Former D.C. economic chief of staff joins Nixon Peabody real estate team.

ElChino M. Martin formerly chief of staff in the office of the Washington, D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. has joined the Washington, D.C. office of Nixon Peabody LLP in the firm's real estate practice group.

Mr. Martin's practice will focus on representation of a wide array of clients in connection with urban development projects throughout the District of Columbia and nationwide.

In his position with the District of Columbia, Mr. Martin was responsible for managing operations for the pffice of Planning and Economic Development. During his five-year tenure, his office completed more than $130 million in tax increment financing projects, including Gallery Place, the Spy Museum and the Mandarin Hotel; more than $3 billion in industrial revenue bonds transactions for other commercial, educational and cultural projects; and has built 13,000 units of affordable housing. Mr. Martin also held responsibility for the District's sale of an important parcel of land on Pennsylvania Avenue for the new headquarters of The Freedom Forum/ Newseum and for the establishment of a special assessment district used to help finance the new $80 million metro station at New York Avenue, NW.

"We are thrilled that ElChino will be joining us and believe that his legal skills and experience with the District government will make him an invaluable part of our team," said Justine E. Wilcox, managing partner of Nixon Peabody's Washington, D.C. office.

"Our Washington real estate group includes some of the most experienced and knowledgeable people in the field and is an integral part of our national real estate practice. ElChino will make a talented addition to our team," said Paul E. Bouton, a partner and chair of the real estate practice group at Nixon Peabody.

Mr. Martin earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a juris doctorate from Yale Law School. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, Virginia Bar Association, North Carolina Bar Association, as well as the American Bar Association's real property section and forum on affordable housing and community development law. Mr. Martin is admitted to practice in Washington, D.C., Virginia and North Carolina.