Overview
Our International Practice Group has inbound and outbound investing expertise within the real estate world.
- Inbound: We regularly represent Sovereign Wealth Funds and their affiliates and other non-U.S. investors in purchasing, or investing in, U.S. real estate. These include direct purchases, co-ventures, and more complex investments (such as funds comprising both U.S. and non-U.S. investors investing in U.S. real estate transactions).
- Outbound: In recent years, our clients have ventured outside the United States to deploy their capital. These ventures present particular concerns as our clients ultimately want the same legal protections that they enjoy in the United States; however, virtually all foreign jurisdictions have legal intricacies that are different from those of the United States. In addressing this client need, the attorneys in this practice area have developed significant experience in structuring and handling cross-border transactions in various foreign jurisdictions including Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
Although of course real estate is the primary goal of our clients in these in-and-out-bound real estate transactions, the tax issues are invariably of critical importance. In this regard, the assistance of our tax practice is a particular advantage because our tax practitioners have particular expertise in these types of transactions.
We made the business decision to keep only a single U.S. office for a critical reason; namely, that we do not want to be “stuck” with a possibly substandard office in a non-U.S. jurisdiction.
Without being tied up in this fashion, no matter what country our client seeks to invest in, we can determine and retain the absolute top legal advisors in that country to assist us and our clients.
We take nothing away from our global law firm competition, but are pleased we do not have to monitor quality control not only in multiple offices but in multiple jurisdictions.
