James Papadimitriou is set to become the first Canadian to run the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, a North American group that includes the most senior real estate finance lawyers.
However, his focus will be on a topic that transcends borders: leveraging artificial intelligence.
He said when he takes the reins of the group at its 2026 annual meeting in September in Santa Barbara, California, he'll be ready to help colleagues navigate the quickly changing world of AI and machine learning and the growth the technology is propelling in data storage facilities. He'll serve a one-year term.
Papadimitriou is the president‑elect of an association, widely known as ACMA, that brings together about 500 lawyers from Canada, the United States and Mexico who act for borrowers, lenders and title insurers on some of the largest and most complex mortgage financings on the continent.
As a senior partner in the Montreal office of McCarthy Tétrault, his practice focuses on commercial real estate deals spanning acquisitions, financings, development and joint ventures. He grew up in Montreal, working in his family’s restaurant before studying commerce and law at McGill University.
He was called, or admitted, to the Quebec bar in 1988 and the Ontario bar in 1997, and his career has included private practice and in‑house roles, giving him experience on both sides of large real estate deals. That helps him realize the importance of how the group approaches new challenges in real estate finance, especially as data storage emerges as a fast-growing sector and artificial intelligence changes how companies operate.
The AI opportunity
“Commercial real estate finance today isn’t just straight‑up loans on buildings anymore,” Papadimitriou said. “We’re looking at portfolios, data centres and assets that come with real operational complexity.”
AI has quickly become one of the most discussed topics among ACMA members, particularly as clients begin using it themselves.
“I look at it as an opportunity,” he said. “AI is a tool. It won’t take your job or your clients.”
Papadimitriou said firms that use AI ethically, with strong policies around confidentiality, security and judgment, will be better positioned to show their value to clients.
“It’s going to put a premium on judgment and emotional intelligence,” he said. “The human element becomes more important than ever.”
Customers, he added, increasingly expect law firms to explain how they use AI and where lawyers add value beyond automated outputs. “Many clients are asking us to demonstrate how we’re using AI and what our guardrails are,” he said.
At the same time, Papadimitriou warned that uncritical reliance on AI can complicate transactions. “If someone hasn’t checked the output and comes to you with it, you can end up on a wild goose chase, chasing hallucinations,” he said.
Real estate has wide impact
Papadimitriou views commercial real estate as a deeply multidisciplinary business, closer to private equity than a narrow asset class.
“Real estate touches almost everything,” he said. “You’re putting together financing, buying the asset, managing it and sometimes operating a business, like a hotel or a data centre.”
One transaction that crystallized that confluence for him was the privatization of Cominar REIT, a move that he said combined public markets, tax, joint ventures, corporate law and banking. McCarthy Tétrault represented Iris Acquisition II LP, the entity that purchased Cominar.
“That transaction put it all together for me,” he said.
Outside of the office, Papadimitriou said perspective comes easily. All three of his daughters work in medicine, including one who practices emergency care, another who studies at McGill and a third who manages a medical clinic in Montreal.
“They wake up every day saying it’s a good day to save lives,” the grandfather said. “Maybe we don’t save lives in what we do, but we do impact people, and we can make a difference.”
Despite his growing continental profile, Papadimitriou remains firmly rooted in Montreal, where he was born and raised.
“I’m a proud Montrealer,” he said. “I grew up in the east end and around the Plateau area, exposed to different cultures and languages.”
He traces much of his professional outlook to early work in his father’s restaurant. “It was a service business,” he said. “What I do today isn’t all that different. It’s about understanding people and helping them solve problems.”
Seeing other places, he said, has only reinforced his attachment to his hometown.
“I travel a lot, and every time it deepens my appreciation for Montreal,” Papadimitriou said. “It’s a unique place, and I genuinely believe the best is still ahead — for the city and for Canada."