Real estate in United States

‘One of the deepest, most sophisticated real estate practices in the country’, DLA Piper LLP (US) is home to a full-service real estate offering. In the acquisition and disposition space, the department is routinely engaged in multibillion-dollar transactions, both of single assets and extensive portfolios, with the capacity to lend support on relevant cross-border investment, joint venture and finance components. Its construction, design and development service is supplemented by formidable environmental, land use, zoning and condominium easement expertise; while leasing activity is centered around sale-leaseback, lease enforcement, tenant bankruptcy and foreclosure matters. Department chair John Sullivan is a ‘pre-eminent practitioner’ for equity, debt, hybrid and joint venture transactions and is closely supported by co-vice chair Barbara Trachtenberg, a lawyer principally focused on development-related joint ventures; the pair operate from Boston alongside the ‘very talented‘ Cara Nelson, who is a junior partner, exemplary of the team’s ‘deep bench strength‘. Elsewhere, the firm is praised as fielding the ‘most knowledgeable and accomplished real estate practice in Washington DC’, where Frederick Klein represents domestic and off-shore investors in large-scale projects throughout the US. The firm has an extensive domestic and international footprint, with other key names based in New York and Chicago.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP has ‘an exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge in all aspects of real estate transactions’. The group leverages a pre-eminent position within New York's real estate market where it is ‘frequently involved in the City’s most significant transactions’, namely the leasing, acquisition, financing and disposition of high-value hotel, retail and office assets, as well as large portfolios. Its lawyers also thrive in respect of development projects across all asset classes, including residential and mixed-use, with true strength in schemes demanding public-private, land use and environmental considerations. Department chair Jonathan Mechanic is ‘well connected with most, if not all, the major players in New York’ having previously served as managing director of HRO international, a real estate developer with a sizeable footprint in Manhattan’s office market. Elsewhere, the ‘technically skilled’ Valerie Kelly is a star name at the Washington DC office where she is recommended for her work on large commercial leasing, acting on behalf of both landlords and tenants. At the more junior end, associate Alexander Sutherland is carving out a solid reputation for complex development projects.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is primarily focused on the representation of real estate operators, investment firms and prominent lenders, supporting them on the full suite of matters in the real estate industry. On the West Coast, Erin Rothfuss in San Francisco and Century City-based Jesse Sharf both provide the team with expertise in sales and dispositions, development projects, fund formation and real estate-related M&A. A significant point of difference for the department is that it is able to leverage an equally robust presence on both sides of the US with debt purchase, restructuring and joint venture specialist Eric Feuerstein fronting the New York offering. Also in New York, Andrew Lance co-chairs the firm’s hotel and hospitality practice; he also has an impressive track record in school, sport and entertainment development projects, particularly those with a public-private partnership component. In an example of the team’s scope and calibre of work, it recently acted for Welltower in a $1bn sale of two portfolios to Kanye Anderson Real Estate Advisors, a transaction which consisted of 27 medical office buildings and seven senior housing facilities spread across 15 states.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP provides full support on each and every stage of national and international real estate projects. The practice is proficient in everything from zoning and land use matters through to acquisitions, construction and eventual leasing with the luxury of being able to call upon the firm’s tax, environmental and litigation departments to fill out the full-service offering. Corey Light is a go-to name for the sale and purchase of commercial property and is based in the firm's Chicago office alongside Michael Baum, a specialist in the formation of US and international real estate opportunity funds, particularly those pertaining to Mexico and Brazil. Elsewhere, in New York, Robert Ivanhoe is rated for his longstanding expertise in financing, workouts and restructurings, while Stephen Rabinowitz provides expertise on sophisticated equity and debt structures in addition to the disposition and leasing of a range of asset classes including office, hospitality, multi-family and condominiums. Another name to note is Richard Giusto, who is based in the Miami office and tailors his practice towards commercial real estate transactions and leasing. The team also has a presence in Los Angeles and Orange County.

