Goodwin continues to be a leading force in the market representing public and private REITs in a wide range of transactional matters. REIT equity and debt issues, REIT M&A, as well as REIT joint venture investments all serve as key pillars to the practice. The team has actively represented REITs and underwriters in REIT IPOs and is committed to assisting US REITs with their globalization efforts. The practice is co-led by REIT experts Yoel Kranz and Ettore Santucci. New York-based Kranz is the go-to for clients requiring expertise in corporate mergers and acquisitions, he also advises on issues involving derivatives such as derivatives within capital market transactions.  Over in Boston, Santucci specializes in representing publicly traded REITs and real estate companies in matters including IPOs, M&A, executive compensation and corporate governance. Other key Boston team members include Scott Chase who acts on corporate and security-related issues, business law specialist Caitlin Tompkins, and REITs and capital markets expert William Goldberg. Christopher Versfelt is also a part of the Boston practice and is noted for his expertise on REIT M&A.

Premier REIT firm Hogan Lovells US LLP is the go-to firm for many public REITs and represents a large number of prominent and upcoming REITs as company or underwriter’s counsel in the US. Due to the firm’s international presence it is also well-versed in advising on any potential cross-border matters. The practice has a top notch REIT tax team and is well-versed on REIT M&A transactions as well as IPOs, joint ventures, capital markets, and corporate governance. The practice is jointly led by David Bonser and Cristina Arumi from Washington DC. Bonser is a well known REITs lawyer with over 30 years of experience advising public and private companies on corporate, securities, and partnership transactions. He specializes in assisting real estate companies with raising capital. Arumi leads on the the REITs tax space, focusing on tax aspects of capital markets and complex M&A. Mike McTiernan advises public REITs on corporate and securities matters from Washington DC, while Josh Scala advises REIT clients such as Welltower on tax issues from San Francisco. Washington DC-based REIT M&A expert Stacey McEvoy is also noted for her prowess in M&A and joint venture transactions. Newly promoted partner Lauren Clarke is also key to tax aspects of REIT transactions and divides her time between Denver and New York. Washington DC-based Prentiss Feagles is a prominent lawyer in REIT tax.

Latham & Watkins LLP‘s top-tier REIT practice is co-headed by Julian Kleindorfer in Los Angeles and Ana O’Brien in Century City who are both experts in REIT-related matters. The team is praised for being ‘subject-matter experts‘ and possessing ‘unparalleled expertise‘. It is known for its longstanding experience in REIT roll-up IPOs and M&A transactions. The practice also has a strong presence in debt and equity offerings of REITs. Kleindorfer is regularly mandated by clients to advise on M&A and corporate finance matters. He is well-versed in advising on securities and is located in Los Angeles. In Century City, O’Brien specializes in federal taxation of corporations and REITs, she is the go-to for any tax-related issues that occur during transactions. Capital markets specialist Lewis Kneib acts as counsel to REITs and investment banks, advising on capital markets transactions, equity and debt offerings, and private placements from Century City. William Cernius also serves as corporate and securities counsel from Orange County, while Abigail Smith recently joined from Hogan Lovells and sits in Washington D.C. and represents issuers and underwriters in REIT transactions. Brent Epstein and Craig Garner, who reside in Century City and San Diego respectively, are also noted.

In Baltimore, Ballard Spahr LLP is a go-to firm for specialist Maryland corporation law knowledge, where it excels in advising its clients on both public and private Maryland REITs and their related tax, corporate, securities, and bankruptcy issues. The team continues to hold close relationships with REIT clients while also serving as corporate counsel. Practice head Douglas Fox is well-versed in counselling REITs, mutual funds, and other investment companies in capital raising transactions, corporate governance, and M&A. Co-head senior counsel Charles Moran is an expert in representing REITs, life sciences and healthcare clients in complex corporate transactions. Thomas Bashore is key to the team and focuses on entity formation and organization, corporation law and public offerings. All aforementioned lawyers are based in Baltimore.

