The New York-based real estate finance practice at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is a strong firm for lenders requiring assistance with acquisitions, loan originations, and joint venture financing. Krystyna Blakeslee leads the practice and is an expert in commercial real estate finance and investment. She is key to the practice’s commercial real estate transactions, representing real estate companies, funds, institutional lenders, and banks, and is also well-versed in a wide range of asset classes from data centers and retail to hospitality and construction. Co-heads Carly Glover Saviano, David Drewes, and Thomas Henry are real estate specialists focusing on transactions, acquisitions and dispositions. All aforementioned lawyers are based in New York. Misty Sanford leads the recently established Los Angeles real estate team for the firm.
Key clients
- Access Industries Inc.
- Adept Development
- AGC Equity Partners
- Aspen Skiing Company
- Breakthrough Properties
- The Broad Museum
- Brookfield
- Cain International
- Capital Senior Living Corporation
- Caruso Affiliated Holding
- Centerbridge Partners
- Choice Hotels International
- CIM Group & CIM Real Estate Credit
- Commerz Real Fund
- DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (fka Colony Capital)
- Column Financial, Inc. (Credit Suisse)
- The Davis Companies
- DiamondRock Hospitality, Inc.
- Faropoint
- GI Partners
- Goldman Sachs
- Harbor Group International (HGI)
- Harel Insurance Investments and Financial Services Ltd.
- HIG Realty Partners
- Hines Interests Limited Partnership
- Hudson’s Bay Company
- IO Data Centers LLC
- Jiaming Investment (Group) Co., Ltd.
- JP Morgan
- KKR
- Lyric Opera of Chicago
- Mack Real Estate Credit Strategies
- Meadow Partners
- Mesa West
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
- MSD Capital
- Natixis
- Oaktree Capital Management
- Paramount Group, Inc.
- Reverance Capital Partners
- SL Green Realty
- St. John’s University
- Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Group (SMBC)
- Tishman Speyer
- Trammell Crow Company
- Van Barton Group
- Washington Prime Group, Inc.
- The Witkoff Group
Work highlights
- Assisting SL Green with its acquisition of 245 Park Avenue through a bankruptcy auction.
- Advising Choice Hotels International on its acquisition of Radisson Hotel Group Americas for approximately $675 million.
- Assisting DiamondRock Hospitality Company with the refinancing of its existing $750 million unsecured credit facility, increasing the total credit facility to $1.2 billion.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Thomas Henry, David Drewes, Krystyna Blakeslee, Misty Sanford, Carly Glover Saviano