Zena Ho has joined Jones Day as a partner in its Los Angeles office and Financial Markets Practice, bringing a real estate finance practice that includes both new financing transactions and work on distressed loans.[6] The announcement, carried by the Secured Finance Network on October 7, 2026, places her work for lenders, real estate investment trusts, private equity funds and real estate companies within the firm's broader financial markets team.[3]
Ho's move follows recognition earlier this year by the Los Angeles Business Journal, which included her among its Top 100 Lawyers for 2026.[5] Her new role continues a career focused on the financing and commercial demands of real estate, with experience advising both borrowers and lenders.[6]
A practice built around real estate finance
Jones Day describes Ho's work as counseling clients on how to structure and document financing for multifamily developments, office and industrial parks, retail centers, mixed-use projects and hospitality properties.[6] Her practice also includes representing lenders in loan purchases, workouts and restructurings, along with debt and equity financing and intercreditor transactions.[6]
That range is central to the firm's explanation of the appointment: Brett Barragate, who chairs the Americas region of Jones Day's Financial Markets Practice, pointed specifically to her experience with structured financings and distressed debt workouts.[6] His comments identify the technical experience the firm is adding, rather than a change in Ho's field of practice.[6]
In the announcement, Ho explained her interest in working across the firm's practices, saying that real estate finance clients increasingly need advice spanning capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity.[6] She said she looked forward to working with colleagues in Financial Markets, Real Estate, M&A and Private Equity.[6]
The firm's stated ambitions for her work extend beyond Los Angeles.[3] David DiMeglio, partner-in-charge of the Los Angeles office, said her arrival would deepen its ability to serve clients across Southern California and the West Coast, as well as the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere.[3] Those comments describe Jones Day's expectations for the appointment, not a claim about transactions already completed in the new role.
Professional background and recognition
Ho earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in 2009 and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2005, according to Jones Day.[6] The firm's announcement also lists recognition by Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch for Real Estate Law for 2022–2025 and by Legal 500 US as a Recommended Lawyer in 2025.[6]
The Los Angeles Business Journal's April 22 profile identified her at the time as a partner at McDermott Will & Schulte.[5] It described her experience with acquisitions, dispositions, financings, joint ventures and development projects across several types of real estate.[5] The profile also noted her work with other practice groups on corporate transactions that had substantial real estate components.[5]
That earlier account provides context for the collaborative work Ho discussed in the Jones Day announcement.[5][6] It also records a less visible part of her professional contribution: the Business Journal reported that she informally mentored associates and served on firm leadership committees.[5]
Experience and mentorship in the profession
For readers following women's careers in law, Ho's move brings attention to a specialized transactional practice and the experience behind it.[6] Her earlier profile also draws attention to associate mentorship alongside client work and formal leadership responsibilities.[5] That combination gives younger lawyers a concrete view of professional contribution beyond the transactions listed in a biography.
The immediate development is clear: Ho is now a Jones Day partner in Los Angeles, with real estate finance as her focus within the Financial Markets Practice.[6] Her comments about working alongside lawyers in related disciplines give a practical account of how she expects to approach that role.[6]
Reporting note: The current appointment is reported by Jones Day and reproduced by the Secured Finance Network, which explicitly credits Jones Day as its source; those are not independent accounts of the move.[3][6] The Los Angeles Business Journal supplies separately published background on Ho's earlier practice and recognition.[5]
Read more professional milestones in the Influential Women in Law™ journal, or explore the Influential Women in Law™ honor.
Sources
[3] https://www.sfnet.com/home/industry-data-publications/the-secured-lender/tsl-express-daily-articles-news/tsl-express-daily-articles-news/2026/10/07/jones-day-adds-leading-real-estate-finance-lawyer-zena-ho-as-partner-in-los-angeles — Secured Finance Network: Jones Day announcement, October 7, 2026 [5] https://labusinessjournal.com/business-journal-events/top-100-lawyers-2026-zena-ho — Los Angeles Business Journal: Top 100 Lawyers 2026 – Zena Ho [6] https://www.jonesday.com/en/news/2026/10/jones-day-adds-leading-real-estate-finance-lawyer-zena-ho-as-partner-in-los-angeles — Jones Day: Zena Ho joins as a partner in Los Angeles