Kirkland & Ellis LLP advises high-profile sponsors and asset managers across the full life cycle of real estate finance, from fund formation and capital raising to acquisitions, restructurings, and exits. The practice is jointly led by Victoria Shusterman in New York and Rachel Brown in Chicago, who frequently handle mezzanine financings, credit facilities, and workouts. New York–based Seth Henslovitz advises lenders and borrowers on commercial mortgage debt and restructurings, while Matthew Bettinger focuses on originations and syndications. In 2025, the team welcomed private equity specialist Yaman Shukairy from TPG Real Estate, alongside Michelle Kelban and Meghan Cocci, both from Latham & Watkins, who bring expertise in financing, restructuring, and hospitality.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The Kirkland & Ellis real estate team is comprised of highly skilled and experienced attorneys who are a pleasure to work with. They are able to negotiate extremely complicated documents with opposing counsel, while at the same time explaining the issues to the client in a very clear and concise way. They keep everything organized by holding each party (including themselves) accountable to meet deadlines. All of this makes the closing process much easier and efficient for the client to manage.’
‘Like anything else in life, you have to enjoy working with the people around you. The Kirkland team members are good people whom I enjoy spending time with both on deals and outside the office in a social setting. Being able to create a more personal relationship helps the parties establish a level of trust that ultimately makes working together easier and more enjoyable. ’
‘The new head of the real estate finance practice, Victoria Shusterman, is an attorney I always dreaded having opposite me on a deal, because she is so good and so tough. It's now a pleasure to have her as part of my arsenal, and she has closed several difficult deals for us, and they all went very smoothly.’
- 'Matthew Bettinger was a great addition to the practice, and he handled a very large and complex deal with a notoriously difficult borrower. Matt's general attitude and demeanor helped diffuse what could have been difficult situations. ’
Key clients
- KKR
- Blue Owl Capital
- King Street Capital Management L.P. and Colovore LLC
- Starwood Capital Group
- BDT & MSD Partners
- Access Point Financial
- Agellan
Work highlights
Represented Blue Owl Capital $610 million construction loan for the development of a 50 MW AI/HPC data center located in northern Virginia, leased to a hyperscaler.
Represented KKR on $155 million financing of an approximately 650-unit portfolio of two multifamily rental properties located in Dallas, Texas, and Issaquah, Washington.
Represented Starwood on the lending of construction loans to finance the development of a 46-story project, 30-25 Queens Blvd., consisting of 451 multifamily units, 110 for-sale residential condos, and approximately 21,000 square feet of retail space in Long Island City.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Victoria Shusterman; Rachel Brown
Other key lawyers
Seth Henslovitz; Matthew Bettinger; Kimberly McGrath; Yaman Shukairy; Michelle Kelban; Meghan Cocci