March 16, 2020 (Boston) —International law firm Proskauer announced today the addition of a real estate team in Boston led by partners Keith Barnett and Sean Boulger and including tax partner Robert Burke.

This nationally esteemed team has a practice that focuses on a wide range of real estate transactions and development projects including joint ventures, acquisitions/dispositions, developments, leases and financing transactions across a broad spectrum of real estate classes. They counsel investors, developers, operators, retailers, REITs, commercial banks, landlords and tenants and pension fund advisors.  

“The growth of our real estate practice is a strategic priority for the Firm, and we are excited to expand our offering in Boston and nationwide,” said Steven Ellis, Chair of the Firm. “This team will be of great value to a wide range of clients who prioritize this important sector.”

• Barnett advises local, national and international clients in all aspects of commercial real estate, including real estate finance, development, acquisitions, sales and leasing. He counsels clients on a diverse range of legal and business real estate matters for clients across industries. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan and his B.A. from Harvard.  
• Boulger focuses his practice on a broad range of real estate transactions and development projects. He represents numerous investors, developers and operators in joint ventures, acquisitions, developments, leases and financing transactions across a broad spectrum of real estate asset classes. He received his J.D. and B.A. from Harvard.
• Burke devotes a majority of his practice to issues involving the taxation of partnerships, limited liability companies, S corporations, REITS and other entities treated as “pass-through” entities. He is an authority in structuring and formation of investment funds and complex commercial joint ventures and similar arrangements. He received his J.D. from Cornell and his B.A. from Williams College.

“We are delighted to welcome Keith, Sean and Rob to the Firm,” said Ron Sernau, co-head of Proskauer’s Real Estate Department. “The depth and breadth of their experience across the real estate spectrum make them tremendous assets to our clients and our team.”

Proskauer’s market-leading Real Estate team has over 80 lawyers in the U.S., Europe and Asia who handle complex real estate transactions worldwide for a broad spectrum of clients, including sovereign wealth funds, institutional and specialty lenders, developers, private equity real estate funds, investment banks, pension funds, domestic and foreign investors, REITs, sports venue owners and corporate real estate owners. We operate a powerhouse leasing practice and advise on major retail and office lease transactions across the U.S., and we represent national and regional real estate owners and developers in all stages of the development and construction process. We are consistently top-ranked by leading industry publications and are one of the few firms to be recognized for both our traditional and corporate real estate work. We have also been repeatedly recognized for our hospitality sector expertise and were named “Hospitality Group of the Year” by Law360 in 2018 and 2019.

Recent headline representations include Leisure Acquisition Corp.’s $1.115 billion merger with Gateway Casinos & Entertainment; The Coca-Cola Company’s $907 million sale of 711 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, also known as the “Coca-Cola Building”; and Accor’s $451 million sale of a 5% stake in Huazhu Group Limited.

Proskauer’s Boston office, the largest office outside of our New York headquarters, is a hub for global innovation. We work with clients that are revolutionizing some of the most dynamic sectors. Leading asset managers, tech companies, life sciences companies and other industry-redefining organizations count on our top-tier team to help them close deals, form funds, invent new products and overcome obstacles to success.