Paul J. Ayoub

Paul J. Ayoub is chair of Nutter and a partner in the firm's Real Estate Department. He also is co-chair of Nutter’s COVID-19 Task Force and a member of the Nonprofit and Social Impact practice group. Paul represents clients in the financing and development of commercial real estate projects in Greater Boston, New England and throughout the country. He also advises for-profit and non-profit organizations in the area of corporate governance.

Paul represents major North American banks and local lending institutions in construction, permanent, and mezzanine loans. As a real estate attorney, he represents developers and private equity investors in the acquisition, sale, permitting, and leasing of all property types. Paul also advises clients on financing structure alternatives, including preferred equity, joint venture, and partnership arrangements. Additionally, he has extensive experience representing clients in complex debt reorganizations.

Paul is involved in several civic, professional and charitable organizations. He is Chair Emeritus and a member of the Executive Committee of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. He also has co-chaired the Chamber’s Regional Real Estate Development Leadership Council. Paul is a member and past president of the Board of Directors of the Real Estate Finance Association. He is a prior co-chair of the Real Estate Finance and Workout/Foreclosure Section of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Real Estate Section.

He currently serves on the Board of Incorporators of the Boston Local Development Corporation and served on the Mayor’s Reopening Advisory Board for the City of Boston during the peak of COVID-19.

Nationally, Paul serves as chair of the national Board of Governors of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as well as a member of the Board of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. He previously served as chair of the ALSAC Board. He also serves as a co-chair of the International WELL Building Institute’s 2021 IWBI Health Equity Advisory.

During law school, Paul was editor-in-chief of the Boston College International and Comparative Law Review. Prior to his career as an attorney, Paul worked in Massachusetts state government in various capacities, including as assistant press secretary to the Governor. Paul currently serves on the Transition Team for Attorney General-Elect Andrea Campbell. He previously worked on transition efforts for a prior Governor, Secretary of State and Treasurer of Massachusetts.

Paul and his daughter have published Inspire Me! A father-daughter book of quotations to motivate, teach and inspire, an Amazon best seller, the proceeds from which are donated entirely to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

For the past several years, Paul has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Chambers and Partners as a leading U.S. real estate attorney. He also was selected as one of the Boston Business Journal’s “2020 Power 50 – Extraordinary Year Extraordinary People" and recognized with Boston Real Estate Times' Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. The Real Estate Finance Association honored Paul with the Robert S. Swain, Jr. Distinguished Service Award in 2022.