After serving in house for eight years, Reed Smith today announced that Joseph (Joe) Tuso has returned to private practice, rejoining the firm as a partner in its Financial Industry Group (FIG). Tuso was General Counsel, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Stabilis Capital Management LLP, a firm client, where he oversaw all legal, compliance and operational matters. At Stabilis, he was responsible for the acquisition and structuring of all portfolio investments, managing the asset management team for six years, structuring and closing numerous fund investment vehicles with nearly $2 billion in capital.
Prior to joining Stabilis, Tuso was with Reed Smith from 2001 to 2011, becoming a partner in 2010. During his decade with the firm, his practice focused primarily on commercial litigation, creditor’s rights litigation, workouts, and risk management for banks and other commercial financial institutions. Tuso’s practice also included representing large commercial real estate developers in the acquisition of assets and commercial contractors in all phases of construction projects. Tuso will operate out of Reed Smith’s New York and Philadelphia offices.
“Our firm and our global FIG team are excited to welcome Joe back to Reed Smith,” said Ed Estrada, global chair of Reed Smith’s Financial Industry Group. “Joe kept close ties with the firm while serving as in-house counsel and valued those relationships enough to retain us as primary outside counsel. His unparalleled experience in the funds space, combined with his energy, ambition and focus will be highly valued by clients and colleagues alike.”
“We are very pleased to welcome Joe home. During his time at Reed Smith and while at Stabilis, he has built a reputation as one of the finest attorneys in asset-backed lending and distressed debt space in the region and we know his experience as in-house counsel will pay immediate dividends for our clients,” said Wayne Stansfield, Reed Smith Philadelphia office managing partner. “Our New York and Philadelphia office continues to bring aboard lawyers at the top of their game in their respective practices.”
Tuso’s arrival is the latest in a series of high profile, high-impact laterals and new joiners to the FIG practice this year. Over the past few months, the firm has announced the arrivals of litigation partner Jay Thornton in Miami, restructuring and insolvency partner Mandip Englund in London, finance partners Amir Ahmad in Dubai and Liz Tabas Carson, in the New York and Philadelphia offices, and consumer lending and bank regulatory counsel Robert Goldenberg in New York. This group aligns with the practice’s global strategy of pinpointing talented lawyers who fill areas of client demand and complement our current roster within the practice.
“I could not be happier to be back at Reed Smith, where I started my career and the place that has always felt like home,” Tuso said. “Having spent nearly a decade in both legal and business roles at Stabilis, I have obtained a unique perspective on what the needs of in-house counsel are, which can be a significant asset to the firm and our clients. When combined with the breadth and depth of expertise that the firm has in advising funds and institutional lenders – on both the transactional and litigation side – it became very apparent to me that returning to Reed Smith would be very beneficial to all parties involved – our clients, the firm, and myself.”
Tuso earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2001 and his B.S. from Florida State University in 1996.