DLA Piper LLP (US) is known for its expertise in public non-traded REITs and also possesses a strong publicly listed REITs practice. Clients of the firm also benefit from the dedicated national REIT tax practice led by New York-based Shiukay Hung. Hung advises real estate sponsors and investors on REIT tax matters and frequently speaks at events on REIT tax. Over in Raleigh, Robert Bergdolt leads the REIT practice of the firm and is the go-to for non-trade public REIT expertise and M&A-related REIT transactions. Real estate specialist Kerry Johnson is an expert in capital market matters involving publicly listed REITs and is based in Chicago, while in San Diego Darryl Steinhause is well-versed in securities and tax transactions. Christopher Stambaugh sits in Raleigh and specializes in NAV REITs. The Baltimore office of the firm enables it to advise on specific Maryland law-related REIT issues.

Advising both public and private REITs, the REITs team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP combines its capital markets, tax, real estate, and M&A expertise to advise on a variety of matters. The offers nationwide expertise across key business centres including New York, Chicago, and Houston. Acquisitions involving REITs and securitization of data centers are some of the recent matters handled by the team. The practice has also assisted healthcare REITs and has helped launch new non-traded REITs in the net lease space. Michael Brueck represents buyers and sellers in REIT M&A, while Mike Beinus handles the tax side of REIT transactions. Both aforementioned lawyers are based in New York.

Alice Connaughton and Larry Medvinsky jointly lead the REITs practice at Morrison Foerster from Washington DC, with Connaughton regularly representing a number of non-listed REITs in corporate transactions, while Medvinsky is noted for his ability to handle IPOs and secondary fundraises. David Slotkin handles major transactions for the practice including a preferred equity investment in the multifamily space and continues to represent underwriters and companies in debt and equity securities. Justin Salon is a capital markets expert and represents both public and private companies in transactions including debt-related transactions and common stock offerings. San Diego-based Shane Shelley is the go-to REIT tax attorney of the practice. Notable team members include Washington DC-based Andrew Campbell who has represented underwriters and privately held REITs in securities transactions, and John Hensley is well-versed in IPOs, follow-on offerings, and private placements and resides in Austin. Unless otherwise mentioned, all lawyers listed are based in Washington DC.

Split between New York and Chicago, Proskauer Rose LLP‘s real estate capital markets practice is led by Michael Choate and Steven Lichtenfeld from New York and Chicago, respectively. The practice is historically known for its expertise in the non-traded REIT sector, but has recently been expanding its scope to include private REITs. Choate is a specialist in private equity and joint venture transactions, while also handling M&A and corporate governance for REIT clients. Lichtenfeld has long-standing expertise in rea estate capital markets, advising REITs on debt and equity securities, preferred equity investments and joint ventures. The team is trusted by clients in a number of asset classes such as retail, healthcare, data centers, and single family homes.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is known for its strong relationship with Blackstone, assisting with their full spectrum of REIT transactions, including REIT M&A and IPOs. Recently the practice has been assisting underwriters with senior notes offerings and tender offerings. Other than Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, the firm represents a number of externally managed REITs where it has actively advised on their launches and continues to represent them in matters. Brian Stadler is a M&A expert and key to the team’s relationship with Blackstone, representing REITs in leveraged buyouts, acquisitions and dispositions, and joint ventures. Stadler leads the practice alongside Edgar Lewandowski who focuses on the capital markets side of REIT matters and is particularly noted for his knowledge on REIT spin-offs. For tax-related issues Nancy Mehlman is the go-to, she has expertise in real estate transactional tax issues as well as tax-related problems relating to M&As, partnerships, and joint ventures. All aforementioned lawyers are based in New York.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP has a diverse REIT offering, assisting with equity, mortgage, hybrid, public and private REITs and covering the full scope of matters from M&A and REIT formation to recapitizations, financings, and reorganizations. It fields a well-rounded tax team, as well as having both a strong national and international REITs team. It is often sought out by clients for creating new types of REITs, with notable work on the formation of gaming, timber, and excess MSR REITs. The practice advises issuers and underwriters on complex transactions. The team is co-led by David Goldschmidt in New York, Gregg Noel who splits his time between Palo Alto and Los Angeles, David Polster who leads from Chicago, and Harvey Uris who is also a part of the New York practice.