‘Superb in its knowledge and capabilities’, Kirkland & Ellis LLP targets high-end private equity sponsors, major pension organizations and sovereign wealth funds, among other institutional investors, supporting them on fund formation, debt restructuring, recapitalization, fundraising and structuring mandates. In New York, Jonathan Schechter is a specialist in joint venture formations, sales and dispositions, real estate-related mergers and major developments while Christopher Hartmann focuses on preferred equity investments and financing affairs. Over in Chicago, Rachel Brown is recommended for workouts, venture formation, sales and acquisition, and Robert Keane in Los Angeles is a name to note for reorganizations and equity investments. Kevin Ehrhart in Los Angeles has experience in handling capital investment towards real estate assets and operating companies. The group counts the industrial and logistics sectors among its chief areas of focus, recently acting for Oak Street Real Estate Capital on several major distribution center transactions. Additional sectors of activity include mainstream and specialized asset classes such as student housing, medical, data center, gaming, hospitality and leisure.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP fields an ‘exceptional real estate team equipped to handle the industry’s most complex matters’. Its roster of clients includes several standout private equity firms and fund managers, opportunity funds and portfolio companies; most notably, The Blackstone Group, which frequently engages the group on a variety of multibillion-dollar portfolio transactions such as the recent $5.7bn acquisition of the industrial real estate assets of Colony Capital. Department chair Gregory Ressa holds a distinguished track record in the M&A of both public and private real estate companies and Krista Miniutti (‘exceptional and highly respected') is a star partner for joint venture, acquisition and disposition matters with a keen eye for public-to-private transactions. Scott Kobak is 'all over the details' when handling transactions on behalf of institutional investors, while at the more junior end of the partnership, Whitney Salinas has closed deals in aggregate of $15bn over the review period. Clients regularly note the real estate department’s ‘integrated and seamless solutions’ owing to its close co-operation with the firm’s capital markets, M&A, tax, financing and private funds practices. Named lawyers are based in New York.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is a force to be reckoned with in the New York real estate market, having recently acted on major developments in all five of the City’s boroughs. The team acts for commercial and civic developers alike, at each stage of a project’s lifespan from initial site acquisition through to the pertinent development agreements and matters beyond. Transactional work is also key, with lawyers frequently acting in the purchase, financing and disposal of commercial, hospitality, industrial and multi-family assets through a range of joint venture and other investment vehicles. Meredith Kane is a household name in the leasehold condominium space, while Peter Fisch has a number of high-profile ground-up and multi-family projects under his belt; the pair jointly head the practice alongside Harris Freidus and Salvatore Gogliormella, both of whom specialize in matters involving healthcare and hospitality assets.

Proskauer Rose LLP commands a dominant position within Manhattan’s leasing market where New York-based Ronald Sernau represents landlords and tenants in their retail and commercial leases. In addition to co-chairing the core real estate department, Sernau also serves as co-head of the firm’s dedicated private equity real estate team, which handles investment transactions on a global basis. The practice group also works in close collaboration with the firm’s construction and finance lawyers to provide a one-stop-shop offering for major projects including mixed-use, residential, hotel, retail center, sport stadium and office schemes. Though it is active across a wide variety of asset classes, its expertise in hospitality, gaming and leisure-related property is of particular note, bolstered by the firm’s dedicated teams for each of these sectors. Jeffrey Horwitz, Steven Lichtenfeld and David Weinberger also operate from New York, jointly heading the practice together with Sernau and Chicago-based Michael Choate. Beyond partner level, associate Eliska Krausova represents a number of real estate investors including private equity, hedge and sovereign wealth funds. Perry Cacace has left the firm.

At Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, a key distinguisher is the heavy emphasis on real estate-related restructuring, which also often sees the team involved in M&A and spin-offs. In addition, the group also counts its joint venture work as a defining trait, working on single asset and portfolio acquisitions of all asset classes via structures such as bridge and preferred equity, forward purchases and cutting-edge hybrid structures. The representation of REITs and real estate funds is also a strength for the group, which has recently advised on numerous fund formations for Opportunity Zone investments, calling upon the firm’s dedicated private funds departments in New York and London to complement its offering in this space. New York-based duo Michael Bond and Philip Rosen jointly chair the practice; the former provides the team with development and leasing expertise, while the latter is recommended for his hospitality and gaming practice which supplements the group’s core asset expertise in the office, co-working platform, retail, student, logistics and mixed-use segments.

At Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, the real estate team is well placed to act across the entire spectrum of matters including acquisitions, dispositions and leasing transactions, large-scale development projects, restructurings and, where applicable, financing and joint venture agreements. Key personnel operate from the New York office, including practice chair Peter Irwin, who specializes in representing private equity funds. Additional names to note include retail and commercial asset specialist Nicole Levin Mesard, and Edward Rishty, who caters to a broad client base of hedge funds, developers, sovereign wealth funds and family offices. Rishty is also recognized for his experience of capital market transactions relating to property.

The ‘deal-oriented’ lawyers at Goodwin impress with their capability to manage ‘the most complicated of transactions’. A high degree of their focus is targeted towards the representation of clients throughout the entire life span of their investments. Specifically, the team assists with the formation of fund investment vehicles, including open-ended, close-end, opt-out and commingled funds, thereafter supporting them on a range of transactions such as joint ventures, direct single asset and portfolio acquisitions, ground-up development projects, financing, construction contracting and leasing mandates. Chaired by Boston-based Minta Kay, the group also regularly represents development and hospitality companies, investment managers, REITs and pension plans on the full array of real estate matters. Elsewhere, Los Angeles-based Dean Pappas is noted for its real estate-related M&A and ground lease expertise, while Jim Broderick is a specialist in the structuring and implementation of equity joint venture and complex debt investments.

The ‘personalized’ service at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP covers the gamut of urban investment, redevelopment, commercial leasing, sale-leaseback and public-private venture mandates, in addition to real estate-related planning and M&A. The group is particularly accomplished in commercial, retail, industrial, multi-family and mixed-use projects, including those involving multi-jurisdictional transaction structures. It has expanded its breadth of activity of late, significantly ramping up its activity in the life sciences, healthcare, and affordable housing sectors. In Dallas, Howard Schreiber jointly leads the department together with New York-based duo Brett Gross and Laurie Grasso, the last of whom has an impressive number of high-value transactions under her belt over the past 12 months. Most notably, Grasso acted for Savanna in its $435 purchase of a 27-story, 500,000 sq ft office building in Manhattan. The group benefits from an extensive national footprint with other key names spread across the Washington DC, Los Angeles, Miami, Richmond and Houston offices.

Lawyers at Jones Day cover the full spectrum of real estate matters; they are particularly well versed in build-to-lease and build-to-suit projects, though cover the full range of sale, purchase, development, finance, leasing, fund service and real estate tax matters. In Chicago, Robert Lee co-chairs the global real estate department alongside Brian Sedlak, who is an expert in public-private partnerships and higher education-related projects. Their team places a high degree of focus on cross-border transactions and global portfolio management, an offering bolstered by its close collaboration with the firm's lawyers in the UK, Europe, Asia and Latin America. A further key point of distinction is that, in addition to mainstream real estate players such as developers, investors and funds, the group also represents other of the firm's corporate clients in all their real estate activities.

Katten’s real estate department primarily targets lenders and investors, advising on portfolio transactions, developments, leasing, financings, operational matters and restructurings. New York-based Timothy Little chairs the practice, which benefits from an expansive domestic office network, with key names in the Chicago, Charlotte and Washington DC offices. The real estate expertise is further complemented by the firm's wider strengths in tax, disputes, corporate, bankruptcy and securities.

Latham & Watkins LLP has expertise in a wide range of real estate-related transactions, including M&A, finance matters and investment deals, catering to a client roster of private equity and sovereign wealth funds, REITs, public investment trusts and developers. In Chicago, Robert Buday jointly chairs the global real estate practice alongside New York-based duo Michael Haas and Michelle Kelban; their team was recently bolstered by the arrival of Los Angeles-based Meghan Cocci from Dentons; she serves as global co-chair of the dedicated hospitality, gaming and leisure industry group alongside Gary Axelrod. The overall department is simultaneously well versed in multi-family, office, retail, healthcare, industrial and mixed-use assets and projects and further increased its partner count through the promotion of acquisition, development and finance specialist Pablo Clarke. With lawyers on both coasts and in Chicago, the team is equipped to handle nationwide single asset and portfolio deals, also frequently calling upon its colleagues across Europe for international mandates.

