We are of the world’s pre-eminent law firms in the real estate investment trust (REIT) and real estate securities space, offering highly experienced tax practitioners familiar with all aspects of REIT taxation.
REITs are used by some 35 countries worldwide − among them Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Kenya and South Africa − and provide a consistent return premium. When public, they have attributes of liquidity, transparency, monitoring and access to public debt and equity financing. We are one of the leading law firms in REIT and real estate securities, experienced in all aspects of REIT taxation, including the use of operating partnerships in UPREIT structures, long-term incentive plans (LTIPs) and the pension-held REIT rules.
Local insights, international resources: with teams in 20 African countries, we offer a strong local presence backed by one of the world’s biggest law firms. Our lawyers understand the specific political, cultural, regulatory and economic issues that affect real estate investment funds in the region.
Our global Africa team comprises more than 200 lawyers in Johannesburg and Casablanca, and other key financial centers, among them London, New York, Paris, Dubai, Perth, Hong Kong and Beijing.
For almost 25 years, our lawyers have played a significant role around the world in advising publicly traded REITs, private REITs and real estate operating and finance companies in all stages of their lifecycles: from REIT formation, roll up transactions and initial public offerings to secondary debt and equity offerings, OP unit and downREIT transactions, complex acquisition and financing transactions, and M&A transactions.
Key capabilities include:
- public REITs: we regularly represent underwriters in connection with publicly registered REIT debt and equity offerings, with our REIT lawyers serving as underwriters’ counsel for numerous IPOs and designated as primary underwriters’ counsel for offerings by many other REITs
- private REITS: we represent real estate owners/operators, tax-exempt institutional investors, foreign investors and private equity funds in a wide variety of private REIT transactions
- we also have significant experience in using private REITs as part of the organizational structure of private equity funds to minimize taxes for tax-exempt investors, foreign investors and fund sponsors
- we represent owners/operators in connection with incubator transactions involving the formation of private REITs that intend to pursue a going public exit strategy
- joint ventures and other structures: our tax, regulatory, corporate and real estate experience enables us to represent clients in the formation, structuring, acquisition and disposition of real estate joint ventures and other entity structures
Please contact us to discuss how we can help you to achieve your objectives.