Gary E. Axelrod > Latham & Watkins LLP > Chicago, United States > Lawyer Profile

Advising clients that include global and domestic private equity investors, REITs and financial institutions, Latham & Watkins LLP’s  nationwide real estate team is known for its strong record advising on large transactions, financings, and joint venture investment work across a wide variety of asset classes and jurisdictions. Having been involved in a number of high-value sales, acquisitions, mergers, and spinoffs on both the borrower and lenders sides, the firm also possesses strong cross-border experience, illustrated by its advising of Apollo on a €1bn investment into a real estate portfolio located in Northern Germany. Michael Haas and Michelle Kelban, both based in New York, co-chair the department while vice-chair Rachel Bates leads from Chicago. Also in Chicago is co-chair of the hospitality, gaming & leisure industry group, Gary E. Axelrod , who has led on numerous transactions and mixed-use developments within the sector; also highly experienced in the hospitality sector is Meghan Cocci, who acts as the fellow co-chair of the group, this time from the firm’s Century City office. New York-based commercial real estate transaction attorneys Justin Elliott and Mark Semotiuk are further key contacts.