(CHARLOTTE) The law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and the accounting firm of GreerWalker LLP will host their sixth annual event examining the state of the commercial real estate market in Charlotte and the Southeast and the outlook for 2013. The event will take place on Wednesday, February 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, 201 East Trade Street.

This year’s panel speakers include Michael Cohen, executive director at UBS Securities LLC, Peter Fioretti, chief executive officer at Mountain Real Estate Group and Kevin Thorpe, chief economist at Cassidy Turley.

“As we expect that the real estate market will continue to improve and recover in 2013, it’s important to come together and discuss the potential challenges and opportunities that we may be faced with in the upcoming year,” said Daniel S. Huffenus, managing partner of Katten’s Charlotte office and part of the firm’s Real Estate practice. “This event features a diverse range of perspectives on the state of our economy and its impact on real estate in Charlotte and the Southeast.”

“Every year we look forward to this event where the real estate industry can get together and hear from different market experts on how current and expected trends might impact the economic development and the commercial real estate market,” said Barry Leasure, partner at GreerWalker LLP. “In addition to its informative value, it gives folks in the real estate industry a chance to rub elbows and network with their peers.”

The event is free of charge. Attendees are encouraged to donate to the Charlotte-based nonprofit organization Community Link which enables individuals and families to obtain and sustain safe, decent affordable housing.

Katten is a full-service law firm with more than 600 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to us for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’s core areas of practice are corporate, financial services, insolvency and restructuring, litigation, real estate, environmental, commercial finance, intellectual property and trusts and estates. Katten attorneys represent public and private companies in numerous industries, including a third of the Fortune 100, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals.

GreerWalker LLP is a full-service Charlotte-based CPA firm specializing in innovative and responsive assurance, accounting, tax and consulting strategies with a strong practice focus in real estate, construction, manufacturing and distribution, motorsports, employee benefit plan services, and international business. Founded in 1984, GreerWalker LLP is currently the eighth largest accounting firm in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area and was recently acclaimed as one of the nation’s “Best of the Best” accounting firms. Affiliates include GreerWalker Corporate Finance LLC and GreerWalker Investment Advisors LLC. For more information about the firm, call 704.377.0239 or visit the GreerWalker LLP website at www.greerwalker.com.