Keith Barnett > Proskauer Rose LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile
Proskauer Rose LLP Offices
11 TIMES SQUARE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10036-8299
NEW YORK
United States
Keith Barnett

Work Department
Real Estate
Position
Keith Barnett is co-chair of Proskauer’s Real Estate Department. He advises international, national, and local clients in all aspects of commercial real estate, including real estate finance, development, acquisitions, sales, and leasing. With more than 30 years in the industry, Keith has represented a wide variety of clients, including private equity fund sponsors, developers, life insurance companies, commercial banks, and some of the world’s largest publicly traded and private retailers through the successful completion of numerous large and complex real estate transactions. Recently, Keith has led numerous high-profile deals and developments which include, amongst others: luxury hotel and condominium projects, multibillion-dollar retail anchored mixed use developments, large distribution centers (including for some of the world’s largest online businesses) and multi-family residential projects.
As a leading commercial real estate attorney, Keith counsels clients on a wide range of legal and business real estate matters across industries and sectors. He represents United States-based retailers in all their real estate needs, including acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, permitting and development. He also advises clients in connection with numerous major real estate developments, such as hotel projects, retail developments, office buildings, biotechnology and high technology facilities, residential developments, warehouse and industrial facilities and academic buildings.
In addition, Keith has an active practice representing owners and tenants in connection with leasing transactions as well as buyers and sellers of real estate across asset classes.
In the area of real estate finance, Keith has significant experience with traditional mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments and so-called “bond leases,” “synthetic leases” and other accounting and tax sensitive transactions. He also advises clients in various positions with respect to options and opportunities, including loan workouts, foreclosure advice, and debt and equity restructurings.
Keith regularly teaches and speaks on issues related to real estate law. For more than a decade, he has conducted graduate-level seminars for business, architecture and real estate students at MIT, New York University and Columbia University. He has also frequently taught Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education courses on the basics of commercial real estate law and has presented to many in-house business and legal groups.
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Real estate > Real estate
Advising on a range of matters that include leases, financings, joint ventures, and restructurings, Proskauer Rose LLP is praised by clients for its ‘high quality thinking and legal work’, regularly acting for large investors, operators, and developers, with experience on all sides of transactions. The real estate department is led by Keith Barnett and Ronald Sernau, the first of which is based in Boston and the latter in New York. In Boston, Sean Boulger is particularly knowledgeable in life sciences and senior housing along with a range of real estate transactions, with Katelyn O’Brien regularly advising on financings, developments, acquisitions, and dispositions. Active across a wide range of geographies and asset classes, the firm also stands out for its hospitality, leisure and gaming group for which New York partner Robert Shmalo is a key member. Also in New York is Paul Polking, who has experience representing landlords and tenants on a range of transactions and deal structuring mandates, and commercial and retail leases and subleases.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Labor and employment > Labor-management relations
- Industry focus > Sport
- Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling
Firm Rankings
- Media, technology and telecoms > Advertising and marketing: litigation
- Insurance > Advice to policyholders
- Investment fund formation and management > Alternative/hedge funds
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Labor and employment > ERISA litigation
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Tax > International tax
- Tax > Not-for-profit (Fortune 1000 private foundations, national trade associations, and charities)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: middle-market (Up to $500m)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Real estate > Real estate
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Intellectual property > Copyright
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Labor and employment > Immigration
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: litigation
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Healthcare > Service providers
- Media, technology and telecoms > Technology transactions
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Real estate > Real estate finance
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending