and is an analytical, thoughtful, strategic adviser. I am confident he will be instrumental in supporting our Real Estate team as we continue to grow on the West Coast and in Seattle.”
Rhys has a broad real estate finance practice, advising clients across a range of real estate asset classes, including office, hospitality, retail, multifamily, industrial/logistics, and senior housing. He represents commercial real estate lenders — from life insurance companies to Wall Street investment banks and foreign financial institutions — and counsels them on loan originations, structuring, purchases and sales, securitizations, syndications, joint ventures, workouts, and restructurings. He regularly advises lenders on complex senior and subordinate financings, multi‑state portfolio deals, and transactions involving mezzanine debt and preferred equity. In addition, Rhys advises landlord and tenants on commercial leasing matters and assists owners in negotiating asset, property management, and franchise agreements.
In joining the firm, Rhys said: “Arnold & Porter’s Real Estate group, which actively advises an array of clients on finance, agribusiness, joint venture, and development matters, is an excellent fit for my practice. I am pleased to be joining my new colleagues, both in Seattle and across the firm’s well-established real estate platform, and to be part of a regulatory platform of Arnold & Porter’s stature in Seattle.”
Rhys holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and a B.A. from the University of Washington, cum laude.
About Arnold & Porter
Arnold & Porter combines sophisticated regulatory, litigation, and transactional capabilities to resolve clients’ most complex issues. With over 1,000 lawyers practicing in 16 offices worldwide, we offer an integrated approach that spans more than 40 practice areas. Through multidisciplinary collaboration and focused industry experience, we provide innovative and effective solutions to mitigate risks, address challenges, and achieve successful outcomes.
