Overview

Clara Pauw is a partner and member of Chapman's Corporate Finance Department, where her practice focuses on commercial real estate finance. She represents institutional lenders, including banks, insurance companies, and alternative lenders such as debt funds and hedge funds, in connection with the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of real estate financing transactions.

Her experience includes acquisition financings, construction and development loans, bridge financings, senior secured term loans, credit tenant loans, and ground lease financing, as well as mezzanine and preferred equity investments. She regularly works on transactions involving multi-layered capital structures across a range of asset classes on both single-asset and portfolio financings.

Clara also advises investors and property owners on key underwriting and collateral matters, including the sale and acquisition of real estate assets, leasing, cash flow structures, and borrower-level considerations relevant to credit analysis.

Clara joined Chapman in 2019 after practicing at an Am Law 50 firm.

Languages

French

Admitted

California

Education

Indiana University Maurer School of Law, J.D., cum laude

Emory University, B.A., History and French Studies, summa cum laude

Insights

Publications

  • Author, "Navigating Force Majeure in Real Estate Financings in the COVID-19 Landscape," Real Estate Finance Journal, Fall 2020

Presentations

  • Moderator, "Commercial Real Estate Reset: Navigating the Changing Fundamentals and Interest Rate Realities," Private Placements Industry Forum 2026, January 28, 2026
  • Presenter, “Credit Tenant Leases and Real Estate Documentation,” Women in Private Placements Learning Series, November 7, 2024
  • Moderator, “A Whole New Market,” American College of Investment Counsel Spring Investment Forum 2022, April 7, 2022

We have always been focused on finance.

  • 1913
    TS Chapman partners with Henry Cutler to form Chapman and Cutler
  • 1st
    Chapman's first client in 1913 is still a client of the firm today
  • 22
    Diverse financial practices serving regional, national, and global clients
  • 6
    Offices across the country and in key US financial centers

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