Overview
Our Lodging & Gaming Group has long been recognized in legal and business circles for the influential role we play in the industry. And never have these services been more valuable than now, when hotel owners, operators and lenders are doing business in an environment where new deals, sources of financing and the completion of projects are more complicated than ever before. We are among the best in the industry at getting deals and projects done and also have considerable experience resolving high-stakes disputes and navigating the challenges of distressed situations and the current financing market.
We have decades of experience and are always on the cutting edge of the practice, focusing on traditional situations as well as new and innovative solutions. While in recent months this has involved restructurings, workouts, bankruptcies and foreclosures in the hotel and mixed-use spaces, we also have experience handling every other relevant issue in the industry, including: hotel and casino development and construction; acquisitions and sales; financings; management; marketing; and all aspects of operations. The breadth of our experience is vast, but the level of sophisticated and complex matters we handle is the true hallmark of our group.
Our practice is cross-border and we provide clients with access to lawyers across our global network of offices in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America, ensuring that all lodging and gaming-related legal matters are handled with agility and efficiency.
We are ranked as a leader by Chambers USA, which wrote that our practice draws “on the strength of its international web of offices to offer a full-range, high-quality service to its clients.” Individual members of the team are also recognized by Chambers USA as leaders in their field, and have been noted by clients for their “talent for understanding our business and our needs” and for being “commercially savvy.”
Areas of Focus
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Finance and Capital Markets
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Gaming
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Intellectual Property
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Joint Ventures
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Labor and Employment
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Litigation
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Management Agreements
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Mergers and Acquisitions
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Mixed-Use Development
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Privacy and Data Security
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Real Estate
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Restructurings and Bankruptcy
Key Representations
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Gehr Development in its $102 million acquisition of the Fairfield Inn at Times Square
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Various major international hotel chains, such as Fairmont Raffles (and Swissôtel), Four Seasons, Hilton, InterContinental, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, Sofitel, Sonesta, St. Regis, Westin and W Hotels as well as smaller chains and boutique operators such as Gansevoort, Kimpton, Kor, The Light Group, Rosewood, Starwood Capital and Thompson Hotels in the negotiation, drafting and analysis of management agreements for owners, operators, lenders and investors - Our experience in this area extends to complex, multi-use and multi-location properties and transactions, including REIT structures, mixed-use developments and condominiums
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Consolidated Resorts, operator of time-share resorts in Las Vegas, Hawaii and Orlando, in its Chapter 7 bankruptcy