‘An excellent real estate transaction team’, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP’s real estate department is chaired by the ‘exceptional and detail-oriented’ Gerard Walsh, who is experienced in the full array of matters, including finance, with asset class expertise that spans master planned communities, mixed-use, hotel, resort, retail, corporate campus and commercial projects. Based alongside him in Los Angeles is Randolph Perry, a lawyer who is ‘effective in negotiations’ and specializes in distressed assets and hospitality-related transactions. The team also includes San Francisco-based Michael Liever and Marshall Brozost in New York; both of whom are investment specialists, and act for the team’s roster of institutional, private equity and overseas investors, funds and lenders in portfolio transactions, joint ventures, leasing and development projects.

On the transaction front, Ropes & Gray LLP operates across a variety of deal types including direct, fund and co-investments, joint ventures, tradable credits and loan acquisitions. It also enjoys continued involvement in significant nationwide projects, distinctly acting on numerous life science and laboratory-based schemes, in addition to those made up of more mainstream, mixed-use and data center assets. In New York, Daniel Stanco is highly regarded by his notably broad client roster of equity and hedge funds, developers and public and private REITs and frequently acts for overseas investors on inbound investment into the US as well as matters across the UK, Europe, Canada and elsewhere. Boston-based Jack Creedon has a very strong reputation in debt restructurings, sale-leasebacks and ground-up development projects and is vastly experienced in the representation of university endowments and pension plans.

An ‘incredibly knowledgable, responsive’ and ‘business-oriented’ team, Seyfarth Shaw LLP has notable strengths in all facets of real estate, from acquisitions through to projects and disputes. Among its unique selling points are its dedicated data center services, real estate healthcare and distressed situations sub-practices, as well as its significant presence in the field of public-private partnerships where it represents players on both sides of the equation, acting for state and local government agencies in addition to contractors, project sponsors and facility operators. Atlanta-based practice head Paul Mattingly is a veteran of numerous prominent leasing, development and financing matters; he oversees an expansive team with lawyers in Boston, Los Angeles, Washington DC and the recently opened Seattle office, among other locations. In New York, Cynthia Mitchell is a prominent name for transactions involving nursing homes, assisted living facilities and long-term acute care hospitals.

The ‘very commercial lawyers’ at Vinson & Elkins LLP operate on a national, and sometimes international scope, though are primarily focused on two key markets: New York and Texas. Practice co-head Wallace Schwartz has extensive experience across all facets of real estate with a distinguished level of expertise in hospitality and gaming assets. He is based in the New York office, which also houses commercial leasing specialist Adam Endick. In Dallas, Paul Martin co-leads the national department and has developed a noteworthy reputation among private equity funds, which seek out his advice on acquisition, finance, workout and development mandates. Another key name in Texas is Randy Jurgensmeyer (‘thoughtful and diligent'), who tailors his practice towards the representation of investment funds and institutional investors.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP’s ‘responsive’ real estate team handles a broad caseload, both in terms of matter types and geographical reach. Work over the review period has been spread across California, Washington DC, New York and Florida, among other states, and covers the gamut of transformative development projects, asset and share transactions, major leases and convertible equity investments in addition to a variety of financing matters. David Drewes (‘quick to grasp complex deal structures and nuanced terms’) operates from New York alongside co-chair Thomas Henry, who has particular experience in restructuring and joint venture mandates. Clients also benefit from the firm's capabilities in real estate capital markets and M&A deals, fund formation and extensive asset management services.

Akerman LLP is a major player in the projects space, acting on urban development and redevelopment schemes nationwide in addition to substantial multi-family, self-storage, industrial center, office building and shopping centre developments. In addition, the team also has an emphasis on portfolio transactions. Its offering is complemented by significant land use, environmental, construction and alternative finance expertise. In Fort Lauderdale, Eric Rapkin is active in high-stake real estate disputes throughout the US and also Latin America; he serves as department co-chair alongside Denver-based healthcare asset expert Allison Nelson, and Lawrence Eiben who runs the office, industrial and retail leasing practice from Chicago.

