Sullivan & Worcester LLP are one of the foremost players in the REITs space, with their premier REIT tax capabilities ranging across US and foreign sponsors, public offerings, and complex cross-border tax considerations, based in Boston. The team also possesses a strong international tax and transactional offering in areas such as M&A, working with sovereign wealth funds and venture capital firms. Practice co-chair Ameek Ashok Ponda is recognized for his work in public and private REITs across an array of real property sectors. Co-chair Richard Jones concentrates on SALT and transactional tax planning. Sarah Wellings handles REIT formation, conversion across sectors such as data centres, timberlands and agricultural properties. Douglas Stransky is another key name focusing on international tax planning, notably in the fintech and cryptocurrency space.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- Sarah Wellings is, quite simply, the best lawyer we have ever worked with. Her expertise extends far beyond tax and REIT matters, encompassing governance, financing, and complex commercial issues. Decades of experience and technical mastery make her an indispensable partner. Sarah is our central point of contact who makes everything seamless. Her in-house counsel background gives her a unique client perspective: she anticipates needs, solves problems before they arise, and delivers concise, well-structured updates that simplify even the most intricate issues. She coordinates effortlessly with all parties involved. Her judgment is exceptional. Sarah strikes the perfect balance between comprehensive academic rigor and practical, business-oriented advice. She combines technical REIT/tax excellence with commercial instincts, ensuring every recommendation is both legally sound and strategically smart. Her ability to translate complex law into clear, actionable guidance is unmatched. Sarah is incredibly responsive without ever sacrificing quality. She treats our matters as her own, demonstrating a rare ownership mindset and collaborative spirit. Her integrity is uncompromising, giving us absolute confidence in her counsel. In short, Sarah Wellings defines legal excellence: reliable, commercially minded, and client-focused. Working with her feels like being in the safest possible hands; she consistently exceeds expectations and orchestrates complex transactions with clarity and precision.
Key clients
- Agero, Inc.
- Akamai Technologies, Inc.
- American Tower Corporation
- Comcast Corporation
- Equinix, Inc.
- Iron Mountain Incorporated
- International Transportation Marine Office, LLC
- Lumen
- Seven Hills Realty Trust
- Industrial Logistics Properties Trust
- RMR Group
- Service Properties Trust
- Diversified Healthcare Trust
- Manhattan Bridge Capital, Inc.
- Manulife US REIT
- Prime US REIT
Work highlights
Sullivan provides tax counsel and regularly provides public tax opinions to the largest public REITs in the world, including 10 public U.S. REITs and two public Singapore REITs. Sullivan represents two of the five largest U.S. public REITs, American Tower Corporation and Equinix, Inc., and 6 other large public equity REITs with aggregate market capitalizations exceeding $214 billion, comprising over 15% of the equity REIT constituents of the FTSE Nareit All REITs Index as of August 31, 2025.
Sullivan represents Aligned Data Centers as special tax and REIT counsel in the sale of its equity to a partnership for $40 billion to a consortium of investors including Nvidia, Microsoft, BlackRock, and xAI. We are advising our client on the tax and REIT implications of the transaction.
Sullivan was placement agent’s counsel for A.G.P/Alliance Global Partners in connection with a $1.5 billion direct offering and concurrent PIPE offering of common stock (or equivalent) by ALT5 Sigma (Nasdaq: ALTS), and provided U.S. tax advice in connection with the matter.
Practice head
Ameek Ashok Ponda; Richard Jones
Other key lawyers
Douglas Stransky; Sarah Wellings