Overview
Paul J. Ayoub is chair of Nutter and represents a broad range of businesses, as well as commercial real estate developers, owners, and lenders, regionally and nationally. He also advises for-profit and nonprofit organizations on corporate governance.
Paul represents major North American banks and local lending institutions in construction, permanent, and mezzanine loans, as well as 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.
He is actively involved in several civic, professional, and charitable organizations. Paul served as Chair and is on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. He is a past President of the Board of Directors and a member of the Real Estate Finance Association, and served as co-Chair of the Real Estate Finance and Workout/Foreclosure Section of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Real Estate Section.
Nationally, Paul serves on the Boards of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude, together the nation’s largest healthcare nonprofit with over 400 collaborating sites in more than 90 countries. He has served as Chair of both boards during his 34-year tenure. He also served as a co-Chair of the International WELL Building Institute’s 2021 IWBI Health Equity Advisory.
Paul is also a founding member of Small Business Strong, formed in response to the COVID-19 crisis, that continues today to help Massachusetts small businesses access resources to plan, grow, and succeed without charge (more than 3,600 to date). He also served on the Mayor’s Reopening Advisory Board for the City of Boston and is on the Board of Incorporators of the Boston Local Development Corporation.
Prior to his career as an attorney, Paul worked in Massachusetts state government in various capacities, including as assistant press secretary to the Governor. He also served on the transition team for Attorney General Andrea Campbell and has worked on the transition efforts of a previously elected Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer of Massachusetts.
During law school, Paul was editor-in-chief of the Boston College International and Comparative Law Review.
Paul and his daughter have published Inspire Me! A Father-Daughter Book of Quotations to Motivate, Teach and Inspire, an Amazon bestseller, the proceeds from which are donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
For the past several years, Paul has been recognized as a leading U.S. real estate attorney by Best Lawyers in America and Chambers and Partners. The Boston Business Journal has recognized Paul among the “Power 50 – Extraordinary Year Extraordinary People” and “Power 50 – Movement Makers,” and Boston Magazine has listed him among the “150 Most Influential Bostonians.” He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Boston Real Estate Times and the Swain Distinguished Service Award from REFA. He was inducted into the inaugural Hall of Fame class by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
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News & Insights
News
Speaking Engagements
Publications
Honors
Honors
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2015-current
- Chambers and Partners, Leading U.S. Real Estate Attorney, 2011-current
- Boston Magazine “Top Lawyers,” 2021-current
- Super Lawyers Business Edition, 2009-current
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers, 2004-current
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- Noble and Greenough School, Distinguished Graduate Award, 2019
- Boston Business Journal, Power 50 – Extraordinary Year Extraordinary People, 2020
- Boston Real Estate Times, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021
- Real Estate Finance Association, Robert S. Swain, Jr. Distinguished Service Award, 2022
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Inaugural Hall of Fame , 2023
- Boston Business Journal, Power 50 – Movement Members, 2023
- Boston Magazine, 150 Most Influential Bostonians, 2026
- Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Academy of Distinguished Bostonians, 2026
Education & Admissions
Education
Boston College Law School, J.D.
Brown University, B.A., magna cum laude
Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- Massachusetts
- U.S. Tax Court
Practices
In the Community
Paul is involved in several civic, professional, and charitable organizations. Paul is currently Chair Emeritus and on the Executive Committee of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He also is on the Chamber's Regional Real Estate Development Leadership Council, having served as co-chair. Paul is a past president of the Board of Directors and a member of the Real Estate Finance Association, and served as co-chair of the Real Estate Finance and Workout/Foreclosure Section of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Real Estate Section.
Nationally, Paul serves on the Board of Governors of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as well as on the Board of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. He previously served as chair of both Boards. He also served as a co-chair of the International WELL Building Institute’s 2021 IWBI Health Equity Advisory.
Locally, Paul is a founding member of Small Business Strong, an organization that continues to help small businesses, over 3,000 to date, cope with the COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath, and is on the Board of Incorporators of the Boston Local Development Corporation. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Paul served on the Mayor’s Reopening Advisory Board for the City of Boston.
Prior to his career as an attorney, Paul worked in Massachusetts state government in various capacities, including as assistant press secretary to the Governor. He also served on the transition team for Attorney General Andrea Campbell and has worked on the transition efforts of a previously-elected Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer of Massachusetts.
During law school, Paul was editor-in-chief of the Boston College International and Comparative Law Review.
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 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Noteworthy
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2015-current
- Chambers and Partners, Leading U.S. Real Estate Attorney, 2011-current
- Boston Magazine “Top Lawyers,” 2021-current
- Super Lawyers Business Edition, 2009-current
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers, 2004-current
_____________
- Noble and Greenough School, Distinguished Graduate Award, 2019
- Boston Business Journal, Power 50 – Extraordinary Year Extraordinary People, 2020
- Boston Real Estate Times, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021
- Real Estate Finance Association, Robert S. Swain, Jr. Distinguished Service Award, 2022
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Inaugural Hall of Fame, 2023
- Boston Business Journal, Power 50 – Movement Makers, 2023
- Boston Magazine, 150 Most Influential Bostonians, 2026
- Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Academy of Distinguished Bostonians, 2026