Baker & Hostetler LLP’s real estate team is co-chaired by Robert Gebaide in Orlando and Cleveland-based Amy Kellogg, a contact for property matters in the retail, technology, manufacturing and automotive sectors. The practice places a notable degree of emphasis on industry specific expertise, with other members of the team representing prominent entities in the hospitality, sports, entertainment and healthcare fields. Also among the client roster are developers, REITs, private equity and pension funds, which call upon the team for advice on leasing, sale and acquisition matters in addition to office, mixed-use, industrial, multi-family and mater-planned community projects. The practice group benefits from a broad geographical footprint, with other key names based in Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Denver and New York, and is supported by the firm's finance, regulatory compliance and environmental planning experts.

The real estate department at Ballard Spahr LLP is rather unique from a structural perspective in the sense that it is divided into several dedicated sub-practices. Particularly crucial is the development and complex transactions team, fronted by Tina Makoulian, which specializes in mixed-use, condominium and condemnation projects, leveraging its supplementary land use, construction, leasing and tax structuring knowhow to provide a fully comprehensive service. Elsewhere, Denver-based Christopher Payne chairs the hospitality and timeshare group which is geared to handle timeshare and fractional deals, as well as developments at resort hotels. In Washington DC, Mary Jo George leads the housing practice, regularly acting on substantial affording housing, GSE, tax credit and HUD financing transactions. Finally, Dominic De Simone leads the real estate finance and capital markets work with Bart Mellits, who chairs the wider real estate practice. Named lawyers are based in the Philadelphia office unless otherwise stated.

Clifford Chance is a powerhouse in the real estate investment space, leveraging its extensive international network to act on a range of cross-border transactions. The team frequently represents overseas entities in their inbound investments, formulating complex structures and tax planning in the process, on transactions which often involve trophy properties and sizeable portfolios. A number of US-based clients, particularly private investment funds, institutional investors and REITs, also depend on the group for their real estate transactions and are able to tap into expertise offered by the firm’s complementary financing, capital markets, corporate and tax departments. The 'technically excellent, commercial and solution-driven’ Ness Cohen serves as chairman of the national real estate practice and is based in New York alongside the recently promoted Jeanne Roig-Irwin, praised for her 'tremendous advice'.

Praised by clients for its ‘wealth of knowledge’, Husch Blackwell LLP is well-regarded for corporate real estate transactions, social infrastructure developments and property litigation with distinguished expertise in public-private partnership projects and deals involving stadiums and sporting arenas. Caroline Hermeling leads the department from St. Louis.

At Mayer Brown, the real estate department routinely handles the full gamut of real estate transactions. Its lawyers are active in acquisitions, dispositions and development projects, including those funded by joint ventures, in addition to general asset management matters, financing and high-value leases. Los Angeles-based Brian Aronson chairs the department which demonstrates further breadth of expertise through its frequent handling of private equity transactions, restructurings and real estate-related M&A. Washington DC-based Frank Henneburg is the key contact for matters in the hospitality and leisure sectors, while in Chicago, Paul Meyer co-chairs the real estate department’s cross border practice which is instrumental in handling inbound investment transactions from Europe and Asia.

Morrison Foerster's clients highlight the group’s ‘years of experience in successfully completing transactions’, namely the acquisition, disposition and financing of real estate projects and entire property portfolios. A further field of activity is the joint venture and co-investment space where its lawyers act on a range of structures such as LLCs, LPs and participating development and management agreements. Development projects are also an integral component of the practice which is involved at every stage of substantial schemes including master-planned communities, urban entertainment projects, industrial facilities and large-scale redevelopments. Based in New York, Mark Edelstein fronts the global real estate practice and also serves as co-chair of the distressed real estate department, frequently representing creditors’ committees and secured and unsecured lenders in a variety of workouts and restructurings.

The real estate team at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP is spread across a broad geographical footprint with each office boasting its own unique fields of expertise. On the West Coast, the ‘outstanding’ James Rishwain leads the Los Angeles group, and Noa Clark fronts the San Francisco offering. The California team is a major player in the regional acquisition, disposition and development project market with a documented track record in Southern California’s affordable housing space. Meanwhile in New York, Caroline Harcourt leads the local practice which focuses on the office, health, hospitality, mixed-use and commercial sectors, acting on everything from ground leasing through to complex financings. Finally, in North Virginia, the team is frequently engaged by major developers, international investors and government entities.

Polsinelli PC fields a cross-disciplinary corporate real estate team which supports a variety of corporate clients and other institutions on property-related components of their M&A activity. It is well versed across the entire spectrum of structuring and finance matters including general and limited partnerships, preferred equity investments and joint ventures. Elsewhere, acquisitions, financings and distressed asset transactions pertaining to healthcare assets are particularly prevalent among the workload, owing to the firm’s dedicated practice in that sector. The group is also a major player when it comes to tax credits and economic incentives arising from real estate-related public finance. On the development front, Chicago-based Eric Greenfield is a specialist in multi-family, student housing, self-storage, education and entertainment projects, among others.

Shearman & Sterling LLP is particularly renowned for its leasing work which sees it represent both landlords and tenants in large-scale headquarter, office and ground leases along with sale-leasebacks. Its client base also consists of all forms of investors such as corporate, public and private pension plans, foreign sovereign and quasi-governmental agencies, all of which rely on the group for secondary transactions, fund investment structuring and co-investments. In New York, practice leader Malcolm Montgomery advises on finance components of his team's transactions and also brings to the table a distinguished level of expertise in the Mexican real estate market. The wider group is geared to handle joint venture initiatives, owing to its track record in the formation of partnerships, LLCs and a huge variety of other ownership arrangements.

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is rated for its ‘deep knowledge of both the legal and business issues of real estate development’, an area of strength which routinely sees it involved in large-scale mixed-use, build-to-suit, master-planned community, condominium and public-private partnership projects throughout California. In San Francisco, Keith Garner jointly heads the department alongside Nancy Scull, a San Diego lawyer who in addition to a range of finance matters, is also an expert when it comes to the reshaping and restructuring of development projects. Other core strengths of the department include nationwide sale, purchase, joint venture and equity transactions on behalf of REITs, private equity and pension funds. It also has experience of a range of leasing matters at commercial, data center, broadcasting, telecoms and studio sites, areas where Los Angeles-based Pamela Westhoff is a name to note.

Thompson Hine LLP represents developers nationwide in the full suite of project matters from planning and financing through to leasing and disputes. The team directs particular attention towards headquarter, shopping centre, leisure, corporate expansion and plant development schemes; it also runs a specialized real estate tax finance service, which focuses on public incentives such as new market tax credits, tax increment financing and low-income housing tax credits. Practice head Thomas Coyne provides his team with considerable experience in office leasing, mixed-use projects, public-private partnerships and brownfield redevelopments. Based alongside him in Cleveland is James Aronoff, whose client base includes REITs, real estate equity funds and operating companies which rely on his advice on joint venture, finance and partnership structuring matters.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is active across all asset classes, though places particular emphasis on the hospitality space where it represents sovereign wealth and private equity funds, in addition to the family offices, in the development, financing, selling and purchase of hotel assets. A further field of expertise is the data center space where its lawyers regularly act for REITs at each stage of the development process, from design and construction through to leasing. Contacts in the team include Dallas-based John Bain, who is noted for his energy and retail sector expertise; David Phelps in Los Angeles, who is most active in the healthcare market; and Marc Epstein who works from Fort Worth.

The real estate department at Arnold & Porter is co-chaired by Jeffrey Kapner and Steve Gliatta in New York and Amy Rifkind in Washington DC. Its lawyers possess expertise in all property types, including multi-family and mixed-use, though have been particularly active in the hospitality field of late, overseeing the sale and purchase of numerous distressed hotel assets. The team is also extremely knowledgeable of transactions which consist of finance and joint venture elements and is well resourced to support on ground lease negotiations and substantial development projects. The team also has a presence in San Francisco.