 

Public and private REITs both benefit from their relationships with the REITs practice at Sullivan & Worcester LLP, which specializes in REIT tax issues, M&A, secured and unsecured financings, and preferred and common equity offerings. Ameek Ashok Ponda is a director in the tax practice and is an authority on REIT tax issues and regularly lectures at Boston University. Practice head Angela Gomes is a corporate finance specialist and handles securities matters for REITs. Avinash Rao advises public companies on securities law and represents REITs in M&A, equity and debt financings, and joint ventures. Lindsey Getz focuses on public REITs, while Shu Wei handles equity and debt financing work. Also noted is newly promoted partner Sarah Wellings who excels in REIT-related tax issues. All aforementioned lawyers are part of the Boston practice. Brian Hammell left the practice in August 2023.

A Maryland-based REITs practice, Venable LLP is a key name for firms requiring counsel on Maryland specific REIT issues. Publicly traded Maryland REITs are the main focus of the team, it also advises SEC-registered, non-listed REITs and private REITs on Maryland corporate law such as IPOs, M&A, and equity and debt offerings. Corporate governance is a key area of advisory work the firm does for public REITs. James Hanks is an expert on Maryland corporate law, Patricia McGowan is a leading REITs corporate lawyer and acts as counsel to issues in stock and debt offerings, and practice head Michael Schiffer handles both public and private REIT issues such as M&A. Christopher Pate is the go-to for matters involving non-listed REITs such as liquidations, mergers, and potential conflicts of interest. Also noted is Carmen Fonda who is an expert in Maryland corporate and business entity law. The aforementioned team are all based in Baltimore.

Clifford Chance‘s REITs offering sits as part of its larger global financial markets practice and is led by finance experts Andrew Epstein, Jason Myers, and Kathleen Werner. Jay Bernstein is a well-respected REIT specialist focusing on the creation of innovative permeant capital vehicles and currently acts as senior counsel for the practice. Werner represents the firm’s bank clientele in M&A, while Epstein represents issuers, underwriters, and initial purchasers with public and private capital market transactions. Myers excels in advising public companies on corporate finance matters. The firm is also noted for its cross-border capabilities, with Jake Farquharson advising on domestic and international capital market transactions, M&A, and joint ventures. Lawyers are based in New York.

The REITs practice at Greenberg Traurig, LLP has a history of assisting with capital market transactions for private, traded, and non-traded REITs throughout the US. As part of the practice, the REIT tax team is well-versed in structuring the formation of private and public REITs, as well as advising on any tax-related issues that occur during mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions. Capital markets expert Joseph Herz leads on M&A and represents both issuers and underwriters in private offerings and initial offerings. He co-heads the global REIT practice alongside Robert Ivanhoe, who focuses on real estate structures, financings, and workouts. Both practice heads are based in New York. Jennifer Weiss who resides in Boston and New York-based Timothy Donovan assist with REIT-related tax matters.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP‘s real estate capital markets, tax, and M&A practices all work seamlessly together to assist its largely publicly-traded REIT client base with real estate capital market transactions, M&As, and IPOs. The firm has expanded its reach to include equity and debt transactions where it acts as both issuer’s and underwriter’s counsel. It is particularly strong in representing public REITs as underwriters counsel and is well-versed in mortgage securitization for mortgage REITs. Robert Smith leads the real estate capital markets side from Washington DC and is an expert on public REIT transactions, including corporate and securities matters. Kendal Sibley co-leads the practice from Richmond and is an expert in federal tax issues involving equity and mortgage REITs. In Houston, James Davidson advises issuers and underwriters on IPOs, while Kate Saltz is the go-to for corporate finance-related REITs issues over in Richmond.

