Birmingham Attorney Named To National Housing Advisory Council

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A local attorney has been invited to participate in a national initiative in Washington, D.C. Paul Compton, founding partner of the Birmingham commercial law firm Compton Jones Dresher, has been invited to participate on the Housing Advisory Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Compton, the former general counsel to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, joins the board co-chaired by chaired BPC Board Members Henry Cisneros, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Pamela Hughes Patenaude, former HUD Deputy Secretary; former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter.

"I am delighted to rejoin several of my former HUD colleagues, whom I had the pleasure of representing as counsel, and to have the opportunity to work with other housing leaders from across the country and political spectrum," Compton said. "I believe that the Housing Advisory Council can help identify issues on which the vast majority of Americans can agree is good for our nation."

Over the next year, the council will focus on helping BPC identify and prioritize policies that:

• Continue to meet the urgent housing needs of Americans affected by COVID-19;
• Advance racial equity and opportunity through housing—by addressing disproportionately high housing costs, entrenched segregation and concentrated poverty, and disparities in homeownership and family wealth; and
• Preserve and build affordable homes to strengthen families and their financial resilience and propel our country’s economic recovery.

In addition to serving HUD for nearly three years in Washington, D.C., Compton — a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law — has practiced law in Birmingham for over 30 years. His practice focuses on representing regional community banks in capital markets and community development transactions and real estate developers, particularly with tax-credit-supported affordable housing investments.