Avram is a strategic advisor with a practice positioned at the intersection of real estate, corporate transactions and tax planning. He serves as outside general counsel to large and small companies in all aspects of real estate ownership and assists clients on a deal-by-deal basis.
He focuses a significant portion of his practice on managing the numerous transactional and personalty components involved in sophisticated real estate transactions. These transactions include the formation of joint ventures, including development, single asset, club and preferred equity ventures and the associated asset management, development management, property management and leasing arrangements. Other transactions include the acquisition, divestiture, development and financing of real property and real estate companies. He and his team manage all aspects of a project, from initial planning and contract negotiations to addressing operational issues. In addition to negotiating and documenting transactions, Avram frequently counsels on tax and business issues.
Clients appreciate Avram’s adroit transaction management. He has an exceptional ability to develop innovative solutions to bring parties together and resolve challenging issues. Without losing focus on his clients’ big-picture objectives, he also recognizes and appreciates the often-overlooked details that can slow down or destroy a deal altogether or lead to post-closing disputes or disappointments. Avram skillfully assembles dynamic teams of professionals and attorneys from other disciplines to successfully close transactions with numerous sophisticated components.
- Represented a client, an investment partnership between a private real estate firm and two foreign investors, in the wind-up of its joint venture with an international publicly traded real estate company (2020).
- Represented clients, including a qualified opportunity zone fund, in the formation of a joint venture with another qualified opportunity zone fund to acquire and construct a multi-family residential and retail project in Virginia (2020).
- Represented a private real estate investment fund in its preferred equity investments in multi-family residential projects, including development projects, in Illinois, South Carolina, Texas and Florida (2020 and 2021).
- Represented a client in the formation of a qualified opportunity zone fund and a qualified opportunity zone partnership to acquire land and construct an industrial facility (2020).
- Represented a client in the formation of a joint venture with an investor to acquire a single tenant office property and vacant land in Florida and lease the office property back to the seller (2020).
- Represented a privately owned real estate investment firm in the restructuring of a joint venture that owns a New York City residential and retail project with a gross asset value of approximately $900 million, including in the acquisition of a one-third interest from an exiting joint venture partner and in obtaining new mortgage financing (2019).
- Represented a more than 30-year-old law firm in preparing, and working with its partners to obtain agreement on, the firm’s first partnership agreement. We were the third law firm to work on the project and the first to succeed (2019).
- Represented a real estate investment firm in the formation of a joint venture with a publicly traded REIT to own nine lifestyle retail centers valued at more than $600 million. Also represented the real estate investment firm in its partnership with a foreign investor to make the joint venture investment (2017).
- Represented a real estate investment partnership in the formation of a joint venture with a Mexican shopping center owner to own retail property in Mexico (2017).
- Represented a real estate developer in the formation of a joint venture with an institutional investor to develop a new lifestyle retail center in Orlando, Florida (2017).
- Represented a real estate developer in the acquisition of a new mixed-use project with hotel and office components, including in the formation of a joint venture with a state retirement fund and the formation of a partnership with certain service providers (2017).
- Represented a real estate developer in the development of a new mixed-use project with retail, office and residential components near Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, including in the formation of joint ventures with a residential developer and an institutional investor (2016).
- Represented a publicly traded REIT in the formation of an operating partnership (2016).
- Represented a real estate investment firm in the formation of a joint venture with a publicly traded REIT to own retail and mixed used properties valued at more than $1.6 billion. Also represented the real estate investment firm in the formation of a partnership with a foreign investor to make the joint venture investment (2015).
- Represented a real estate investment firm in the formation of a joint venture with a REIT to own retail properties valued at $925 million. Also represented the real estate investment firm in the formation of a partnership with a foreign investor to make the joint venture investment (2015).
- Represented a real estate owner in the formation of a “down REIT” partnership with a publicly traded REIT (2014).
- Represented a private equity investor in its participation in the acquisition of a foreign hotel management company (2014).
- Represented a real estate investment firm in the formation of a joint venture with a REIT to own retail properties valued at $1.3 billion. Also represented the real estate investment firm in the formation of a partnership with two foreign investors to make the joint venture investment (2013).
- Represented a publicly traded REIT in the formation of a joint venture with an institutional investor to own a $1.5 billion retail property located on the Las Vegas Strip (2013).
- Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, recommended in “Real Estate” since 2021
- The Legal 500 United States, recommended in “Real Estate” since 2016
- The Best Lawyers in America, recommended in “Corporate Law” 2021 - 2023