King & Spalding is noted for its comprehensive corporate, finance, and investment practice which regularly assists REITs in public offerings, fund formation, and finance transactions. The practice has largely been assisting private REITs but also handles public REITs, assisting with cross-border transactions including M&A and equity and debt financings. The practice is led in part by Spencer Johnson from Atlanta, who assists REIT clients with fund formation, equity capital market matters and corporate governance. Kathryn Furman is key to the Atlanta practice, taking the lead on capital raising activities, while fellow Atlanta-based partner Keith Townsend handles IPOs. Over in New York, Tony Rothermel leads the other half of the practice, focusing on M&A.

Mayer Brown‘s REIT practice is led by Anna Pinedo from New York, she is a capital markets specialist and has a wealth of experience in financings for REITs, as well as acting as underwriters counsel for a number of public REITs. Securitizations are a key part of the practice as well as public offerings and M&A. David Freed is an integral part of the practice, focusing on equity and mortgage REITs on private placements, IPOs, and follow-on offerings. Representing REIT issuers, sponsors and investment banks, Brian Hirshberg is particularly noted for his expertise in public equity and debt offerings. Both aforementioned lawyers are based in New York. Over in the Chicago practice, Haukur Gudmundsson assists with securitizations and structured finance transactions and Susannah Schmid handles mortgage loan transactions.

Focusing on real estate capital markets, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP represents both public and private REITs in equity and debt investments, private and public equity offerings, and M&A. The practice handles a number of real estate asset classes from affordable housing and multifamily to healthcare and hotels. Practice head Lauren Prevost is based in Atlanta and is well-versed in representing issuers and underwriters in IPOs and follow on offerings. Also part of the Atlanta practice is Seth Weiner who handles a range of corporate finance transactions for REITs, and Aresh Homayoun who is an expert in federal income tax issues. Shannon McNulty is another primary team member in Atlanta focused on REIT transactions.

Equity and debt securities offerings are a standout feature of Paul Hastings LLP‘ REIT practice which uses its equity and derivatives expertise to handle complex forward sales transactions. The team represents public and private real estate companies, underwriters and investors and has handled matters such as follow-on offerings, M&As, joint ventures, and debt financings. Securities and capital markets specialist Yariv Katz is key to the practice, acting as underwriters’ counsel for a umber or REITs and leading on equity and debt securities offerings from New York. Los Angeles-based Pablo Clarke advises on real estate finance transactions including representing REITs on loan and refinancing matters.

Vinson & Elkins LLP‘s REIT practice is led out of Richmond by Daniel LeBey who specializes in REIT securities offerings, while the REIT tax team is led by Chris Mangin in Washington DC. The firm handles a number of REIT transactions including capital market transactions such as equity and debt securities, as well as REIT formation transactions. The team has also been active in mergers between publicly owned REITs, between REITs and C-corporations as well as acquisitions of public and private REITs over the last year. Greg Cope advises REITs on a full spectrum of issues from initial formation to corporate governance and joint ventures, and corporate finance specialist Chris Green is also noted. Both the aforementioned lawyers are based in Washington DC. Paige Anderson is key to the Richmond practice with her expertise in federal income tax and tax-related public and private REIT issues, as well as tax planning for equity and mortgage REITs.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP represents key real estate companies and public REITs in REIT transactions. Clientele seek out the team for its expertise on formation of joint ventures, debt offerings, acquisitions and divestments, and distressed matters. Team lead Philip Rosen uses his background in real estate and infrastructure to advise on REIT acquisitions and debt cases, while co-lead Evan Levy excels in REIT transactions, focusing on REIT formations. Also noted is Jannelle Seales who centers her work on M&A, divestitures, and joint ventures. All aforementioned lawyers are based in New York. Michael Bond  has retired from practice.