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The ACREL Files

The ACREL Files

By: American College of Real Estate Lawyers
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Summary

The idea for the podcast was born from the ACREL History Project [initiated by Morty Fisher], and the initial episodes will be a series of interviews with ACREL's charter members and other influential leaders from the early years of the College. In addition to preserving ACREL's history, the podcasts will explore how real estate law has evolved over time, forecast where the practice is going, and understand the impact that ACREL and its Fellows have had on the industry as a whole. DISCLAIMER: All opinions expressed in the podcasts solely represent the views of the program participants, and are not necessarily the views of ACREL, any affiliated law firm or other related entity.American College of Real Estate Lawyers World
Episodes
  • The ACREL Files - Al Rabil
    May 6 2026

    Season 4 of the ACREL Files continues with Al Rabil, CEO of Kayne Anderson Real Estate – one of the leading investors in alternative real estate sectors including medical office, high-end seniors housing, off-campus student housing, and self-storage. Al co-founded Kayne Anderson’s real estate private equity platform in 2007. He is responsible for setting strategic direction, overseeing investment activities and leading fundraising for all real estate investments. Prior to joining Kayne Anderson, Al was Head of Real Estate Banking for the Americas and Europe at UBS for almost ten years. In 2012, he was one of the co-founders of The Headstrong Project, a non-profit mental health organization providing confidential, barrier-free and stigma-free PTSD treatment to our military veterans and their families. Mr. Rabil graduated Cum Laude with a BA from Yale University and later earned an MBA in Finance from Columbia University.

    Join Jay Epstien as Al describes his years of experience in the world of alternative assets which exhibit strong demographic trends and historical resistance to economic downturns, and his commitment to building capabilities with conviction and courage. For those interested in learning more, we encourage you to listen to Al’s recent remarks at the 2026 Kayne Anderson Investor Conference here.

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • The ACREL Files - Shobi Khan
    Mar 23 2026

    Join us for Episode #35 of the ACREL Files with our first international guest. Jay Epstien interviews Shobi Khan, the Chief Executive Officer of Canary Wharf Group. Located on 97 acres in East London in an area that served as a shipping hub for almost 200 years, Canary Wharf is now one of the main financial centers in the United Kingdom and the world. It is the ultimate mixed use project containing major global companies and bank headquarters, together with a booming residential component and extensive shopping, dining, green spaces and cultural events, all of which have been developed in the past 30 years.

    Prior to joining Canary Wharf in 2019, Shobi was President and Chief Operating Officer of General Growth Properties. In his seven years at GGP, he led approximately $13 billion in transactions including the $1.5 billion Rouse company stock spin-off in 2012 and was closely involved in the $43 billion company sale to Brookfield in 2018. Earlier in his career, Shobi served as Senior Vice President of Investments at Equity Office Properties Trust, where he helped complete more than $20 billion of global property and merger and acquisition transactions. Shobi held direct responsibility for all US investment activity and led the underwriting of $16 billion in office REIT mergers involving Beacon, Cornerstone and Spieker, among others. In addition, he played a key role in EOP’s market-changing $39 billion sale to Blackstone in 2007.

    Shobi is a board member of the British Library. He has an MBA from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of California at Berkeley.

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    40 mins
  • The ACREL Files - Abbe Borok
    Feb 24 2026

    Season 4 of the ACREL Files continues with Abbe Franchot Borok, the Managing Director and Head of US Debt for BGO. With $89.7 Billion of AUM spanning 25 offices in 12 countries, BGO (formerly Bentall Green Oak) is one of the leading investment, lending and property management companies in the world. Join Jay Epstien as Abbe describes her years of experience with core, core-plus and high yield debt strategies.

    Prior to BGO, Abbe was Managing Director and Head of CRE & Debt Strategies at The Amherst Group, and before that was a senior member of the commercial real estate lending team at CapitalSource. She is a member of the Board of Governors of the CRE Finance Council (CREFC) and an active member of WX, which promotes the advancement of women in commercial real estate in NYC. Abbe holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BA in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania.

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    47 mins
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