Baker Botts L.L.P. fields a team of ‘seasoned real estate partners with experience in virtually every type of real estate transaction’. Of late, the team has noted an uptick in build-to-suit projects, handled on behalf of equity investors and tenants, and is also increasingly engaged in build-to-core office tower, mixed-use and multi-family development projects by domestic and overseas institutional investors. The group also enjoys a reputable standing in the funds space where it provides comprehensive support, from establishment through to investment portfolio dispositions and asset liquidations. In Houston, Joe Colagiovanni jointly leads the department alongside Connie Simmons Taylor, who is recommended for major office and retail leasing.

A long-established player in the New England real estate market, Brown Rudnick LLP is a full-service real estate outfit with distinguished levels of expertise in portfolio transactions, major developments, distressed assets and environmental affairs. A key point of distinction for the practice is that it is the go-to real estate counsel of several high-profile retailers and restaurants, including Primark, Superdry and Staples. The team also supports numerous resorts on everything from major construction projects to general operational matters. The practice group is led by Boston-based Thomas Phillips, who is also well versed in mixed-use and entertainment-related projects.

The real estate lawyers at Cooley LLP are experts in the proptech field and provide a full-service offering in relation to data center assets, acting at every stage of relevant projects from acquisition, planning and construction through to development financing and subsequent leasing. Department chair John Lavoie, a Reston-based lawyer with a focus on the Washington DC and Mid-Atlantic markets, also handles matters in the office, retail and industrial sectors where he is engaged in purchase, sale, leasing and development mandates, including those relating to corporate headquarters. Lawyers at the firm’s San Diego office are particularly active in the finance and investment fields and represent numerous private equity and opportunity funds.

Fielding a ‘deep and talented bench of real estate lawyers’, Dickinson Wright PLLC is active across an array of projects and transactions in the mixed-use, residential, hospitality, industrial, retail and office spaces. The team’s core real expertise is supplemented by specialist knowledge of land use and zoning, permitting, government incentives, brownfield development and construction affairs; it also in conjunction with the firm’s corporate and M&A department to handle real estate-related M&A, recapitalizations, private equity investment and venture capital financings. Based in Michigan, Katheryne Zelenock chairs the finance practice with Michael Lusardi, who leads the dirt offering.

Originally founded as a real estate boutique, Herrick, Feinstein LLP, is a long-established and well-connected participant in New York’s real estate market. The practice is adept in projects and transactions relating to retail, sporting, condominium, entertainment, hospitality, residential and office assets, providing a one-stop-shop service, with additional expertise in land use and zoning, finance, tax, public-private partnership and environmental matters. Belinda Schwartz (‘an outstanding team leader’) chairs the department and is a veteran of several of New York’s largest development projects in addition to various portfolio transactions, restructuring, fund formation and joint venture mandates. The team is also an active participant in the field of Opportunity Zones and is currently involved in over a dozen ongoing projects in that space.

Jones Walker LLP is recognized in this space for its experience of federal, state and local tax-increment financing and other development-related opportunities. Its project work is far reaching, encompassing major development, constructing contract, planning, permitting, zoning, licensing and management matters across numerous asset classes, namely energy, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, mixed-use and affordable housing. The team, which is headed by Alabama-based Henry O’Connor III, also handles numerous high-value acquisitions and dispositions, including those involving distressed assets. It also has an active leasing practice.

K&L Gates' real estate team lends support on the acquisition, development, leasing and finance of real estate assets and is co-chaired by Shannon Skinner in Seattle and Charleston-based Matthew Norton. The firm also has a presence in New York and Washington DC, and leverages its international platform in the representation of international investment funds on their inbound real estate acquisitions. The practice group also works in collaboration with the firm's global resort, hospitality and leisure projects group. It has also expanded its work for private equity and hedge funds of late.

An active name in the dirt transactional field, Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP serves as counsel on single-asset and portfolio deals, financings, workouts and restructurings and major leases at office and retail sites. The team is also acclaimed for its ‘impressive breadth of knowledge in development-related matters’, with extensive experience in office, residential, mixed-use and shopping center projects, including those initiated by joint venture agreements. Another area of strength for the team is the ‘strong real estate litigation’ capability, a particular forte of ‘exceptional’ practice head David Skezer. The team is primarily focused on the New York market, though it is also engaged in matters across the US, most recently in Miami, Pennsylvania and California.

King & Spalding LLP is active in sales, purchases, joint ventures, development projects and real estate-related M&A, and also offers complementary support on finance and tax structuring. Among the key contacts are New York duo Erik Andersen and Jennifer Morgan, Atlanta-based Joshua Kamin and Mark Thigpen in the Charlotte office.

At Loeb & Loeb LLP, commercial leasing is a major field of activity for the team which handles leasing matters at sporting venues, technology campuses, museums and medical facilities in addition to more mainstream office, retail, leisure and industrial sites. It also supports its investor clients on single-asset and portfolio deals across a broad array of transaction types such as co-venture arrangements, preferred equity transactions and sale-leasebacks. The final keystone of the practice is its disputes offering, which spans contentious landlord and tenant, land use and zoning, title claims, mortgage lien, environmental and bankruptcy matters. New York-based Raymond Sanseverino serves as department chair.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP supports a client roster of REITs, pension and private equity funds, developers, corporates, institutional lenders and higher education bodies on the full array of real estate matters. Highlights have included workouts, overseas and domestic investments, leasing, development, land assemblage and real estate-related tax. Eric Stern and Jeannine Bishop are the key lawyers in Philadelphia, while Richard Toelke is a name to note in Boston and Marc Liverant is the main point of contact in Los Angeles.

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has been particularly busy on the acquisition and disposition front over the review period and has also handled a number of large-scale development and commercial leasing matters. It operates across a number of property types including office, hotel, retail and warehousing in addition to its niche strengths in transportation, solar and timber assets. It is, however, the residential space which has been an especially fruitful field of activity of late, with the team having been engaged in numerous student accommodation, affordable housing and multi-family projects. Atlanta-based Andrew Litvak heads up the practice, counting a variety of investors, namely sponsorship groups and private equity funds, among his key clients.

The team at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP is based in New York, but is active in property matters nationwide, representing real estate and private equity funds, institutional and non-institutional investors in transactions related to a range of property assets, namely hotel, residential, industrial, retail and commercial. Its strength in the investment space is supplemented by a dual lender and borrow real estate finance practice, as well as leasing expertise which is centered around negotiations and renewals at investment management, financial services and law firm offices. Julian Wise chairs the department and is adept in both dirt and finance matters.

At Troutman Pepper, the team covers all product types though is particularly well versed in retail, energy and hospitality assets, spreading its practice across acquisition, sale, investment, financing and commercial leasing. The team provides a one-stop-shop service through its close collaboration with the firm’s environmental, land use, corporate, partnership and tax attorneys and places a high degree of emphasis on protecting and maximizing property ownership and use rights. In Atlanta, Anthony Greene serves as department head and represents a client roster of domestic and international investment trusts, lenders, owners and developers.

White & Case LLP’s real estate department is chaired by Eugene Leone who focuses on the representation of private equity, entrepreneurial and public companies, among other investors, in their joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions, leasing and workout transactions. Leone divides his time between Chicago and New York though the group operates a nationwide practice, with other key names based in the Florida office. The wider team excels in respect of construction, development, leasing, asset management and finance matters with primary expertise in office, industrial, hospitality, mixed-use and residential assets.

The ‘exemplary’ real estate department hosted by Winston & Strawn LLP is principally focused on the industrial, retail, hospitality, affordable housing and multi-family sectors though is proficient across all asset types. The client roster consists of funds, asset managers and REITs, which the team represents in acquisitions, sales, financings and sale-leasebacks, drawing upon the firm’s wider capabilities in fund formation and fundraising when required. New York-based Corey Tessler, a finance specialist, chairs the department and has extensive experience in the structuring of preferred equity transactions.